The Overselling Gamble: Why Airlines Bet Against You Showing Up
The Horror Story It is the nightmare scenario. You are flying home for Diwali. You have your boarding pass. You arrive at the gate. And then you hear the announcement: “We are looking for volunteers to give up their seats for a voucher.” Why does this happen? Did their database fail? Did they double-book a seat by mistake? No. They bet against you, and they lost. The Economics of “Perishable Inventory” An empty seat is the most expensive thing on a plane. It consumes fuel but generates zero revenue. ...