The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that involuntary denials of boarding, commonly known as “bumping,” fell to a record low for U.S. airlines.
Between July and September 2017 the 12 largest U.S. carriers involuntarily denied boarding to 2,745 ticketed passengers. With about 177 million passengers traveling during that quarter, the rate was just 0.15 involuntary denials per 10,000 passengers — the lowest level recorded since the DOT began tracking bumping in 1995.
That represents a notable decline from the same quarter in 2016, when the rate was 0.69 per 10,000 travelers.
Airlines promised to reduce involuntary bumping after a widely reported April incident in which a passenger was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight. As a result of policy changes and operational adjustments, carriers have worked to limit overbooking impacts and minimize the need to deny boarding to ticketed customers.
Among carriers, Virgin America and Delta Air Lines posted the lowest involuntary denial rates at 0.01 per 10,000 passengers. JetBlue and United Airlines followed closely, each reporting a rate of 0.02 per 10,000 travelers.