16 August 2023 , 14:00
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A woman claimed she was “denied entry” to a plane due to her seat being taken up by someone else – despite having a ticket for the flight.
Marley Stevens was headed for a holiday in San Francisco, US, only to arrive at the airport to be turned away at the gate, she claimed. The 20-year-old allegedly arrived two hours early, checked in her bag with Frontier Airlines, and went through security.
Moments later, once at the gate, she claims staff turned her away – saying she was “not on this flight”, despite the young woman holding a ticket in her hand. Marley claims to have also been told her “seat must already be taken” by someone else and been put in a queue with several others who reportedly had the same issue.
“I got back to my gate and we still had 45 minutes until boarding, so I just worked on some homework until they called us to board,” Marley, a student living in Georgia, US, explained.
“I was in the last group to board and I got up to scan my boarding pass and the attendant said: ‘You’re not on this flight’. To which I replied that I was and she said that my seat must already be taken.
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“I was shocked, so I didn't know what to do, but she told me to go to the stand and they’d get me on the next flight. I walked over and there were six other people in line already. One couple even had a toddler with them, I asked them what happened and they told me basically the same story that had just happened to me.”
Later, Marley claims to have been told the earliest flight she could get on would be in two days' time. Devastated, the young woman – who was set to meet her family in San Francisco – called her dad for help.
She added: “I was on the phone with them waiting to get my new ticket and Frontier said that the next flight I could get on wasn’t for two more days. My dad ended up just buying me a new ticket with American Airlines and I had no issues with them.
“I will never be flying Frontier ever again, even if I have to walk somewhere.”
Marley took to TikTok (@m.stevens03) to share her experience. “If you have a choice between walking somewhere, or flying Frontier, walk,” the clip was captioned.
In the video, she explains what happened from beginning to end, saying that she intends to get a refund. Two days later she posted another video claiming that a Frontier worker called her and apologies for the incident, with the employee providing their own number to call if Marley ran into any issues on the return flight.
The spurned traveller said there was no offer for a refund and that she is still out of pocket.
Although it is unclear whether this happened in Marley's case, sometimes airlines can overbook planes in a bid to maximise the amount of money they're making for each flight, to reduce costs for predicted cancellations and no shows.
Sometimes everyone who was booked onto the plane does show up, meaning someone has to make way. The UK Civil Aviation Authority has published a handy guide for those who find themselves without a chair to sit on.
It covers all flight departing from the UK, arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline, or arriving in the EU on a UK airline. Sometimes airlines will ask passengers if they would volunteer to get bumped, in which case it's up to them and the airline to agree compensation.
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Often, airlines will make an announcement at the gate offering compensation, which might be cash or vouchers. If you are bumped without your agreement, you are entitled to compensation, as long as you checked-in for your flight on time.
No matter whether you volunteered or were forced to be bumped, your airline must also let you choose between two options. Your airline must offer you an alternative flight. It’s up to you whether to fly as soon as possible, or at a later date that suits you. Airlines often refer to this as being ‘rerouted’.
If you want to fly as soon as possible, your airline must also provide care and assistance while you wait for the flight. This includes food and drink, means of communication, accommodation and transport to the accommodation.
The airline must provide you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it. If you don’t want to fly, you can get your money back instead. You’ll get a refund for all parts of the ticket you haven’t used.
Frontier Airlines has been contacted for comment.