This Budget Airline Is 4 Times More Likely to Bump You Off Your Flight

The good news is that getting bumped isn’t that common, no matter what airline you choose.

According to data from the DOT analyzed by “Upgraded Points,” your chances of getting bumped are slim, at about 3.32 people bumped for every 10,000 passengers. That means your odds are less than a tenth of a percent across the 10 airlines analyzed in the study. Voluntary bumps in which the airlines ask for volunteers to get bumped are more common at 2.85 for every 10,000 passengers. Involuntarily getting bumped, when the airline selects which passengers to deny boarding to, are far less common, at .47 bumps for every 10,000 passengers.

But there’s one US airline where your odds of getting bumped from a flight are way more common: Frontier Airlines.

According to the data, Frontier involuntarily bumps about 3.21 people per 10,000 passengers. That’s 400 percent higher than the next airline, and could be because Frontier is a budget airline. And to maximize profits, you want to have as few empty seats as possible — which means overselling by a larger margin than airlines that can afford to fly with a few empty seats.

The increased likelihood of getting bumped may be a price many travelers are willing to pay for Frontier’s inexpensive flights. Photo: Andrew Mauro/Shutterstock

The US airlines most likely to bump you from a flight involuntarily are:

• Frontier Airlines: 3.21 per 10K passengers
• American Airlines Network: 0.60 per 10K passengers
• Spirit Airlines: 0.43 per 10K passengers
• Southwest Airlines: 0.14 per 10K passengers
• JetBlue Airways: 0.09 per 10K passengers
• Alaska Airlines: .08 per 10K passengers
• United Airlines: 0.02 per 10K passengers
• Hawaiian Airlines: 0.01 per 10K passengers

*Delta and Allegiant were both statistically insignificant at less than .01 per 10,000 passengers.

When it comes to passengers who are voluntarily denied boarding, the list looks quite different. That could mean these airlines ask, but don’t demand, that some people wait for a later flight, or that they offer better compensation for passengers who volunteer to get bumped.

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• Delta: 7.49 per 10K passengers
• Spirit Airlines: 3.88 per 10K passengers
• Frontier Airlines: 3.27 per 10K passengers
• Alaska Airlines Network: 3.26 per 10K passengers
• American Airlines Network: 2.54 per 10K passengers

When it comes to compensation, airlines may start with small offers for volunteers to be bumped, like a $100 flight voucher and an airport meal credit. But DOT rules introduced in 2021 make it very clear what passengers who are involuntarily bumped from flights are entitled to receive.

On domestic or international flights on US-based carriers, you’re eligible for absolutely nothing if the airline gets you to your destination within one hour of your original landing time. If you land between one and two hours late, you’re entitled to 200 percent of the one-way fare (capped at $775), and if you’re delayed more than two hours, you’re entitled to four times the one-way fare (capped at $1,550). This needs to be paid in a credit card credit or cash payment, not in the form of a future flight credit. That’s in addition to any compensation you may be entitled to for luggage delayed or lost as a result of the involuntary bump.

Interestedly, the analysis also found that a small amount of people are willing to be very patient when it comes to travel delays. “Nearly half of Americans (46%) say the longest delay they’d accept on a future flight is 2 to 4 hours if they voluntarily gave up their seat,” writes the report. “However, 13% would be willing to wait over 7 hours if necessary.”