Thousands of American Airlines passengers have been bumped from overbooked flights this year at a rate higher than the rest of the U.S. airline industry combined, according to The Dallas Morning News.
In total, 13,373 passengers have been bumped from flights on all U.S. carriers from January through September – a paying passenger who is involuntary denied boarding falls in this statistic. On American Airlines, 12,241 passengers have been bumped from flights during the same time period, about 1 in 12,000 passengers as American Airlines carried nearly 150 million travelers in that time frame.
"One reason they are bumping is a function of delays and cancellations," Henry Harteveldt, an air travel analyst, told the Dallas News. "It's the chaotic situation that exists at American."
American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said the issue stems from out-of-service aircraft and operational problems.
"We definitely want to drive down the number of involuntary denied boardings since we know it has an impact on our customers," Feinstein said.
He also said AA was updating its mobile app to notify passengers earlier if flights are canceled, overbooked, or delayed.
"The goal is to let them know before they leave home," Feinstein said.