專八真題:2007年Interview(2/5)

So waiting at the lounge or on the plane is quite common. Certainly. And another problem that's very common is overbooking. Quite often you hear an announcement on the airport loudspeakers, "We have oversold on this flight and would like volunteers to go on the next flight out." If you decide to volunteer, you may get a cash bribe or a free trip voucher, but make sure you get a guaranteed seat on the next flight and a free phone call to whoever is meeting you on the other end. And worse still, you arrive with a confirmed reservation and you discover you've been bumped off the flight. Presumably, if you choose to travel at off-peak times, there are fewer problems. Well, there are no off-peak times. All flights seem to be full, except Saturday. I don't quite understand why this is so. You know if there is a public holiday, things are likely to be especially busy. The special fare systems on the airlines' computers encourage more people to fly on less popular flights. And this means that as a result, all flights are equally full.