The Airlines Most Likely to Bump You off a Flight

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It’s not uncommon (and it’s not even illegal) for airlines to overbook flights. Airlines frequently sell more seats on a flight than they have available, planning for a certain number of passengers to no-show, and allowing the carrier to maximize profits. 

If you have flexible travel plans, an oversold flight could be good news for you—the airline will start by asking for volunteers and offering cash or vouchers to anyone willing to give up their seat. If there are no takers initially, the rewards can get quite high.

However, if no one volunteers to take another flight, the airline can involuntarily bump flyers—even though they have a valid ticket. To avoid this happening to you, consider flying with one of the airlines least likely to bump passengers.

To determine the airlines least and most likely to bump people off a flight, luggage storage site Bounce analyzed data from the US Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report for April through June 2022. Bounce calculated the rate of passengers denied boarding (including both voluntary and involuntary bumping) per 10,000 flyers.

The Airline That Bumped the Most Passengers

In April through June 2022, Endeavor Air bumped the most passengers. Endeavor Air is a regional airline and subsidiary of Delta Airlines that’s also known as Delta Connection. Endeavor Air denied boarding to 12.86 people per 10,000 passengers.

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The Airline That Bumped the Most Passengers

Comparatively, Hawaiian Airlines bumped hardly any flyers over the same time period, denying boarding to just 0.56 passengers per 10,000.

What Happens if You’re Involuntarily Bumped From a Flight?

If you are involuntarily bumped from your flight, the airline will owe you big. Know your rights and what you are entitled to, so you can make sure you are compensated accordingly. 

According to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), “Passengers who are denied boarding involuntarily due to oversales are entitled to compensation that is based on the price of their ticket, the length of time that they are delayed in getting to their destination because of being denied boarding, and whether their flight is a domestic flight or an international flight leaving from the United States.”

The DOT has helpful charts on their website that can show you what you are owed based on the length of time your trip was delayed.

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