Getting Bumped from a Boise Flight Can Be Great, Actually

"Bump, bump, bump!" Remember B2K & Diddy's hit?

Well, unfortunately, our "bump, bump, bump" has zilch to do with the hip hop mogul's single, and everything to do with your next unintentionally modified flight out of Boise... 😳 

"I love getting bumped from a flight!" said no one ever.

Also referred to as "involuntarily giving up your seat," getting bumped happens to travelers when airlines sell more tickets than there are seats on the flight. If overbooking reads like a scam to you, it does to a lot of folks; especially aeronautically displaced.

Back in the day, we remember airlines pinning the habit on the droves of travelers that missed their flights or didn't show up for them at all. But because those seats were paid for regardless, the logic always sounded like a scam to us.

Does an airline owe you anything when you're bumped?

Possibly! Believe it or not, giving your seat up involuntarily has its perks. In some cases, the airline actually owes you cold, hard compensation on-the-spot for your troubled travels.

If it sounds too good to be true, take it from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

An airline is required to compensate you after involuntarily bumping you from an oversold flight in certain situations.

- U.S. DOT

How I didn't know about this years ago hits me deep in my supermodel-thin wallet. Just this last Christmas, my family and I were bumped off our flight from Boise to Chicago. And because we didn't know to inquire about a bump payout, we missed out on a round-trip-and-a-half's worth of cheddar, y'all 🙄

But according to our friends at Frommer's, there's a catch.

If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.

- Frommer's

Well, we suppose that seems fair. In the appropriate circumstance, we wouldn't mind receiving a large sum of Benjamins for our nomadic woes.

Don't leave Boise Airport when you're bumped!

No matter what, if you qualify for compensation, don't leave the airport. If you do, the airline that would've compensated you is no longer obligated to. To see how much an airline might owe you in the event you're ousted from your flight, click here.

Scroll for 26 bizarre things we didn't know we could have in our carry-ons. 

Keep scrolling for...

• 23 things you can't return/exchange at Idaho Walmarts

• 10 words Idaho transplants have the hardest time saying

• 23 things forbidden in Idaho trash bins

Keep scrolling for...

• 10 things you didn't know are terrible for Idaho plumbing

• 7 weapons that are illegal everywhere except for Idaho 😆

• 10 best bars in Boise according to locals

Keep scrolling for...

• 10 things/facts locals wish outsiders knew about Idaho

• Psychopaths are likely to choose these 10 Boise career fields

• 10 super valuable Idaho crops that never get any attention