Being booted off an overbooked flight is not just a passenger nightmare, it is standard practice.

It is part of the way that Australian airlines ensure they don’t miss out on revenue — and yes, it is legal.

Airlines commonly sell more seats than their flights can accommodate to account for a percentage of passengers likely to miss their flight or make a last-minute cancellation.

They track passenger data from previous flights to help estimate figures to for commercial overselling.

But if every passenger shows up for their flight, or the vessel is downsized, some passengers need to get “bumped”.

Airlines work to bump passengers onto the next available flight — the rebooking is fee-free, but some passengers may need to accept non-direct flights and trim days off of their holiday durin

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