Can an airline refuse to let you board?

An airline can refuse to transport a passenger for the reasons listed in its contract of carriage, a legal agreement between the passenger and airline, so long as the refusal is not discriminatory, such as: Being intoxicated or under the influence of illegal drugs.



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You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight; if you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an “involuntary refund” for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from, and the denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.

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Most airlines oversell flights, and sometimes this leads to airlines having to bump passengers. This can come in two forms — voluntary and involuntary denied boarding.

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Before you book a flight and get on a plane, you must understand which medical and health conditions you should not fly with. Many airlines don't allow people with specific conditions to fly because it could be a safety hazard for themselves, other passengers and crew members.

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For domestic flights in the U.S., airlines have to pay you 200% of the value of your one-way ticket up to $775 if you arrive at your destination one to two hours past your originally scheduled itinerary or 400% of the one-way ticket price, up to $1,550 if your arrival delay is longer than two hours.

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More people are also getting bumped: According to a consumer report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the rate of passengers who were involuntarily denied boarding in the first quarter of 2022 was 0.44 per 10,000 passengers, which is more than five times greater than the 2021 figure (0.08) and bigger than . ...

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Frontier Airlines bumped the biggest proportion of passengers of the 15 largest US carriers in early 2023. Of every 10,000 Frontier passengers, 3.73 were involuntarily denied boarding due to oversales, the DOT said. Allegiant, Delta, Endeavor, and Hawaiian didn't bump any passengers in the quarter, per the DOT.

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Provided you're eligible, the airline should pay you immediately once you've been denied boarding for your flight. That's in addition to offering you the re-routing or refund mentioned above. Ask the airline to cover your meals and refreshments.

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Usually, airlines decide to bump those on an overbooked flight who have fewer privileges such as lower-fare tickets and late bookings. People who booked earlier or paid more for their ticket will usually get to stay on board. Another deciding factor is the type of ticket that was purchased.

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The DOT does not require the airline to offer compensation, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

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The technical check is essential before the flight's takeoff and takes time. So it can delay the flight for an hour to several hours until the problem is fixed. Technical issues are pretty rare, but airlines are liable to pay compensation to their passengers if the delay is of more than 3 hours.

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If there is a flight delay of 2 hours, the airline staff will usually provide you with vouchers that can be redeemed at local airport restaurants and snack bars.

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