Bad behavior from airline passengers is often in the news, and sometimes, it comes with severe consequences. Certain actions — including being aggressive or unruly, not following safety instructions, being intoxicated, or damaging the aircraft — can land you in “airline jail,” or an airline’s internal no-fly list or customer ban list.
Not only can bad behavior put you on an airline’s internal no-fly list, but you could also face legal consequences or fines from the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2024, the FAA received 2,102 reports of unruly passengers. This number includes all the cases of one or more violations of FAA regulations or federal laws that were investigated by the FAA.
However, it’s not just behaving badly in flight that can make you persona non grata with an airline. Depending on the severity of your behavior, you may still be able to fly with an airline; however, you could have your loyalty program account terminated and would not be able to earn miles or status when flying. Most situations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis with the airline.
Here are examples of several other frowned-upon activities that could land you in “airline jail.”
Selling your frequent flyer miles or upgrade certificates
You rack up airline miles faster than you can use them, or you have upgrade certificates that you can’t use before they expire, and so you think, “I wonder if I can sell these.”
Not so fast.
Selling your airline miles generally isn’t illegal in the U.S. (with the exception of Utah, which has a law restricting the sale of miles for cash), but the terms and conditions of most loyalty programs prohibit the selling or bartering of miles. You don’t own your miles, which means airlines can confiscate them or shut down your membership account if they deem you as violating their rules.
For example, the Delta SkyMiles program rules say the following about selling miles and other rewards, such as upgrade certificates or status benefits:
“… the sale or barter of miles, vouchers, Award Tickets, upgrade certificates, Medallion Status, Medallion benefits, or any other benefit by SkyMiles Members, or the attempt of any of the foregoing, is prohibited. Delta will terminate or deduct mileage from the account of any Member who violates this rule either by attempting to transfer or receive, or actually transferring, facilitating or receiving such benefits. Award Tickets, upgrade certificates, Medallion Status, or Medallion benefits obtained through prohibited sale or barter transactions are VOID, invalid for travel, and will be confiscated. Persons trying to use such tickets and/or benefits will not be permitted to travel unless they purchase a new ticket from Delta at the applicable fare. Delta reserves the right to assess the fair market value of any of the foregoing tickets and/or benefits from the SkyMiles Member initiating or facilitating the prohibited transaction.”
If your SkyMiles account is audited and terminated as a result of selling miles, you won’t be allowed to open a new account.
Still, mileage brokers do exist, and people sell their miles or other program benefits. But you definitely do so at your own risk of being caught and penalized by the airline. A one-time booking for a friend or family member in exchange for payment might stay off the radar, but frequent bookings in other people’s names using large amounts of miles may not.
Booking a flight with the intention of skipping the last leg
Sometimes a flight with a layover is much cheaper than a nonstop flight. And if that connecting city is where you live, it can be tempting to skip that last leg and end your journey at the layover airport. Sounds like a smart way to save some money, right? Unfortunately, the airlines don’t like this tactic, which is known as skiplagging or hidden-city ticketing.
Airlines are increasingly using technology to identify and crack down on skiplaggers. The practice isn’t illegal, but if caught taking hidden-city flights, you could face penalties, such as fines, getting your miles confiscated or having your loyalty program account terminated.
As with selling miles, you’re unlikely to be caught for a one-time instance of skiplagging. But are the savings worth the risk? Only you can decide, but the answer is most likely no if you value your ability to earn and redeem miles and earn elite status with airlines.
Related: So, what exactly is elite status in travel — and how can I get it?
Complaining too much
When something goes amiss with your travels, do you file a complaint seeking compensation for your troubles? Done in moderation, this is a good way to receive adequate resolution for issues during a trip. But done too much or for too many minor reasons, you may be labeled as a “frequent complainer” and put on an airline’s naughty list, even if your complaints are valid.
American Airlines has admitted to tracking individual customer complaints to thwart those who seem to make chronic complaints for compensation.
There are reported instances online of airlines “firing” a customer due to excessive complaints, such as this Reddit user whose frequent flyer account was banned after they racked up $1,700 in flight vouchers and $1,000 worth of miles from complaining.
It’s not that you can’t complain, but save your complaints for the issues that really matter and not every minor mishap.
Related: Would a cruise line ban you permanently for complaining? You better believe it
Abusing lounge access
Visiting an airport lounge before a flight or during a layover is a nice way to escape the noisy terminal, have a meal and drinks, and find a quiet space to get some work done. So nice that many lounges have been battling overcrowding for the past few years.
While many travelers have one of the premium credit cards that grant airport lounge access, not all do; some of those folks over the years have exploited the access rules by buying a refundable airline ticket to visit a lounge that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access.
Doing so is not illegal, and the ethics depend on your personal values. But either way, an airline might catch on if you’re doing it fairly often. And buying refundable premium-cabin tickets so that you can access an international or first-class lounge and then canceling the ticket as soon as you get into the lounge may get you noticed even quicker.
In one instance, Lufthansa sued a traveler who rebooked a flexible ticket more than 30 times in order to visit the business-class lounge. Lufthansa won the case, arguing that the passenger had no intention of flying, and the passenger was ordered to pay 55 euros ($65) per lounge visit.
Related: 5 ways to ensure you have lounge access before your next flight
Filing a credit card dispute
If an airline cancels your flight or you experience a significant delay and make other travel arrangements, the logical next step would be to request a refund from the airline. Depending on the situation, the airline may be required to refund your money or provide you with compensation. But if it is not required, and the airline won’t refund you after several requests, you may decide to file a dispute or chargeback on the credit card you used to pay for your ticket.
Or, if you’re not able to travel due to an emergency situation and you have a nonrefundable airline ticket, maybe you’d decide to file a credit card dispute because the airline is not sympathetic to your situation.
While a credit card dispute may seem like an easy answer, be careful: Doing so could put you in “airline jail.” Even if your credit card issuer sides with you and refunds your money, the airline may believe you still owe money and ban you from flying with it in the future until you settle your payment issue.
This is why having travel insurance is important: You can file a claim with your insurer to get your money back and avoid a credit card dispute with an airline.
Bottom line
If you’re ever tempted to skirt the rules of an airline’s loyalty program or become disruptive during a flight, just remember that your actions could result in financial penalties, being banned from flying on a particular airline, or the loss of your miles and loyalty program account.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
