airBaltic refused boarding to about 100 passengers in June due to overcrowded flights

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The airline refers to such situations as “changes in the aircraft’s seating configuration”.

“Such situations are very rare. In June 2022, it was approximately 1 case per 3,500 passengers,” says airBaltic representative Alice Bethere.

As “airBaltic” carried 349,700 passengers in June this year, “Delfi Bizness” calculations show that about 100 passengers were denied boarding for this reason.

“airBaltic” explains that in those situations where a passenger has to be refused boarding due to a lack of seats, volunteers are first sought who are ready to fly on the next flight and receive additional compensation for it. If necessary, the airline provides a hotel, transport from and to the place of accommodation, as well as catering.

In the aviation industry, airlines tend to sell additional tickets on flights where a certain number of passengers with purchased reservations historically do not arrive for departure and this is a standard practice. in the case of airBaltic, they are approximately 3-4% of passengers who do not show up for the flight. (1/3)

— airBaltic (@airBaltic) July 11, 2022

The airline emphasizes in a post on Twitter that this practice enables airlines to guarantee more favorable offers to their customers and offer more tickets at lower prices. Each such case is individual, but the airline will always offer flight alternatives to reach the destination.

The national airline “airBaltic” carried a total of 1.628 million passengers in 2021. Its turnover reached 204.1 million euros, while at the same time the company was operating with a loss of 135.7 million euros. The largest shareholder of “airBaltic” with 96.14% of shares is the Latvian state, while “Aircraft Leasing 1” owned by financial investor, Danish businessman Lars Tūsen, owns the remaining 3.86% of shares.

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