We’re not on board with this.
A new report exposes the US airlines most guilty of overbooking their flights — a bizarre industry quirk that leaves hundreds of thousands of paying passengers grounded each year.
The findings, compiled using statistics from the government’s most recent Air Travel Consumer Report, found the act of turfing ticket-holders from a crowded plane last minute — often in exchange for vouchers or miles worth a fraction of what the customer paid — to be surprisingly common.
“Many airlines in America engage in the practice of overselling flights to maximize profits. They assume that not all booked passengers will show up, so they sell more tickets than there are seats available,” said Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator.
“While this approach can reduce the number of empty seats and help maintain low fares, it often leads to significant problems for some travelers and can cause frustration and stress for some passengers,” Porcar said.
Two Delta affiliates topped the naughty list — Endeavor Air, known to most as Delta Connection, had 13.05 denied passengers per every 10,000. Fellow puddle jumper SkyWest followed with a rate of 7.99 per 10,000.
Frontier was third overall with a rate of 6.47 per 10,000. The low-fare flyer snagged the boobie prize for highest number of passengers involuntarily booted, at 11,328. Fourth was Spirit with 6.41 per 10,000.
Legacy carrier Delta took fifth place (6.32 per 10,000) but according to the report, all 115,827 bumped passengers left the line voluntarily.
Hawaiian Airlines and Allegiant Air were the two airlines least likely to ask you for your seat, with 0.83 and 0.66 of every 10,000 passengers moved. Hawaiian had six involuntary bumps while Allegiant reported none.
If you’re hoping this never happens to you, try being more valuable to the airline as a customer, experts say.
“The process of selection is generally random. However, airlines might prefer to start the process from the pool of passengers who do not have any loyalty status,” Anton Radchenko, founder of Boston-based AirAdvisor, told Travel + Leisure.
And while there are usually enough volunteers, suppose that you do find yourself at the receiving end of an offer you can’t refuse. In that case, fight for your rights, the pros urge.
That’s because many airlines will try to avoid offering you actual money, which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be asking for what you’re owed — a few measly points or some free airport food while you wait for an open seat ain’t it, they say.
“Giving up the seat involuntarily is referred to as ‘denied boarding,’ and the law provides for a compensation ranging from $675 to $1,350, which depends on delay upon arrival at your destination,” Radchenko told T+L.