Worried about Getting Bumped

There is no point in stressing over things you cannot control. The involuntary bump rates are very, very small despite all the news articles that give them outsize importance (look at USDOT data if you want to confirm this). Most airlines get enough volunteers if the plane is oversold...I've been very tempted myself on several occasions. Obviously, some people are more valuable to airlines (and less likely to be bumped) than others but not everyone is a business flyer with lots of miles or premier status. I say, don't give it another thought. Check in on time and don't stress. It sounds like you are more worried about your daughter flying alone (or even yourself)....remember, young people are flexible and they rarely stress over small stuff like being exactly on time. When you're traveling, you can't control everything, so just do what you can...show up to the gate on time and keep your mind off your worries with a book or other distraction.

Thanks for the reassurance. This is a bucket-list first time to Europe trip for me so I'm a little over-zealous.

Definitely don't expect perfection and for everything to go smoothly on any trip - stuff happens and you just have to roll with it. At the time, it will seem painful but, in the end, all you'll remember is a wonderful trip that will dwarf all the minor inconveniences. Also, some airlines are revising their overbooking policies, so that should give you a little more comfort. No worries, everything will turn out.

Since there are no flights to Florence (Italy that is) from North America, the "bump" would have to take place in Europe at her connecting airport. European regulations are a lot more strict about that sort of thing. However, her flight from North America could be late and she could miss the flight to Florence, in which case the airline would be responsible to get her on the next flight to her destination. That stuff happens and there is nothing anybody can do about. Just tough it out.

It is not unknown to get bumped on flights to/from Florence, as the airport runway is very short and has a mountain on a side; in bad weather (say, with wind in the bad direction or a wet runway) the pilot may require to keep the airplane light by bumping passengers or luggage. This is particularly frequent with Vueling standard A319 airplanes that are at the limit of their parameters landing and taking off; other companies have airplanes with modified brakes (the so called "Florence kit", a modification in the braking software) and so are less prone to cancellation. For example, my brother travels frequently between Florence and Paris, he got bumped a couple of times on Vueling but never on Air France.

In June such bad weather is uncommon, not such in winter - in winter, flights to/from Pisa are more reliable, as Pisa has a long double runway and generally better weather conditions.

For her flight from the US, depending on the airline, she could reduce her (already small) chance of getting bumped by choosing a seat now (especially if the airline requires payment for chosen seats) and checking in at the 24-hour ahead mark, or whenever the airline first opens check-in. And assuming her two flights are on one ticket (I sure hope they are), having a checked bag can help too---but then there is the risk of it going astray and not arriving in Florence on time.

However, the chance of getting bumped from a flight is very small, just vastly overblown by the recent news.

What airline is she flying?

And where does she, or do you, change planes to fly to Florence?

I've flown on over a hundred transatlantic flights on various airlines, and only once the airline requested a single volunteer to take a later flight. That volunteer was me, I got $500 compensation, and it happened 20 years ago. On the list of things I can stress about while traveling, bumping is on the very bottom.

Since we recently experienced being bumped, my advice is - don't stress!!! Seriously, it's a waste of energy to worry since there is absolutely nothing you can do about it - when you fly you are at the mercy of the airlines, period. Easier said than done I know, but it is simply not worth the energy or brain power.
Yes, if you or your daughter get bumped it will be inconvenient, but the world won't end - you will both get to your ultimate destinations.
So don't let the possibility of this happening rob you of the joy and excitement of the your upcoming travels!!!!!

Flying Delta from Mpls to Amsterdam then Florence

I can't even count the several hundreds of times I have flown domestically and internationally for both business and pleasure. And I am sure I have flown in and out of Florence more than most people on this board. Yet I have never been bumped in my entire life. Much more common is to miss the connection to Florence due to a delay of my transatlantic flight to the European hub where I was connecting to Florence. That usually causes a delay of a few hours and instead of the afternoon arrival you daughter may arrive to FLR with the later KLM flight (there a 3 or 4 a day, depending on season).

As lachera mentioned, due to the short runway in FLR, occasionally flights to FLR are canceled in particular weather conditions and diverted to either Bologna or Pisa. That causes a delay also because then the airline needs to get people on buses to FLR. That has happened to me twice only.

I am in the same camp that Michael is in. We have flown hundreds of flights over the past 20 years or so and have never been bumped. Since we always fly the best schedule we don't have any loyalty to any airline so we have no special status. We have had a couple of flights totally canceled so that might be considered a bump but even that is exceptional rare. If you a worry list, then that one needs to be last.

There are 3 MSP>>AMS nonstops/day (Delta) then 4 AMS>>FLR nonstops/day (KLM). She'll get there.

Note that upon return @ AMS, Delta runs a fairly elaborate security screening of connecting passengers at gate E-1 so be ready for that, takes about 15-30 minutes. Flyers in the know have a way of getting around this and finding out what the actual departure gate is (it's not E1) but I don't know how to do it.

Getting "bumped" is only one of the hassles of flying these days. Weather, maintenance issues and crew issues can all delay or cancel a flight anywhere in an itinerary. The more stops, the greater the possibilities of a problem. However, with well over 1 million flyer miles under my belt, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been delayed for more than 12 hours.

