Many people do not fancy being late for their flights and would be at the airport as much as two hours before departure. Some others actually go all out to be late to catch that flight. There is one reason why the late comers prefer to be late goers – they get a big discount on their air tickets. As much as an average trader would love to sell all his wares before going home, so also do airlines would love to fill up their seats and depart with a full aircraft. Therefore, airlines would ‘bump’ extra passengers on overbooked flights with last minute air tickets to the next flight. In doing this, cheap discounts on airfares are offered in compensation or appreciation.

The art of bumping has come to stay in the airline industry. Depending on your destination and the time of year, getting a good discount on a last minute flight can be a big challenge. It is generally not recommended waiting to book a flight until the last minute. Booking a flight in advance of your travel date may get you less expensive airline tickets for your desired route but waiting for last minute airfares is sometimes not guaranteed to get what you want. All of the major US airlines offer cheap, last-minute travel deals and bargains. These cheap airfares are usually released late on Tuesday or early Wednesday morning, and are good usually for travels departing that Friday or Saturday and returning the following Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Most airlines post the airfares on their web site along with an offer of a free e-mail alert.

You are never required to volunteer to be bumped off a flight to another one; it is for those who are all out to secure a cheap airfare. You can use other methods to get great discounts on airline tickets without waiting for last minute airfares that may turn out to disappoint you. Sometimes, you may not even get the much needed compensation that comes with last-minute airfares if flying with some airlines. The best way to avoid being involuntarily moved to another flight is to make your seat reservation ahead of your planned travel date. If you are traveling on multiple airlines, check with each airline to see if you can book your seats in advance. You don’t even have to get exactly the seat you wish to have when you are making your reservations but you may be lucky to get it changed later. After all, you booked very early so you will be considered for a request for change.

The best bet to avoid being bumped to another flight because of dirt cheap last minute airfares is to check in as early as possible. There are some airlines that think you can get the best deals if you accept to be bumped at the last minute, so they go ahead and fix you up in the next available flight. This may happen in very few cases but it is not a golden rule for all times. Checking in at the last minute for a full flight most times may end one up in a middle seat of the last row which is far from being comfortable on a flight especially one a long haul. This is not to say that all flights are grossly oversold and people are being moved from their flights all the time. Certainly, flight oversells occur more frequently at holiday times, but they can occur if other flights have been cancelled or if the aircraft is changed from a large to a small one. But if your flight is filled up, and you don't mind loitering around in the airport, or traveling the next day, then it is okay to be bumped.

You can increase your chances of getting a good and cheap last minute deal by being flexible about flight times, the airline and the airport from which you will fly; as well as the number of flights you will take to reach your final destination. If you really want to save as much as possible on last minute flights, then prepare to be inconvenienced, there are no two ways about this. Last minute airfares are therefore blessings in some instances while in other situations, they are the opposite depending on how they are used.