Travel Woes–Which US Airlines Overbook The Most? Find Out

Overbooking is a common practice among airlines, it's done as a business precaution. Due to last-minute cancellations or other issues that prevent passengers from flying, they can then still 'fill' the plane. But some airlines are now becoming notorious for doing it.

   Which airlines overlook the most?

According to information provided by Journo Research, a company that provides research, stories, and information to support journalists, there are several of them.

According to the study, based on data from the US Department of Transportation, these are the worst offenders:

 Endeavor Air:  They led the data by a wide margin, with an average of 13.05 passengers denied entry per every 10,000 fliers. (This data is from 2023 through the first quarter of 2024.)

 SkyWest Airlines:  second, with 7.99 passengers denied boarding per 10,000 enplaned passengers.

Frontier Airlines: they came in 3rd with  6.47 passengers denied boarding per 10,000 enplaned.

 Spirit Airlines came in fourth, with 6.41 passengers denied boarding per 10,000 enplaned.

Fifth was Delta Airlines, with 6.32 per 10,000 of those were denied boarding due to oversold flights. They by far had the most total denials, but only the 5th highest rate. 

Other notable airlines who came in 9th and 10th on the list were Southwest, and Alaska Airlines. 

Get our free mobile app