Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My second question relates to overbooking. I recall flying out of an airport in New York some time ago and hearing an announcement over the public address system that passengers willing to forgo a particular flight would be awarded with free hotel accommodation in Paris. Is that type of inducement strictly legal? It is putting somebody in a very awkward situation where an airline has overbooked a flight and nobody is willing to forgo their seat. Is it illegal for carriers to overbook a flight?