While some of us may happily take advantage of an airline's incentive to change flights when there is a case of high demand and overbooking, for many of us it is a massive inconvenience to have our plans impacted. While loyalty status should ensure most corporate travellers are given priority, this is not a guaranteed safeguard, especially with reports of an increasing number of travellers being 'bumped'.
Latest data from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) highlights that in America rates of involuntary denied boarding have been on the increase year-on-year in 2019, however, performance levels did recover a little in the third quarter.
In its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR), the US DOT reports that in the third quarter of 2019, the 10 US reporting marketing carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding rate of 0.19 per 10,000 passengers, a lower rate than the rate of 0.31 for the second quarter of 2019 but higher than the rate of 0.13 in the third quarter of 2018.
For the first nine months of 2019, the reporting marketing carriers posted a bumping rate of 0.27 per 10,000 passengers, a more than double the 0.13 rate for the same period last year.
Our QUESTION OF THE WEEK is... US airlines are 'bumping' more passengers than last year, but who have been the worst offenders across the first nine months of 2019?
JOIN IN THE FUN: Send your answers to: The Blue Swan Daily Content Team
We will be revealing the answers at the same time next week, when we will be setting another question.
Our previous question asked… Expedia has revealed the top fastest growing tourism destinations for US travellers in 2020 based on demand, But which countries make it onto the top ten list?
Latest research from Expedia Group based on US traveller data has seen the company reveal its '2020 Trends in Travel' which highlights the fastest-growing destinations around the world, hidden gem beaches both near and far, the rise of natural wonders and college towns and top-selling experiences and attractions.
But, who made it on to their top ten list? According to Expedia's research the top 10 fastest growing tourism destinations for 2020 based on demand are:
#1 - Spain & Canary Islands: Ibiza (+50%), Palma de Mallorca (+35%), Oviedo (+30%) and Seville (+15%);
#2 - Canada: Winnipeg (+465%), Saskatoon (+425%), Regina (+400%) and Halifax (+365%);
#3 - Peru: Trujillo (+35%), Lima (+15%) and Arequipa (+5%);
#4 - Japan: Naha/Okinawa (+45%), Sapporo (+40%), Tokyo (+20%) and Osaka (+20%);
#5 - Italy: Cagliari (+40%), Genoa (+5%), Olbia (+5%) and Calabria (+5%);
#6 - Australia: Sydney (+20%), Cairns (+20%), Adelaide (+15%), Melbourne (+10%), Gold Coast (+10%) and Perth (+5%);
#7 - Mexico: Campeche (+95%), Oaxaca (+60%), Puerto Escondido (+50%) and Mexico City (+30%);
#8 - Portugal: Porto (+55%), Faro (+35%) and Lisbon (+10%);
#9 - Brazil: Fortaleza (+35%), Iguazu Falls (+10%) and Sao Paulo (+10%);
#10 - India: Goa (+25%), Ahmedabad (+15%), Delhi (+15%) and Kolkata (+10%).