Study Reveals Top US Airlines Most Likely to Bump Passengers

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.

This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.