United Airlines UAL, +0.14% is continuing to weather an onslaught of international outrage after video of a passenger being forcibly removed from a plane in Chicago was posted online Sunday night — bringing into question the policy of selling more tickets than there are seats for flights.

But while overbooking flights is completely legal (and common), there are still measures consumers can take to prevent themselves from being booted off a flight — and get a hefty compensation if they are.

To be safe, don’t fly economy

If a flight is overbooked, airlines will start by asking for volunteers to take various forms of compensation for giving up their seats, which can range from a coupon for a cup of coffee or more than $1,000 in cash. If not enough volunteers come forward, the airline is within its legal right to remove passengers from the flight involuntarily. But as the Department of Transportation noted in a statement on Monday, “it is the airline’s responsibility to determine its own fair boarding priorities.”

“Typically the hierarchy goes from back to the front,” said Joseph Lorusso, a Colorado-based aviation attorney and airline-rated pilot, noting that he doesn’t have knowledge of United’s specific system. “Without knowing the exact protocol, you’re going to be safer in first class or even business than if you’re just flying economy.”

Always negotiate

Whether you are bumped from a flight voluntarily or involuntarily, Lorusso said it’s important to view the Department of Transportation’s Passenger Bill of Rights and ask for sufficient compensation. Customers who are “involuntarily denied boarding” of an aircraft on domestic flights (even if they’re already on the plane) are entitled to 200% of their one-way fare in compensation (no more than $675) in cash if their delay is more than one hour but less than two, according to a federal regulation. If the delay is more than two hours, they are entitled to 400% of a one-way fare (but no more than $1,350) in cash.

“It’s a negotiation between you and the airline - for both voluntary and involuntary bumps,” he said. “Just because they say they’ll give you a ticket does not mean you have to take that.”

Comply with the crew

When passengers are involuntarily bumped, they must leave the plane, Lorusso said — so what happened on the United flight would not be illegal. However, in this particular incident, the flight was not oversold but past capacity because four crew members were trying to make it to Kentucky for another job. Because of this, the involuntary bump may not have been protected under federal law, Lorusso said, which only covers paying customers — not traveling crew.

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Still, plane passengers can be removed at any time under the contract of carriage. Because the plane’s door was open, Lorusso said the crew followed proper federal protocol by calling local police, as they were still under state jurisdiction. Once the door is closed, the plane falls under federal jurisdiction, and passengers legally must comply with uniformed crew members — including flight attendants.

“That door controls more than people think,” he said. “The most important thing to keep in mind is to comply: if they ask you to get off the airplane, then get off.”

Choose your airline wisely

It doesn’t have to be this way, said Brett Snyder, author of the airline-industry blog CrankyFlier.com. Other airlines have implemented systems to avoid such issues — including JetBlue, which doesn’t oversell flights.

“Airlines need to figure out a better way to do this,” he said. “For example, Delta bumps a ton of people but it’s almost entirely voluntary — they have gotten good at getting aggressive at the gate trying to make sure they are prepared before anyone boards.”

In the meantime, these policies may be under examination internally at United, said Lorusso.

“It’s a cost-benefit analysis for them — they don’t want to give away too much when they are afforded the right to bump involuntarily,” he said. “But I bet United is looking back and thinking they should have offered more than $800 after this.”