The US department of transportation hit Spirit Airlines with a $350,000 fine for misleading passengers over involuntary ‘bumping.’
On flights that are oversold, airlines routinely offer compensation for passengers to relinquish their seats.
When there are not enough volunteers, airlines are forced to bump them off flights as long as compensation is offered.
The DOT alleged the airline undercompensated some bumped passengers and was misleading about their right to compensation.
Between January 2017 and June 2018 the airline bumped passengers but in many cases characterized them as volunteers.
It forced them into signing an ‘acknowledgment form’ that ultimately denied them the proper compensation under federal law.
"We have made appropriate changes to our processes and compensation offerings long since this period of review," Spirit Airlines told Fox Business.
