Despite a few recent high-profile incidents in which passengers were removed from flights, involuntary bumping on U.S. airlines has declined substantially. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the number of passengers involuntarily denied boarding during the first half of 2017 was the lowest since 1995.
The DOT’s August 2017 Air Travel Consumer Report shows the rate of involuntary denials of boarding was 0.52 per 10,000 passengers from January through June 2017, down from 0.62 per 10,000 during the same period in 2016. That decrease reflects a significant drop in forced removals and represents a 20-year low.
In the second quarter of 2017 the rate fell even further, averaging roughly 0.44 involuntary denials per 10,000 passengers. Airlines implemented policy changes following the widely publicized removal of a passenger from a United Airlines flight, a case that drew intense public scrutiny and prompted several carriers to review how they handle overbooking and customer removals.
While involuntary bumping decreased, the DOT report also noted a slight decline in on-time performance for the first half of 2017. During that period, 76.2 percent of flights arrived on time, compared with 78 percent in the same months of the prior year. Although punctuality dipped modestly, the reduction in involuntary removals suggests airlines are taking steps to reduce passenger confrontations and improve customer experience.
Overall, the report highlights two important trends: a meaningful reduction in forced removals and a small decrease in on-time arrivals. The decline in involuntary denial of boarding is particularly notable given the high visibility of recent passenger-removal incidents, indicating that industry reforms and revised policies have had a measurable impact on traveler outcomes.