Airlines take overbooking troubles to newer heights

The aviation industry has witnessed a concerning trend as the months of May and June saw a significant increase in the number of passengers denied boarding by various airlines According to numbers disclosed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA a staggering 2719 passengers were denied boarding in May marking the highest number recorded in 2024 June followed closely with 2364 passengers facing the same predicamentThis sharp rise in denied boarding incidents is particularly alarming given that the number of travellers remained relatively consistent across these months The figures for the earlier months were notably lower with January recording instances of 1374 denied boarding 917 in February 943 in March and 1370 in AprilPassengers frustratedPassengers have expressed frustration and confusion over the denials with many finding themselves stranded despite having confirmed tickets Srushti Rithe an affected passenger said ldquoMy sister and I had confirmed tickets from Mumbai to Guwahati but surprisingly on reaching the airport we were told that the flight was overbooked and my sister was denied boarding We were travelling for an educational seminar at Kaziranga and due to this overbooking and eventual denial of boarding we could not attend the seminar We were later offered compensation by the airline but that could never compensate for what we missed at the educational seminarrdquoAnother affected passenger said ldquoI was travelling from Delhi to Mumbai for the funeral of a close kin The family had agreed to wait for my arrival as I was very close to the family member who passed away and so I had booked the flight ticket the night he passed away I reached the airport three hours prior to departure While issuing boarding passes I was told that the flight was overbooked and I had to give up my seat I was not in a state of arguing as I had lost a family member very close to me Then I was accommodated on an alternative flight which was almost four hours later so I could not make it on time for the funeralrdquoldquoI had a confirmed ticket and arrived well in advance but was told there was no seat for me This is unacceptablerdquo said another affected passengerExperts speakldquoWe as industry experts are scrambling to understand the factors contributing to this surge Overbooking and operational inefficiencies are among the speculated reasons However the consistent passenger numbers across months suggest that these denials are not merely due to increased travel demand as figures suggest that the increase in passenger number was not substantial Also DGCA should look at the concerning trend and initiate an independent investigation into the matter so that future flyers are not affectedrdquo the industry expert saidIndustry analysts also suggest that if this trend continues it could erode consumer confidence in air travelThe expert said ldquoAs observed the issue of overbooking has become substantial lately and that if the issue remains persistent the bubble might rupture resulting in a massive passenger outrage As it is passengers are frustrated with delays and cancellationsrdquoAviation expert captain Mohan Ranganathan said ldquoThe refund rules are loaded in favour of the airlines All rules that the ministry and DGCA have formed have several grey areas which the airlines can exploit to deny repayments or refunds Lately the staff members of some airlines have also become ruderdquoCaptain Shakti Lumba who retired as the vicepresident of operations at Indigo told midday ldquoGenerally overbooking is done based on historical data A formula is derived on the basis of this data considering the number of passengers cancelling flight tickets historically in a particular sector For example if there are 180 seats on an aircraft based on historical figures if average passenger ticket cancellations in that sector is 10 passengers the airline books 10 extra seatsThus the total number of tickets sold is 190 If all 190 passengers show up on the day of the flight 10 extra passengers naturally cannot be accommodatedrdquo He added ldquoThere are rules set by DGCA for overbooking and the airline has to accommodate passengers on another flightrdquoPassengers denied boarding in 2024January 1374February 917 lowest in 2024March 943April 1370May 2719 highest in 2024June 2364