Contrary to popular belief, airlines rarely deny passengers boarding because a flight is oversold. The Department of Transportation’s required compensation penalties ensure that airlines make every effort to avoid bumping customers from confirmed itineraries.
However, there are plenty of other, more common reasons airlines block passengers from boarding flights. The good news is that with a little planning and awareness, you can virtually guarantee it won’t happen to you.
Unfortunately, it’s already too late for the three airline passengers I’m about to tell you about. Each of these travelers showed up at the check-in counter expecting to soon be airborne, but instead found themselves grounded. From passport problems to suspected illnesses and self-created messes, these would-be flyers were all rejected at the airport.
Here’s what happens when passengers are denied boarding — and tips you can use to avoid the same.
Denied boarding: You’re too late to check in for your flight
BAONA/GETTY IMAGES
Arriving at the airport too late for check-in is probably the most common reason passengers are denied boarding. As a consumer advocate and TPG’s ombudsman, my case files are filled with stories from travelers who weren’t even aware that there are strict cut-off times for flight check-in.
Frontier Airlines passenger Alex Zhizitskiy was one of those unaware travelers.
He contacted me after Frontier denied boarding to his family at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The Zhizitskiys had tickets on a 6:59 a.m. flight to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
“We hit some traffic on the way to JFK,” Zhizitskiy told me. “But my Lyft receipt shows we got to the airport at 5:46 a.m.”
That arrival time was problematic because Frontier requires passengers to check in for their flights 60 minutes before departure. That is a hard deadline with no flexibility.
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
The family had to unload their bags from the car, make their way to the Frontier counter and complete check-in — all within 12 minutes.
The Zhizitskiys raced across the airport and made it to the Frontier counter with just a few minutes to spare. The family breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, that relief was short-lived.
Frontier flights close for check-in 60 minutes before departure
The Frontier agent informed the flustered family that checking in at the counter with her assistance would incur a $25 charge per passenger. Zhizitskiy became outraged, misinterpreting the request as a bribe.
After a few moments of discussing the legality of asking for the additional $75, the Frontier agent shut down the conversation and informed the family that the window to pay the fee and check in had closed. They would not be boarding the flight to Las Vegas.
“We were shocked. The agent could have checked us in,” Zhizitskiy said. “I had no choice but to purchase last-minute tickets on Delta Air Lines for $1,345.”
When Zhizitskiy sent his request for help to me, he was sure that Frontier mistreated his family at JFK. However, his own paper trail showed that the group had pushed their luck, arriving at the airport too late.
Frontier Airlines spokesperson explains the $25 agent assistance fee
Because Zhizitskiy was insistent that his family had arrived at the counter in time and that the Frontier agent tried to bribe him, I sent his case to our executive contact at Frontier for review.
Frontier’s spokesperson clarified:
“Michelle, we encourage passengers to check in faster and easier through the Frontier mobile app, starting 24 hours before the flight and ending 60 minutes before departure.
“For your background information, regarding the ‘tip’ he mentioned, it is likely that he misunderstood the agent assistance fee. Customers who self-serve by checking in for their flight either via the app or online are not charged a fee. However, if you check in at the ticket counter and hence require assistance from an agent for something you could have done on your own, there is a $25 agent assistance fee.”
However, there was some good news for the family. As a one-time gesture of goodwill, Frontier issued the Zhizitskiys a $221 future flight credit. That was the full amount they had paid for the flight they missed.
The takeaway
Every flight has a hard check-in deadline. This cut-off can vary depending on the airline you’re flying with, the airport you’re departing from and whether your flight is domestic or international.
Always make certain you familiarize yourself with that information before the day of travel. Using the mobile app is a great way to ensure you’re checked in before the deadline passes. And, of course, it’s always a good idea to plan to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare.
Denied boarding: You’re too late to the gate
DMITRII MARCHENKO/GETTY IMAGES
The check-in counter isn’t the only place where airline passengers must arrive on time.
Having already remotely checked in for her Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR), Olha Tarnovetska wasn’t expecting to be denied boarding. But that is exactly what happened.
After briefly being held up at security, she arrived at the gate very late. Nearly all the passengers had already boarded the flight. Tarnovetska quickly took her place in the short line to get on the plane.
However, a gate agent was about to deliver bad news: She wasn’t going to be boarding that aircraft.
