Denied Boarding and Overbooked Flights: A Comparative Study of Contracts of Carriage by Air

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associated Professor of the Department of Islamic and Private Law, University of Tehran

2 Assistant Professor of Law at University of Denver Sturm College of Law

3 Ph.D. Student of Private Law, University of Tehran

10.22099/jls.2020.31883.3218

Abstract

Overbooking flights are a common practice of the airline industry. This business practice aims at ensuring that airplanes fly at their full capacity. However, due to boilerplate contracts that bury the relevant clause, most passengers are shocked when they are denied boarding due to the lack of passenger capacity. This article looks at the legal aspects of overbooking in three jurisdictions: Iran, France, and the U.S. It studies the legal basis of overbooking in each jurisdiction and analyzes the remedies each system offers passengers. While the policy of ensuring a functioning airline industry requires the practice of overbooking, states can provide a higher degree of legal protection for passengers. This article suggests that Iran's legal system must improve its current requirement for airlines' contracts of carriage. Providing a comprehensive guideline on the passengers' rights in case of overbooking must become mandatory for airlines. It should also require airlines to be transparent about all of their policies and ensure that the overbooking clause in the contract of carriage is as conspicuous as possible.

Keywords

References

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