Travel company Upgraded
Points shared its latest study undercovering the frequency of involuntary
denied boarding across major U.S. airlines, highlighting carriers most likely
to bump passengers in 2024.
Keri Stooksbury, editor-in-chief at Upgraded Points said in
a statement, "Few travel experiences are more frustrating than being
bumped from a flight after purchasing
a ticket. Yet it happens frequently since airlines routinely sell more
tickets than available seats in anticipation of no-shows. We studied this
industry practice to give travelers a heads-up on which carriers are most
likely to have this issue."
Upgraded Points analyzed Department of Transportation data
on denied boardings from Q1 2023 to Q2 2024 from the largest U.S. airlines. The
analysis looked at both voluntary and involuntary denied boardings per 10,000
passengers for accurate airline comparisons. The study also surveyed over 2,000
Americans to gain insight into expectations for compensation when denied
boarding.
Airlines Most Likely to Bump Passengers
Frontier Airlines topped the list by a significant margin,
bumping over 400 percent more passengers than the second-placed airline.
Involuntary denied boardings
per 10K passengers included:
- Frontier Airlines: 3.21
- American Airlines Network: 0.60
- Spirit Airlines: 0.43
- Southwest Airlines: 0.14
- JetBlue Airways: 0.09
Airlines Where Passengers
Willingly Give Up Their Seat
The study revealed the following
airlines where passengers voluntarily give up their seats most often (per 10K
passengers:
- Delta Air Lines Network: 7.49
- Spirit Airlines: 3.88
- Frontier Airlines: 3.27
- Alaska Airlines Network: 3.26
- American Airlines Network: 2.54
State Residents Wanting the Most Money if Bumped by a Flight
Americans on average say they would need $599 to voluntarily
give up their seat due to an overbooked flight. Some state residents however
expect more for the inconvenience to include:
- California: $832
- Iowa: $799
- Utah: $784
- Alabama: $774
- Texas: $729
Beyond Compensation
The Upgraded Points study also
revealed other considerations regarding denied boardings:
Nearly half of Americans (46 percent)
say the longest delay they'd accept on a future flight is two to four hours if
they voluntarily gave up their seat. However, 13 percent would be willing to
wait over seven hours if necessary.
50 percent of Americans would be
less likely to give up their seat during peak travel times, like the holidays.
42 percent believe that fair
compensation for being bumped involuntarily is a 200 percent refund plus
rebooking on the next available flight. 27 percent indicate the refund should
be 400 percent or more, while 25 percent think a 100 percent refund is fair
enough.
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