2006 a Bad Year for Airline Passengers

A report released in Washington explains why U.S. airline passengers are finding the year 2006 to be quite a challenge.

The Department of Transportation says figures show air travelers are getting bumped off flights more often this year than at any time since 2000, USA Today reports.

According to a report released Thursday, 16,300 passengers were bumped against their wishes between April and June, a rate that is one-third higher than the previous year. About 185,000 passengers were bumped during the quarter.

The jump in bumping is partly blamed on the increasing effort by airlines to fill a greater percentage of their seats in the wake of record high fuel prices and soaring travel demand.

The report identified Southwest Airlines as the carrier that did the most bumping during the April to June period with nearly 32,000 passengers voluntarily or involuntarily denied boarding.

However, the department points out that Southwest also carried the most passengers of any of the 19 airlines studied.

In addition to bumping, DOT says this summer has seen an increase in the percentage of delayed and canceled flights.