The Ministry of Transport is preparing to legalize overbooking on flights, allowing airlines to sell more tickets, taking into account that some passengers do not show up for their flights. At the same time, the ministry proposes to legally protect passengers in case there are more people wishing to fly than there are seats on the plane.

As explained by the head of the Ministry of Transport, Andrey Nikitin, the reason is that some passengers regularly do not show up for their flights. Some are late, some postpone their trip, and some simply change their mind about flying on the day of departure. As a result, there are empty seats on the plane.

Overbooking allows airlines to sell these seats to those who need to fly right away.

At the same time, the amendments to the Air Code are intended to be drafted in such a way that the introduction of overbooking does not mean new restrictions for passengers. On the contrary, the Ministry of Transport wants to give them more opportunities to plan their trips.

If more people show up for a flight than can physically be accommodated on the plane, the airline will not be able to simply deny a passenger without options. According to Nikitin, the law intends to enshrine the requirement for a wide choice of compensation.

Passengers will be offered an alternative flight, monetary compensation, comfortable conditions during the waiting period for departure, and other options. Nikitin also noted that abroad, overbooking is viewed positively, as such a measure, according to him, is primarily beneficial to the passengers themselves.

However, this mechanism is not intended to be allowed everywhere. The Ministry of Transport intends to take into account the interests of socially vulnerable categories of citizens and allow such practice only on routes with high flight frequency.