U.S. airlines set record low for bumped passengers

In a year that saw several high-profile incidents of mishandled passengers being involuntarily hauled off flights, it turns out that U.S. airlines hit a record low in bumping passengers—possibly because of actions taken after the incidents.

Starting in April, after United dragged a passenger off a flight with injuries and Congressional hearings, many airlines changed their booking policies to eliminate or reduce overbooking, and thereby reduce involuntary bumping. They also increased the bonuses offered to get voluntary bumps.

Now, the Department of Transportation has released year-end results that range from best (Delta, which bumped one passenger out every 200,000) to worst (Spirit bumped one passenger out of every 12,500). Overall, the industry bumped about one passenger per 30,000). That’s half the figure for 2016.

After Delta, the next best were Hawaiian and United; at the bottom, Frontier had the second-worst record, and ExpressJet third-worst. But only Spirit had a rate higher than 2016’s industry average.

Photo: Patrick Roque/Wikimedia

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6 years ago

Is there mandatory compensation in the US if you get bumped off a flight, as there is in the EU?

6 years ago

Thank you very much for your prompt and very detailed response. When it comes to making claims, you usually have to fight for your entitlement here, too. On average I end up making a claim once a year or so – usually for delayed/cancelled flights – and I only remember one that was paid without hassle: Oman Air. I had a long-running battle with Easyjet (at the time of the Icelandic volcano problem). It became bizarre at times, especially when they tried to claim that I had not even booked/flown with them. However, in the end persistence paid off!

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