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
Yes, but not nearly as generous as provided under EU laws. Here’s a list, from theboardingarea.com. Note, this is for involuntary bumping; usually the airlines try to get volunteers in return for a voucher.
If you’re involuntarily denied boarding, the Department of Transportation regulates what you’re entitled to. Here are the rules, as published by the DOT:
If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, with a $675 maximum.If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (400% of your one-way fare, $1350 maximum).If your ticket does not show a fare (for example, a frequent-flyer award ticket or a ticket issued by a consolidator), your denied boarding compensation is based on the lowest cash, check or credit card payment charged for a ticket in the same class of service (e.g., coach, first class) on that flight.You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an “involuntary refund” for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.If you paid for optional services on your original flight (e.g., seat selection, checked baggage) and you did not receive those services on your substitute flight or were required to pay a second time, the airline that bumped you must refund those payments to you.
As you can see, in many cases you’re entitled to a sizable cash payment, up to $1,350. However, here’s the dirty secret of the airlines. In a vast majority of cases they’ll only offer cash compensation if you specifically ask for it. Otherwise they’ll offer you the same voucher they gave anyone who was voluntarily denied boarding.
Is there mandatory compensation in the US if you get bumped off a flight, as there is in the EU?
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!