Question 1

What is the difference between overbooking and overselling?

Accepted Answer

Overbooking a flight means that airlines will accept a few additional reservations for seats on a flight beyond the aircraft's seating capacity. This is a purposeful action.

An oversale, or overselling, takes place when more confirmed Customers check in on time and show up for the flight than our plane will accommodate. This is an unintentional result.

Question 2

Does Southwest overbook flights?

Accepted Answer

No. However, there can be operational instances where we will be over available seating capacity, resulting in an oversale. Overselling a flight can occur because of weight restrictions and aircraft type changes.

We don’t overbook as part of our philosophy of Customer-friendly policies.

Question 3

Will I be compensated for an oversold flight?

Accepted Answer

When appropriate, we’ll offer compensation when a flight is in an oversale situation. To learn more, please refer to the Southwest Contract of Carriage and navigate to the following section: Service Interruptions > Denied Boarding Procedures Due to an Oversale.