Instead of dwelling on the possibility of being delayed, spend you energy trying to plan ahead for the worst case scenario. Have a plan of how to contact your daughter (and any other important people) in the event of travel delays. Will your daughter have an Italian cell phone? If not, will she have an Italian land-line number you can pass messages to her? Will she have regular access to email? Are there hotels or transportation companies that will need to be notified of delays? By the way, for those "foreign" numbers, make sure you have the appropriate international dialing code prefacing the phone number (and the same goes for US numbers being called from overseas).

I always recommend having a list of essential names, addresses and phone numbers printed out and hand-carried. If I am meeting people at an appointed time and place, I also have a pre-arranged plan for contacting them while enroute. Decide beforehand how you're going to contact people.

I would recommend you purchase an international calling card before leaving since you have a flight change in Amsterdam. They aren't particularly expensive but the talk-time isn't the cheapest way to call. I would get a smallish card (~100 or so calling units) and only use it in an emergency. This will allow you to easily call those important contacts from any phone in the event of a delay.

If you are traveling with a mobile device (phone, tablet, laptop, etc.), you can use WIFI to make video or voice calls. I find FaceTime to particularly reliable for Apple-Device to Apple-Device calling but I also have Skype and Google Voice accounts as well.

Finally, I would practice your method of emergency communication at least once before you go. This will ensure you are familiar with the process as well as give you that confidence that it works.

Finally, since you daughter is apparently going to Italy for a period of time and you are gong over to visit her, I would suggest you research how to secure your computer/mobile devices while traveling. Public WIFI is very unsecure and can lead to identity theft. If you are unfamiliar, find a tech-savvy friend and have them teach you ways to avoid identity theft. At a minimum, I would use Virtual Private Network (VPN) software/connections anytime you are connected to a public WIFI network (ANYWHERE - whether down the street at Starbucks or traveling abroad). The VPN software I use costs less than $50 a year and covers up to five devices (computers, phones, tablets, etc.).

My personal philosophy is that the more you plan for the unexpected the less likely it is to happen. Good luck and have fun!

Just for perspective - from TIME magazine Apr 24 issue...

660 million - approx. # of passengers boarding flights originating in the US in 2016.
434,425 - passengers who were bumped voluntarily
40,629 - passengers who were bumped involuntarily

do math - so your odds are so extremely low as to be almost non-existent that you will be bumped. I just make sure that I check in as early as I can when the 24 hr window opens.

Thank you all! Great advice.

As said above, don't worry about what you can't control. But one thing that can be controlled is check in, which you can now do 24 hours before departure. Your daughter should check in online as soon as this opens. Most airlines send an e-mail 24 hours before the flight, with a link in the e-mail to check in. Or, she can get the Delta app, which should notify her about check in.

I've never seen anyone get bumped from a plane, but I see plenty of people get bumped from their seats, all the time, nearly every flight. Appears that couples and families can't book seats together, they're all scattered throughout the cabin. The flight attendants then select certain passengers to upseat so they can seat the couples and families together.

This is a lesson for me cause I'm always so partial to the seat I choose, always an aisle seat, on the far left or far right, some day they may come for me.

Family members who have to sit together... book early enough to make that possible. No sympathy for those people at all.

Regarding the OP's question: I have traveled to Europe around 23 times, about 10 times to Asia, counting both business and leisure. Maybe 70 flights domestically. Never been bumped involuntarily once. Relax..

I flew Delta/partner airlines to Florence about this time last year. As a previous poster stated, the landing in Florence can have issues.

On the day we were supposed to fly into Florence, we had to divert to Bologna because of wind conditions. This was my first solo trip to Europe, so this was a bonus adventure for me. The airline quickly arranged a bus to transport us and our luggage back to Florence. The drive took about an hour. They dropped us off at the Florence airport. From the speed with which the bus was arranged and from what the flight crew said, this was not an uncommon occurrence. We weren't even in the Bologna airport for more than fifteen minutes before the bus appeared.

I'm not telling you this to create more travel stress. I'm just telling you so that if it does happen to her, she can know that she'll be about an hour late reaching the Florence airport via bus instead of plane. That way she can contact anyone who is meeting her to let them know about the delay, and you'll know ahead of time as well.

No point in getting into a swivet about low incidence things you can't control. Buy a seat and check in early and probably you are good -- but sometimes you aren't. The odds of missing the connection to Florence because the US plane was late are much higher than her being bumped. It is always prudent to have a plan B in case things go awry (I had a US to Europe plan once come in 5 hours late because we turned back to Gander to offload an elderly person who was demented and unaccompanied and wouldn't take a seat). What is the next stop? How would she get there. Just knowing what you would do in case the unlikely happens can help you relax about it.

Again, both MSP and AMS are Delta hubs, and they will make every effort to keep these big planes on time because of all the connecting passengers.

If you want, have your daughter study this map. It may help her navigate Schiphol airport which is big and busy.

http://airchive.com/galleries/schipholamsterdamairportmaplounge_27489.jpg

Her flight will likely arrive on concourse D and the Schengen KLM flights (like Florence) will leave from concourses B or C. On the map passport check is the red dashed line running down to and to the left from number 35. From D she needs to navigate essentially a large shopping mall, following signs for "Gates B-C" and veering to the right toward shops, then a sharp left to immigration. There will be a person moving those with short connections to the front of the line.