Six million air travellers denied boarding annually as airlines overbook

New research cited by the Daily Mail reveals that more than 6 million travellers are denied boarding each year due to overbooking, a practice where airlines sell more tickets than available seats, anticipating that some passengers will not show up. When that gamble fails, it’s the passengers who pay the price.

Go.Compare looked at data from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and found that over 20 million travelers are affected by overbooked flights each year. Of those, nearly a third—about 6.6 million—are completely denied boarding.

As per law, the airlines have to provide the full assistance to the passengers who were denied boarding the aircraft.

The assistance includes booking another, providing compensation or  providing coverage for meals and accommodation.

As per reports,  84% of passengers were provided alternative flights while 1 in 6 did not—leaving close to 1 million travelers stranded without backup. Of those, 71% reported financial losses as a result.