Involuntary Denied Boardings Plummet After United Changes Policy
This morning United released its operational performance for May. While this report is typically a snooze-fest for travelers, two stats jumped out: Involuntary denied boardings have plummeted 79% and United's passenger count continues to grow.
First, about the drop in involuntary bookings, the president of United (Scott Kirby) notes:
We're seeing initial progress following our customer-focused policy changes, with involuntary denied boardings down 79 percent year-over-year in May. We will continue to build on this momentum as we head into the busy summer travel season.
United isn't releasing stats on the number of passengers still being denied boarding for either month. However, we know that United denied 3,765 passengers in all of 2016. A 79% overall drop would mean an average of just two passengers denied boarding per day, down from an average of about 10 a day in 2016.
And, by the "customer-focused policy changes," he's referencing the changes United made to its policies in late-April in the wake of the high-profile United 3411 incident. This includes increasing the amount of compensation offered to avoid involuntary denied boarding and committing to never remove passengers who have boarded an aircraft in an overbooking situation.
It seems — despite BumpGate, LeggingsGate, ScorpionGate, SundaeGate, TobaccoGate, RantGate and all of the promises on social media from those that say they'll never fly United again — United is still getting plenty of passengers to "Fly the Friendly Skies."
12.6 million passengers took to the skies on United in May — the first full month since the Dr. Dao incident. This compares with 12.1 million in April and 12.2 million in May 2016.
With that said, United's planes have been a bit emptier. Only 81.6% of seats were filled with passengers in May 2017 vs. 82.5% in May 2016. So, how is United flying more passengers? Growth. United increased its number of seat-miles available by almost 4%, driven more by domestic growth (4.7%) than international growth (2.4%).
Featured image courtesy of Getty Images.
Have you sworn off United after the controversies?
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app