Mental Floss

Avoid This Airline If You Don’t Want to Be Bumped From Your Flight

According to Upgraded Points, Frontier Airlines is most likely to overbook flights and bump passengers.

Some airlines are more likely to bump passengers due to overbooking.
Some airlines are more likely to bump passengers due to overbooking. | Virojt Changyencham/GettyImages

Whether traveling for vacation or work, the last thing you want is to be bumped, or “denied boarding.” A recent report from the travel website Upgraded Points shows which airlines are most guilty of this offense.

Although not ideal, airlines will bump passengers when there aren’t enough seats for everyone scheduled to board. This happens when companies sell more tickets than there are seats on a plane to account for the people who don’t show up for their flights. Typically the numbers work out in everyone’s favor. On the rare occasions that more people make it to the gate than expected, airlines are forced to make a tough call.

Upgraded Points found that Frontier Airlines involuntarily bumped—or selected passengers to give up their seats when enough didn’t do so willingly—3.21 people per 10,000 passengers from the beginning of 2023 to 2024. That’s 400 percent more than the runner-up, American Airlines, which bumped 0.6 out of every 10,000 travelers. Spirit Airlines came third in with a bump rate of 0.43 per 10,000. Meanwhile, the study revealed that Delta Air Lines and Allegiant Air recorded zero involuntary bumps during that time period.

Frontier is no stranger to criticism. Federal aviation officials reported that the budget airline received the most complaints of its sector in 2023. On top of being notorious for booting passengers, Frontier has been known to add insult to injury by withholding refunds. That was the case earlier in 2024, when one Pennsylvania traveler was incorrectly marked as a no-show after she was involuntarily bumped from her flight. She eventually received 400 percent cash compensation only after much hassle.

It’s standard for airlines to offer compensation for the inconvenience of bumped flights. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, these repayments usually come in the form of money or flight vouchers, and customers are allowed to negotiate. While the practice is common, companies aren’t always required by law to provide compensation to bumped passengers. In certain situations—such as flights on planes that hold fewer than 30 passengers, or some international flights to the U.S.—people aren’t entitled to any form of reimbursement.

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