American Airlines will stop bumping passengers off oversold flights

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American Airlines will stop bumping passengers off oversold flights

The carrier accounted for 60% of all involuntary bumps in the U.S. last year, more than the rest of the industry combined

Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images

American Airlines is telling employees to stop involuntarily bumping passengers from oversold flights, treating the elimination of the practice as a company requirement rather than a goal, according to The Wall Street Journal.

An internal memo, first reported by View From the Wing, an aviation blog, directs airport staff to hold flights — delaying departure if needed — until each passenger on an oversold flight has willingly accepted an offer to relinquish their seat. The directive has applied to mainline and regional operations, domestic and international, since September........

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