What happens when the plane is overbooked and I have no seat?

I always have an assigned seat on my e-ticket itinerary, but I changed by departure date, so now I don't have an assigned seat on my ticket. So what happens if I don't get onto the plane, and what is the deciding factor on who gets a seat? I'm flying the lowest economy L class on cathay pacific.|||Usually it's the last passengers to arrive who get bumped from a flight, so just be sure that you check-in early and you shouldn't have a problem. I fly Cathay a lot and know that you can choose your seat when you purchase your ticket online or on the phone, you might want to call Cathay and ask them if you can choose a seat now instead of choosing from what's left when you check-in, just have your flight info ready and hopefully they will let you choose a seat now. I know that if you go through the ticket purchasing procedure online for the flight you are on, you can view the seats that are available without completing the purchase. Good luck.|||The deciding factor is who gets to the airport earliest. The remaining seats will be assigned on a first-come, first serve basis. If you are the last person to arrive and the flight is overbooked, then you will be waiting for a later flight.





If you are departing from the U.S., the rules are:





* If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.





If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $200 maximum.





* If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (200% of your fare, $400 maximum).





Be sure that you are at the airport and checked-in by the airline's deadline. They don't owe you anything if you get there late.





I am a former frequent flyer and formerly worked in the travel industry and I totally disagree with the person who said "no worries". If you don't have a seat and no one else volunteers to give up theird, then you are stuck waiting for a later flight. Get there early.|||you dont need an assigned seat








the airlines will start offerring incentives to fly at a later


time ...no worries|||You can hang out with the pilot .Lol