Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines Are Most Likely to Bump You, According to a New Study

Alison Fox

If you’re flying on Frontier Airlines or Spirit Airlines, you are twice as likely to get bumped than any other U.S. airline, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by the website Upgraded Points, looked at the number of involuntarily denied boardings for 2018 and found that Frontier bumped 6.28 passengers per 100,000 people, or a total of 1,219 people. Just behind them was Spirit Airlines, which bumped 5.57 passengers per 100,000, or 1,529 people in total.

“Since it’s almost the end of the year, peak travel season is quickly approaching as everyone heads home for the holidays,” founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex Miller, explained. “If you’ve ever been one of those people who have been left stranded at an airport for hours, you know that there is nothing more frustrating than getting bumped from an overbooked flight when you’re trying to get home.”

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While these airlines came in far above other U.S. carriers in terms of bumping passengers, the study also found that getting bumped is becoming less and less common. This follows a trend identified last year by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which found that 2017 saw the fewest passengers kicked off flights since the agency started recording data in 1995.

As part of this latest study, Alaska Airlines followed in third place, bumping 2.3 passengers per 100,000 or 743 people.

American Airlines bumped 2,614 people in 2018, according to the study, the most of any U.S. airline. However, that only comes out to 1.95 passengers per 100,000. And in an effort to prevent anyone from getting bumped, American Airlines now allows customers to volunteer to give up their seat when they go to check in for their flight in its app as well as confirm a new flight and get compensated for it.

Delta bumped the fewest people per 100,000 passengers last year, according to the study, with a rate of only .02, or a total of 22 passengers.

“All in all, if you’re trying to make it home in time for dinner, Delta likely has you covered,” Miller said.