A photo made the rounds yesterday to show how packed a United Airlines flight was in spite of airlines saying they would make an effort to observe social distancing on board.
United Flight Full? Move to A New One For Free
In light of that, United issued a statement yesterday that they will inform customers if their flight is nearing full capacity to allow passengers switch to a different flight or take a flight credit.
Here is their official word on this:
Starting next week, customers on flights that are expected to be closer to full capacity can rebook on a different flight or receive a travel credit. We’ll do our best to reach out about 24 hours before departure and we’ll also provide options at the gate. https://t.co/DHjUIByLmr
— United Airlines (@united) May 12, 2020
This Helps United, Too
This is actually a move which really helps out United as well. Though I think we are quite a ways from overbooked flights, with flight schedules having been cut quite severely, there will eventually be flights that are overbooked.
Having a policy that lets them see if passengers want to move to a different flight if their flight is near capacity lets United possibly avoid having to pay out in vouchers for overbooked flights.
I think it will be quite a while before all travelers are feeling comfortable in the air so this move will likely help keep some voucher money in United’s pocket – at least for a while.
If your flight was nearly full, would you opt to take a later one or cancel altogether?
