MADISON, Wis. -- As debt-strapped airlines pack their flights, more passengers are getting involuntarily bumped from their flights going into the busy holiday travel season.

Next week, holiday travelers will crowd the terminals at the Dane County Regional Airport.

"We're up about 3.5 percent in our departing passengers for the year, so we're doing quite well at the airport," said Sharyn Wisniewski, spokeswoman for the Dane County Regional Airport.

While the number of passengers is up, the number of flights arriving and departing has dropped about 15 percent.

"Obviously on their unprofitable routes, they've cut back their flights. So they tried to get it down so that they're flights are as full as possible, hopefully 100 percent full," said Scott Mast, of Burkhalter Travel.

Domestic carriers have taken multimillion dollar airplanes, almost 1,000 of them, and parked them in the desert. Some will never fly again and will be sold as scrap. United Airlines will ditch about 100 of its aging Boeing 737s this year alone.

Fewer planes in the air means fewer seats, and debt-strapped airlines often intentionally overbook flights, counting on no-shows.

"When they are full, and actually overbooked, they may be asking people to bump," Wisniewski said.

And often airlines don't even ask passengers if they'll agree to be bumped from their flight. Because of packed airplanes, involuntary bumping is at a 14-year high this year.

Once bumped, the lighter flight schedule can delay a traveler up to a couple of days.

Mast recommended that people show up early to decrease their chances of getting bumped.

"Those who show up to their flights late, they'll be bumped. If they show up after X number of minutes, they're gone, whether they have a confirmed reservation or not," Mast said.

Even an early arrival might not prevent a passenger from being bumped. But the U.S. Department of Transportation said that people who are denied their seat do have rights.

If passengers arrive at their destination within an hour of their planned arrival, they get nothing.

If passengers arrived one to two hours late to their destination, they can get a free one-way ticket up to $400.

Beyond two hours, or four hours internationally, passengers can get one-way compensation, up to $800.

"I would stay ahead of the ballgame. I would definitely be reconfirming flights before they go. It's an easy thing to do but it can make all the difference in the world," Mast said.

Mast said there are travelers who actually try to get on the most packed flights. He said they seek them so they can get bumped, thus getting a voucher to cover the price of their travel.

An airline official at the Dane County Regional Airport said they try to avoid bumping because of the costs involved, but that it happens and it's perfectly legal.

With the lighter flight schedule, more flights are arriving on time. The 86 percent on-time rate is the best in six years.