6 Bizarre Things More Likely to Happen Than Being Involuntarily Bumped Off an Overbooked United Airlines Flight

According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime (assuming you live to 80 years) is roughly 1 in 3,000. That said, you have a .026 percent greater chance of being hit by a bolt of lightning than being forcefully bumped off an overbooked United flight.

Believe it or not, your chance of dying in an air or space travel incident is also higher than being denied boarding on a jam-packed United Airlines vessel. According to the National Safety Council, your odds of death as an air traveler are about 1 in 9,821.

Yes, even the probability of getting hurt by a toilet is greater than involuntarily getting the boot from an oversold United flight. According to National Geographic, the odds of being injured by a toilet is 1 in 10,000.

To put things in even more perspective, you are more likely to unintentionally drown (1 in 1,188 chance, according to the National Safety Council), too.

On any given day, you have a 1 in 19,000 chance of being murdered in the U.S., CNN reports.

That’s right -- you also have more of a chance of winning an Academy Award. Given that you try, your chances of taking home a gold trophy is approximately 1 in 11,500, according to Forbes. 


Given that several members of our editorial staff have previously been involuntarily denied boarding on an airplane (and know others who have experienced a similar situation as well) it does make us wonder about the accuracy of the airlines’ self-reported data -- especially since we are all still waiting for our Oscars. 


You'll Also Like: 

• Why Are Airplane Windows Round? Plus, 6 Other Common Airplane Mysteries Explained
• 5 Beach Destinations Frequented by Great White Sharks (and Why You Don’t Need to Worry)
• 6 Roads Around the World That Are More Dangerous Than You Think
• 8 Places Around the World That Are Beautiful But Surprisingly Dangerous