Not getting a seat on a long haul flight after buying tickets THREE months previously

Louisdf

globetraveller wrote: »

We fly frequently and I've never had that happen with any other airline.

You're very lucky. Full-service airlines frequently oversell flights as a large number of passengers on flexible tickets often cancel or postpone their trips at the last minute. As taxation and aviation fuel are so high these days, it's not profitable (not to mention bad for the environment) for airlines to fly planes half-empty.

callum9999

globetraveller wrote: »

I've been in the exact same position. We also had to wait- and we booked and paid 10 months in advance. It doesn't matter whether the OP got on the flight anyway- its the stress leading up to it. I had work to go to- I didn't want to spend a night in Amsterdam. this happened a few years ago and I've never flown KLM since. We fly frequently and I've never had that happen with any other airline.

Are you sure you are using the word "stress" correctly? People nowadays use it for any little minor inconvenience.

I don't know your normal temperament of course as we're all different, but that situation strikes me as an annoyance much more than "stressful".

jpsartre

globetraveller wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether the OP got on the flight anyway- its the stress leading up to it.

Of course it matters. For one thing, the OP would have been entitled to cash compensation if he had actually been denied boarding.As has been mentioned several times now, overbooking is an entirely commonplace practice among all "regular" airlines. In practice, you cannot avoid the risk of being involuntarily bumped no matter what you do and who you fly with (though checking in early may minimize it).