noun
- the practice of accepting more reservations than there are available seats, rooms, or spaces
Usage: business; travel industry
Examples
- The airline’s overbooking policy resulted in several passengers being bumped from the flight.
- Hotel overbooking during peak season can leave guests without rooms.
- The restaurant’s overbooking caused long wait times for customers with reservations.
- Airlines use overbooking to maximize revenue and account for no-shows.
- The conference center’s overbooking created chaos when all attendees actually showed up.
- New regulations aim to reduce overbooking practices in the travel industry.