The ongoing grounding of Boeing 737 Max planes has contributed to a sudden significant rise in involuntary bumping of passengers.
The numbers of passengers bumped from flights had been at record low levels but numbers for the first three months of this year are now at the highest rate since 2017.
In Q1 2019, US carriers’ involuntary bumping rate rose to 0.32 per 10,000 passengers, compared to just 0.15 per 10,000 travelers a year earlier.
According to department of transportation data, 6,175 passengers were involuntarily denied boarding in the January-March 2019 period.
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which between them have most of the Boeing Max jets, recorded higher-than-average bumping rates during the first quarter although American spokesman Ross Feinstein said it was also partly down to adverse weather.
Bumping is likely to continue for the months ahead as the industry expects this summer to be the busiest ever for travel, with only a small possibility Max jets will be recertified before the end of the summer period.
The FAA has not said when it expects the jets to fly again.
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