Although she had a boarding pass, the airline flagged her ticket as “additional documents needed.” Since Tarnovetska had an expired green card and was traveling on a Ukrainian passport and a travel authorization from Mexico, the airline required a visual review of her paperwork before the flight could leave with her on it.
But when she didn’t show up 15 minutes before the flight’s departure, Delta canceled her ticket.
“The agents were still scanning boarding passes when I got there, so I believe my seat was given away,” Tarnovetska told me. “I’m owed compensation for what Delta Air Lines did to me. This caused me great emotional distress, triggering PTSD.”
When Tarnovetska reached on to me, she wanted to know how much Delta owed her for her unpleasant experience.
She wasn’t going to like my answer.
Late gate-arrivers beware: You could miss your flight
Tarnovetska had well documented everything that had happened at the gate that day. In fact, she had visually recorded her conversation with a Delta Air Lines supervisor (with his knowledge and approval). In the video that she provided to me, it is clear that Tarnovetska believes Delta denied her boarding purely because of her expired green card.
In reality, the expired green card was only what flagged her ticket for further review at the gate. While it is true that she couldn’t travel to Mexico using her expired green card, she did have a valid passport and had obtained the required visa for entry. All she needed to do to board the flight was to arrive in time to have her documents reviewed at the gate.
She hadn’t done that. In her own video, the Delta Air Lines agent says to her, “You arrived at D minus 6 at the gate. That means just six minutes before departure. That was too late,” the agent explained. “You must be at the gate 15 minutes before departure.”
Realizing that no one at Delta was seeing things her way, she went to Aeromexico and flew to Puerto Vallarta later that afternoon. Although she hoped to receive compensation for pain and suffering from the airline for what she believed was an involuntary bump, there was no legal basis for such a request.
Asking Delta Air Lines about this passenger’s experience
Typically, if a late passenger misses the boarding deadline at the gate, airlines will, as a courtesy, try to put them on the next available flight. Tarnovetska told me that it hadn’t happened. She said no one at Delta tried to help her, and she hadn’t received a refund either.
I reached out to our executive contact at Delta Air Lines to determine the reason.
As it turns out, Delta had refunded Tarnovetska on the same day she was rejected at the gate. In her frustration over the situation, she had missed the notification.
Although Tarnovetska remained convinced that Delta denied her boarding to give her seat to someone else, the facts suggest that her late gate arrival was the actual cause.
The takeaway
Arriving at the gate too late can have the same unpleasant outcome as arriving too late at the check-in counter. When determining the time to arrive at the airport, always factor in the time it will take to clear security and reach your gate.
Every airline has a policy that dictates when it can cancel your reservation if you aren’t at the gate. That time is usually indicated on your boarding pass and in the airline’s contract of carriage (usually found in the footer of its website). If your flight is full and standby passengers are waiting, and you aren’t there, you may find yourself without a seat when you finally show up.
Denied boarding: You’re too sick to fly
MINISERIES/GETTY IMAGES
Nobody wants to share an aircraft with someone who is sick. Yet, every day, travelers show up at the airport clearly unwell, coughing and hacking. Airline crews can and do reject passengers who appear to be suffering from what could be a communicable disease. This was a surprise to United Airlines passenger Kyle Teitelbaum.
In August, his family, including his 5-year-old daughter, boarded a flight at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). They sat down in their seats, and the little girl immediately started vomiting on her father. Shortly afterward, a flight attendant told the family that they would need to deplane.
“They kicked us off the flight and asked us if my daughter needed medical attention,” Teitelbaum recalled. “She didn’t. I’m sure she just ate something that didn’t agree with her.”
Despite Teitelbaum’s assurance that his daughter was fine, the pilot remained firm; the family could not remain on the aircraft.
“The pilot isn’t a doctor, he shouldn’t be making medical decisions,” Teitelbaum told me. “He didn’t care. He just stranded us.”
The DOT and the FAA have a say
Teitelbaum filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation. He was still unconvinced that the United Airlines pilot had the right to remove his family from the aircraft.
