Get Ready to Get Bumped

· If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later than scheduled (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles, to a maximum of $400.

· You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you decide to make your own alternate travel arrangements, you can ask for a refund on the ticket for the flight you were bumped from.

Now, you know there are exceptions to everything, and compensation for being bumped is no exception. To be compensated, you must have a confirmed reservation. Look for an "OK" on your ticket.

You also have to meet the airline's deadline for buying your ticket. Typically, discount tickets must be purchased within a certain number of days after the reservation was made. Other tickets normally have to be picked up no later than 30 minutes before the flight.

In addition to the ticketing deadline, each airline has a check-in deadline that you need to meet. If you want to decrease the chances of being bumped, get to the airport early or check in online as soon as you are allowed, typically 24 hours before the flight. On oversold flights, the last passenger to check in is usually the first to be bumped.

This isn't in the rules, but you have a far better chance of being compensated nicely and treated kindly when you're involuntarily bumped if you don't act like a jerk. Yes, the airlines shouldn't overbook. But that doesn't give you a free ticket to be nasty.

Of course, there are some people who pray for a bumping situation. These seasoned travelers are usually the ones who sprint to the counter when the call goes out for volunteers.

I love these passengers. I say more power to their penny-pinching sprinting because it lets the rest of us get to our destinations on time.

· On the air: Michelle Singletary appears on Washington Post Radio (107.7 FM, 1500 AM) at 6:20 a.m. Thursdays. She also discusses personal finance Tuesdays on NPR's "Day to Day" program and online athttp://www.npr.org.

· By mail: Readers can write to her at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20071.

· By e-mail:singletarym@washpost.com.

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