Frontier Customer Volunteers To Sit In Exit Row. She’s Shocked By Their Response

Travel in the United States has not been fun as of late.

Many of the problems associated with modern travel are linked to the partial government shutdown. As a result of this shutdown, many TSA workers are not receiving a paycheck—and are thus not going to work. This has resulted in massive lines at airports across the country, with passengers waiting hours before even getting through security.

Issues like these are exacerbated by the declining state of American air travel. Air traffic control shortages are causing problems on runways, while limited legroom and reduced amenities have made everyday flyers dread the idea of spending any significant amount of time in the air.

Also not helping matters is the behavior of some airlines, as recently shared by TikTok user Kat (@itskat.official) in a video with over 155,000 views.

What Went Wrong On This Frontier Airlines Flight?

In her video, Kate explains why she’s currently waiting in the airport for 10 hours.

According to Kate, she was awaiting her Frontier Airlines flight when an announcement was made. This announcement asked if anyone wanted to be seated in an exit row. Intrigued, Kate went to the desk—and was met with a surprise.

“I go up to the front, and then they tell me that I’m on the ‘Denied Boarding List,’” Kate starts. “And I was like, ‘What the f— does that mean?’”

What it meant, it turns out, is that Frontier bumped Kate from the seat that she purchased. By the time the flight boarded, there were no more available seats—meaning that she would have to wait 10 hours for the next available flight.

“Now I’m stuck at the airport for the next 10 hours, which is actually so annoying ’cause I’d rather spend the day in the city or something, but I don’t have that option because I don’t have a ride,” she says.

Is This Legal?

Airlines are allowed to bump passengers. However, they must follow certain rules when doing so.

For example, according to the Department of Transportation, if someone is bumped due to oversales—which appears to be the case in Kate’s situation—the airline is required to give them a written statement listing the passenger’s rights and an explanation of how the carrier decides who gets bumped.

Not only that, but the passenger is entitled to significant financial compensation. This compensation depends on how much later the new flight is than the previous one. If the new flight arrives within one hour of the previous one, no compensation is required.

However, in Kate’s case, where her new flight is around 10 hours later than her old one, she’s entitled to significant financial compensation, provided she meets certain requirements. According to the DOT, a delay of over 10 hours due to denied boarding entitles the passenger to 400% of one-way fare, often limited to $2,150.

Furthermore, airlines are required to offer this compensation on the same day of the flight. Additionally, they are not allowed to limit this compensation to vouchers.

Commenters Are Mad

In the comments section, users expressed frustration with the behavior of airlines.

“Airlines shouldn’t be allowed to do this,” declared a user.

“That’s a payday. make sure they pay you everything they owe you,” added another.

“They did the SAME thing to me and there were no other flights back home for at least a day. Then I couldn’t get a refund because they marked me as a no show. I sued them because I had video evidence,” stated a third.

BroBible reached out to Kat and Frontier Airlines via email.