In the incident report provided to the DOT, the crew described the little girl as being “hunched over and in great pain.” After she began vomiting, the pilot’s decision was easy. As required, United Airlines responded to Teitelbaum’s complaint that his family was unfairly removed from the plane through the DOT:
“In accordance with FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] regulations and consistent with United’s own internal policies, crewmembers have the discretion to remove any passenger when they believe it is in the best interest of the safety of the passenger, other passengers and/or other crewmembers. We understand that events leading to the decision to issue a warning can be subjective in nature, and we regret any embarrassment you may have experienced to the extent the situation was somehow misunderstood or misinterpreted by our crew members.”
Citing FAA regulations and its own policies, United Airlines reiterated that the crew believed it was in the best interest and safety of all involved (including the little girl) to remove the family and rebook them the next day.
Teitelbaum remained unconvinced and filed an appeal, but the answer remained the same. While the airline was sympathetic to the little girl’s illness, the pilot made his decision based on the best interests of all of his passengers and crew. The DOT again closed the case.
Asking a consumer advocate if an airline can deny a sick passenger boarding
Still unwilling to accept that the pilot was allowed to remove his family from the aircraft, Teitelbaum contacted me. In that email, he told me that his ultimate goal was to “probably get the pilot fired” plus compensation.
That was certainly not something I could get behind. Airline pilots and crew members are responsible for ensuring the safety of everyone on board. At 30,000 feet in the air, it is not the ideal place to experience a medical emergency. There was no way anyone, including Teitelbaum, could have predicted with certainty why his daughter was vomiting and in pain.
In the end, I let Teitelbaum know that the $150 flight vouchers that United Airlines gave to his family as a goodwill gesture would be the extent of his “compensation.” It went without saying that the pilot would not be fired.
The takeaway
Unwell travelers should stay home. Having a good travel insurance policy in place can make the decision to cancel a trip much easier should you or a family member become ill.
Even if you think you’re fine to travel, the pilot, crew, or other airline staff may have a different opinion. And that’s the opinion that matters.
Bottom line
Being denied boarding a flight is frustrating, embarrassing and disruptive to the airline passengers it affects; however, it is almost always avoidable.
You will significantly reduce any chance of it happening if you:
- Know your airline’s check-in deadline: Familiarize yourself with your airline’s check-in deadline and arrive at least two hours before departure.
- Arrive at the gate before the flight closes for boarding: Ensure you’re at the gate and ready to board the aircraft by the time indicated on your boarding pass.
- Delay travel if anyone in your party is sick: Defer travel if you’re unwell. If you don’t voluntarily make that decision, the airline crew may do it for you.
- Control your alcohol intake: Having one too many cocktails in the lounge and showing up at the gate clearly under the influence can end your traveling plans for the day. Gate agents routinely deny boarding to passengers who appear drunk.
- Ensure the name on your ticket matches the one on your ID: Always check your tickets for any stray letters or misspellings as soon as you receive your confirmation. In most cases, you have 24 hours after purchase to flag any mistakes on your ticket and have it reissued. If the name on your official identification doesn’t match the name on your ticket on the day of travel, you won’t be boarding that flight.
- Confirm and reconfirm the documents you need to travel: Remember, it’s always the passenger’s responsibility to know and possess all the necessary documents to enter and transit all destinations on their itinerary. Airlines only check your documentation on the day of your flight, so by then it’s too late if you don’t have what you need. I recommend using the International Air Transport Association’s free document checker well in advance of your trip.
- Check your passport’s expiration: Keep in mind that many destinations require travelers to have three to six months of validity left on their passport from the date of their scheduled departure. You can visit the U.S. Department of State to check the entry requirements for all the countries on your itinerary.
- Be polite to airline staff members and fellow passengers: We all know that travel can sometimes be frustrating, but it’s essential not to direct that frustration toward airline staff members or fellow passengers. Becoming belligerent with others around you at the gate is an easy way to find yourself denied boarding — and can even lead to a permanent banishment from the airline.
If you keep all of that in mind, it’s unlikely that you’ll be denied boarding.
But if you believe you’ve done everything right and an airline blocked you from your flight, you can file a complaint through the Department of Transportation. The airline will be required to provide an explanation to you and the DOT.
Of course, you have one more problem-solving tool up your sleeve: TPG.
If you have a problem with an airline, cruise line, hotel, car rental company or credit card company, send your request for assistance to ombudsman@thepointsguy.com, and I’ll be happy to investigate and help you if I can.
