The airlines most likely to bump you from your flight
Among the millions of passengers who head to their boarding gates every year, an unfortunate few are prevented from getting into the seats they paid for by airlines who “oversold” their flights.
Airlines often make a bet that not everyone who confirmed their itinerary will show up for their flight — and when the airlines lose that bet, customers pay the price. The Department of Transportation tracks how often that happens to domestic flyers and includes the information in its Air Travel Consumer Reports.
Click through to see which airlines bumped the largest share of their passengers during the second quarter of the year.
10. Allegiant Air
Between April and June, Allegiant involuntarily bumped zero passengers. In the context of the 4.6 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a zero-passengers-in-10,000 bump rate.
9. Delta Air Lines
Between April and June, Delta involuntarily bumped one passenger. In the context of the 49.2 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a zero-passengers-in-10,000 bump rate.
8. United Airlines
Between April and June, United involuntarily bumped 52 passengers. In the context of the 39.3 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 0.01-passenger-in-10,000 bump rate.
7. Hawaiian Airlines
Between April and June, Hawaiian involuntarily bumped four passengers. In the context of the 2.7 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 0.01-passenger-in-10,000 bump rate.
6. Alaska Airlines
Between April and June, Alaska involuntarily bumped 76 passengers. In the context of the 11.5 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 0.07-passenger-in-10,000 bump rate.
5. Southwest Airlines
Between April and June, Southwest involuntarily bumped 435 passengers. In the context of the 46.8 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 0.09-passenger-in-10,000 bump rate.
4. JetBlue Airways
Between April and June, JetBlue involuntarily bumped 84 passengers. In the context of the 8.9 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 0.09-passenger-in-10,000 bump rate.
3. Spirit Airlines
Between April and June, Spirit involuntarily bumped 695 passengers. In the context of the 11.2 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 0.62-passenger-in-10,000 bump rate.
2. American Airlines
Between April and June, American involuntarily bumped about 3,800 passengers. In the context of the 54.2 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 0.7-passenger-in-10,000 bump rate.
1. Frontier Airlines
Between April and June, Frontier involuntarily bumped about 2,700 passengers. In the context of the 7.8 million enplanements the carrier made during the period, that’s a 3.43-passengers-in-10,000 bump rate.
