Denied Boarding complaint | What to do when you're 'bumped' off | Airline (2024)

FAQs

How to claim denied boarding compensation? ›

Plus, if a passenger is bumped “involuntarily,” they can receive compensation in cash, not airline scrip or vouchers. However, now airlines may provide compensation with credit card credits. When a passenger volunteers to be bumped, compensation is determined by the airline and the passenger — a bargaining situation.

If you are involuntarily bumped from a flight due to overbooking, your first recourse should be to the airline, but travel insurance will probably come into play if the overbooking leads to a significant delay or cancellation that impacts your travel plans beyond what the airline can address.

Amount of Denied Boarding Compensation

The amount of compensation depends on the destination of your flight and the delay caused by the denial of boarding. Flights within the US: $0 (delay of 0-1 hour); 200% of the fare to the next stopover, up to a maximum of US$775 (delay of 1-2 hours);

If you are denied boarding (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) or your flight is cancelled, you are additionally entitled to choose between: (a) reimbursem*nt in accordance with Article 7(3) of the Regulation; or (b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to your final destination at the earliest ...

If you have been denied boarding, except where there is reasonable cause, you are entitled to financial compensation from the airline.

There is also a cap on the amount of money airlines are required to compensate you if your bags are lost, damaged or delayed. The maximum liability amount allowed by the DOT is $3,800 per passenger.

Compensation for Involuntary Denied Boarding

The U.S. Department of Transportation has regulations in place forcing airlines to compensate passengers when they must be denied boarding to their flights against their will, as stipulated on the tables below for both domestic and international flights.

Airlines have a pecking order of bumping passengers. Your booking class (think first class or basic economy vs. premium), the time you checked in (early bird gets the seat), and your frequent flier status play significant roles in deciding who stays and who must go.

What airlines overbook the most? ›

Whether you volunteer or are bumped, the DOT keeps track of how many passengers are denied boarding because of oversold flights. And based on the latest data, there is one airline that recently bumped more passengers than any others: Frontier Airlines.

Nowadays, the majority of upgrades are done via an airline's computer system, which will typically generate a list of who should be offered an upgrade based on a combination of data (rewards program membership, affiliated credit cards, etc.)

To receive compensation for delayed flights, call your airline through their customer service line or go to the customer service desk if you are at the airport to file a claim. However, you will only get compensated if the delay is within the airline's control and is not weather-related.

If you are denied boarding (bumped) involuntarily and the reason is within the airline's control but not safety-related, you are entitled to a specific standard of treatment, compensation, and rebooking or a refund.