What Do I Do If I Was Bumped Off of My Delta Airlines Flight?

What Do I Do If I Was Bumped off of My Delta Airlines Flight?

For the most part, passengers have an easy time boarding their Delta Airlines flights. However, in some cases you may find yourself being bumped off a flight.

Bumping is also referred to as denied boarding. It happens when the airline an airline books more passengers on a flight than can fit on the airplane. Therefore, some passengers have to give up their seats and are effectively bumped off the airplane.

Bumping passengers off a flight by an airline is legal so you cannot sue them. The good news is the majority of airlines don't oversell plane tickets.

When an airplane is already full, some passengers may willingly give up their seats if they do not urgently need to board the plane. It is when you are involuntarily made to give up your seat that it is considered bumping.

What Happens When You are Bumped off a Plane?

Since it is legal for airlines including Delta to bump passengers off flights, the airline decides who to bump off at their own discretion. Some of the criteria used will include the ticket price, check-in time and frequent flyer status.

You can also be bumped off a flight for being intoxicated or under the influence of illegal drugs, interfering with the duties of a flight crew member, disrupting flight operations, engaging in unruly behavior on the airplane or having an offensive odor that is not caused by a disability or illness.

On the other hand, the airline is not allowed to bump you off a flight for nefarious reasons such as race or physical appearance. If so, you can file a complaint with the Department of Transportation (DoT).

You are eligible to receive a refund in some cases of bumping. In other situations, the airline will leave you high and dry.

The situations that may not necessitate a refund include getting bumped off to an aircraft change especially from a smaller one to a larger one. Other scenarios including a flight downgrade and for charter flights.

You are eligible for compensation if you have a confirmed reservation, checked in on time and arrived at the departure gate on time. You can also receive a refund if Delta Airline does not have another flight that can get you to your destination with an hour of your previous flight's arrival time.

Delta Airlines will be responsible for calculating the amount of your refund. It will mostly depend on the amount of time of the delay caused by getting bumped off the flight.

The airline will notify you of the next flight you can board immediately after you are bumped off a flight. According to the DoT, the airline must pay the passenger within 24 hours of getting bumped off a flight.

What Can you Do?

If you are bumped off a flight due to nefarious reasons such as racial reasons, then you have the right to complain. Delta Airline, though a large airline, should not get away with such behavior.

You should notify the DoT immediately. The DOT requires all passengers who are bumped off flights to write a statement about why and how they were bumped off.

If you were bumped off one flight, you should try and get the next flight to your destination. Delta Airlines will send you information as to which flights are available.

If you think that you should receive a refund from the airline for being bumped off the plane, you should contact Delta Airlines customer service immediately. You can visit their stand at the airport for more information.

You can reach Delta Airlines customer service in a multitude of ways.