Airlines speak up on overbooking policy; experts say it happens in Australia too

International airlines are quick to defend overbooking of flights amid controversy that United Airlines faces after videos of a passenger being dragged off a plane in Chicago went viral. Experts say overbooking occurs in Australia too.

The incident on flight 3411 has put United Airlines in hot water and raised concerns about policies across the industry. These include overbooking, in which more tickets are being sold than the number of seats available to make up for no-shows. When everybody shows up, that is when issues, such as the one in the viral Facebook and Twitter videos, arise.

Airlines typically ask volunteers to give up their seats and they will be compensated for doing so. If the number of volunteers is not enough, airlines will choose passengers to hop into an alternative flight.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the denied boarding rate of the airline was just about 1 in 100,000 passengers last year. JetBlue and Ryanair, on the other hand, reportedly said they do not follow the same policy.

Last year in the United States, at least 475,000 passengers were denied boarding as a result of overbooked flights. Of this number, 40,000 travellers did not volunteer to give up their seats. According to the US Transportation Department, it was the lowest rate of involuntary denials since it started tracking the data in 1995.

Meanwhile in Australia, Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey noted that the law required consumer law airlines to provide services with due care and skill. "If the airline makes a mistake and overbooks your flight, it is required to rebook you on the next available flight or give you a refund,” ABC quoted him.

As for the incident involving a United Airlines flight, the passenger, identified as Dr. David Dao, was dragged off to give seats to employees. CNN Money reports that Megan McCarthy, a United spokeswoman , is now saying that Flight 3411 is not overbooked, but the plane had no empty seats for four crew members.

Previously, the company said the flight from Chicago to Louisville was "overbooked.” Carthy attributed the changes in the airline’s statement to its own understanding of what occurred on the flight as it gathered additional facts.

United Chief Executive Oscar Munoz issued an apology to Dao and all the passengers aboard the controversial flight. He assured that a comprehensive review of crew movement will be conducted and the result will be communicated to the public on April 30.