Many US airlines are practicing deliberatevidly overselling flights in order to optimize their profits. By betting that some of the reserved passengers won’t actually board the plane, they go ahead and sell more tickets than there are seats. Although this method can decrease the amount of vacant seats and assist in keeping fares low, it frequently results in major issues for certain travelers, leading to frustration and stress for some passengers.
Despite the drawbacks associated with this approach, it plays a crucial role in maximizing the capacity of flights, leading to improved fuel efficiency and environmental sustainability. Additionally, it enables airlines to effectively control operational expenses, ultimately resulting in more affordable ticket prices for passengers.
Sometimes, if flights are overbooked, airlines may provide substantial compensation to passengers who are willing to take a later flight, such as vouchers, monetary rewards, and lodging arrangements, which can be advantageous for those with flexible travel plans.
A recent research examined information from the Air Travel Consumer Report (2023 – 2024), commissioned by the U.S. Department of Transportation, to determine which airlines have oversold the most flights from January 2023 to March 2024.
Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines, has the highest rate of denied boarding among passengers, with 13.05 per 10,000 enplaned, significantly surpassing SkyWest in second place with 7.99. From 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, out of the 15,209,275 passengers enplaned, 19,846 passengers voluntarily accepted to be denied boarding, which means they were offered incentives to take the next flight. There were no instances of passengers being involuntarily denied boarding during this period
SkyWest Airlines is ranked second on the list, with 7.99 passengers denied boarding per 10,000 enplaned passengers. Out of the 49,317,399 enplaned, 39,383 were denied boarding due to oversold flights. 889 of those were involuntarily denied. This occurs when the airline staff selects who is denied boarding, and can happen when no one volunteers.
Frontier Airlines ranks third among airlines with the highest rate of overselling flights, denying boarding to 6.47 passengers per 10,000 enplaned. A total of 35,601,477 passengers were enplaned during the 15-month period under review. Out of this number, 23,044 individuals were denied boarding, with 11,806 choosing to do so voluntarily and 11,238 being involuntarily denied, the highest number among all airlines.
Spirit Airlines ranks as the fourth airline with the highest incidence of oversold flights, resulting in 6.41 passengers being denied boarding for every 10,000 enplaned. A total of 17,382 passengers were denied boarding, of which 1,171 were involuntary. During the analyzed timeframe, the total number of enplaned passengers reached 27,126,769.
Delta Airlines stands as one of the largest carriers in the United States, having enplaned 183,183,512 passengers from January 2023 to March 2024. Among these, 6.32 passengers per 10,000 were denied boarding due to overselling. Notably, all 115,827 passengers denied boarding on Delta flights did so voluntarily.
PSA Airlines has the sixth highest number of oversold flights, with 5.34 passengers denied boarding per 10,000 enplaned. Out of 14,329,730 passengers enplaned, 7,654 were denied boarding, and 1,127 of those were involuntary.
Republic Airways is ranked seventh, with 3.64 passengers denied boarding per 10,000 enplaned. Over the 15 months analyzed, 45,402,016 passengers were enplaned, and a total of 16,534 passengers were denied boarding due to oversold flights. Out of those denied, only 1,674 were involuntarily denied.
Envoy Air ranks eighth among airlines in terms of the highest number of passengers denied boarding per 10,000, with a rate of 3.61. Out of the 17,691,291 passengers who boarded, 6,392 were denied boarding, with 5,367 being voluntary and 1,025 being involuntary.
Alaska Airlines ranks ninth among airlines for the highest number of passengers denied boarding per 10,000, at 2.83. A total of 11,563 passengers were denied boarding, with only 231 of them being involuntary. Throughout the period analyzed, 40,794,050 passengers were enplaned.
Southwest Airlines ranks tenth in the number of passengers denied boarding per 10,000, with 2.42. The airline has boarded the highest number of passengers, totaling 210,863,151. Out of those passengers, 50,951 were denied boarding as a result of oversold flights.