Photo courtesy of Anete Lūsiņa via Unsplash
As if the cost of flying anywhere today was not already demanding, passengers are also at risk of being kicked off flights they have already registered for, delayed for hours without clear updates or sent to board a plane just to wait over an hour for the crew to time out. Instead of placing passengers on new flights sooner, people are forced to sit and wait despite the airline knowing the flight will never take off.
Even if a flight does leave on time without delays or cancellations, the potential of passengers being forced to either give up their seats or leave involuntarily is not uncommon, as flights are intentionally overbooked. While airfare becomes increasingly expensive, the experience is not worth the cost, as airlines care more about the profit from inconveniencing passengers than making sure people get to their destinations on time.
By overbooking flights, airlines cover the cost of any last-minute cancellations, allowing them to make maximum profit despite leaving other customers without a seat. Oftentimes this leads to overcapacity and delayed flights. Passengers are forced off their planes, and those offered rewards for giving up seats are unaware of the compensation they truly deserve. Time Magazine stated that between Jan. and March 2022, 7,143 passengers were “involuntarily denied boarding” due to overbooking despite having confirmed tickets and reservations.
These instances can result in passengers missing connecting flights, experiencing further delays and sometimes missing the events they were flying to in the first place. According to the Air Travel Consumer Report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the number of passengers involuntarily bumped off of their flights in the first quarter of 2023 had decreased to a “rate of 0.30 per 10,000 passengers” which has improved since last year’s rate of .44.
Despite this improvement, according to Air Help, 85% of passengers around the world and “more than 95% of Americans” according to Time Magazine are unaware of potential compensation. Again, 85% of airline travelers across countries and even more travelers in America are at risk of being taken advantage of when problems arise.
Overbooking is only one of the avoidable inconveniences caused by airline practices. Another is the timing out of employees. Pilots and airline crews have limited hours they are legally allowed to work. The Code of Federal Regulationsstates one pilot may only fly for up to eight hours of regular duty and no more than nine. Therefore, if a flight is delayed long enough, it is destined to be canceled as the crew can no longer legally fly the plane. However, this information is not openly relayed to passengers.
This past October, I found myself in this same situation. What first appeared to be an hour-long delay turned into five hours, three planes and a canceled flight. We first boarded the plane from California to New Jersey only to find out there was a problem with the engine, resulting in the deboarding of the plane. The delay continued for two hours until we were told our flight would be departing on a new plane shortly. We were provided $15 meal vouchers in the meantime, which barely covered the cost of an airport meal.
At this point, the pilot repeatedly assured us we would be leaving soon. After over an hour and a half, we were told the entire crew had timed out, the flight would be canceled altogether and we would have to deboard for a second time. Thankfully, my group was squeezed onto the last possible flight and made it home after seven hours in the airport and five on the plane with only a compensation of $175.
Airlines need to do better. There is no reason passengers should be placed on a plane the crew knows will never leave the ground. There is no reason people should have to give their seats up due to purposeful overbooking. Rather than prioritizing profit, airlines need to prioritize their passengers.
