[xapata]

Overbooking and cancellation fees allows the airline to charge lower fares to folks who buy early and don't cancel. Perhaps the author makes a good point that airlines don't leave enough slack in the system to handle mistakes. I'm not sure if I agree. I fly quite frequently, and I rarely experience any non-weather delays. When there are delays, the airlines are very kind to me. Maybe because I fly frequently, but that's my experience. Regardless, the easy solution to the problem of not enough slack is to fine the airlines more for non-weather delays. Don't tell them how to solve the problem, just make it worth their while. The market will sort out whether it's better to leave some empty seats or to give more refunds.