What does Japan Airlines do when faced with overbooked flights?

Last month, an overbooking incident involving American Airlines caused an international uproar. However, in the global aviation industry, “overbooking” is a common business practice used to reduce waste from unused flight capacity. Japan has long been recognized for its high service standards—so how does a Japanese airline handle an overbooking situation at boarding time?

What does Japan Airlines do when faced with overbooked flights? Recently, Japanese media published an article exploring how Japan Airlines deals with overbooked flights. Typically, one to two weeks before a flight’s departure, airlines can predict which flights will be overbooked. They may then bump their own staff or persuade passengers who check in early or choose middle seats to take an earlier flight.

Another approach is that, 30 minutes before boarding, airlines may offer incentives for passengers to switch flights—for example, providing compensation equivalent to double the price of the next available flight, plus accommodation for the day. Most Japanese passengers tend to accept such arrangements, especially students and those returning home.

To avoid overbooking disputes, some low-cost carriers like Vanilla Air have never overbooked flights. According to statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, between April and June last year, more than 80% of passengers on overbooked All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines flights agreed to switch. Of course, if no passengers agree to the conditions on the day and those who haven’t cleared customs 15 minutes before departure are still on board, they may be denied boarding.