With the arrival of the holiday season and planes flying full as more people take to the skies, you may worry about being kept off an overbooked flight, especially since some airlines have recently changed their policies for compensating bumped flyers. Fortunately, the overall risk of getting bumped is small, and there are ways to further minimize your risk. Steps you can take Fly early or late: Flying early in the morning or late at night will reduce your chances of getting bumped. And if possible, get an advance seat assignment when you book your flight. If you don't have an advance seat assignment, call the airline on the day of travel and try to get one over the phone. Check in early, even if you have a seat assignment: Most airlines require you to be at the gate at least 30-45 minutes before departure on domestic flights and international flights. After those cut-off times, the airlines start releasing confirmed seats of passengers who haven't checked in to people without seat assignments. Hence, even if you have an advance seat assignment, if you check in late you could lose your seat and possibly get bumped off the flight. Join a frequent flyer program: Some carriers bump passengers on the basis of check-in time (those who checked in the latest will be bumped first). Others, however, bump people on the basis of what they paid for their ticket, so you could be vulnerable if you're flying on a super-cheap fare. Paying more, and having a stash of points in the airline's frequent flyer program—proof that you're a loyal customer—could provide some protection against getting bumped.

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