The volume of customer complaints against U.S. airlines is so high this year that the Department of Transportation reportedly cannot keep up with them for the first time ever.Airline records related to flight delays and cancellations, lost luggage and damaged wheelchairs — the most common consumer qualms — have worsened since last year, an analysis of federal flight operations data by the U.S. Public Interest Group shows.
told CBS MoneyWatch.The group analyzed airline operations data from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the month of June alone as well as for 2023.'It hasn't gotten any better than last year — and last year was awful,' Murray added. 'The DOT is trying to figure out a new way to keep up with complaints.' Consumer complaints in 2022 hit 78,000, an increase from roughly 50,000 in 2021 and five times more than the number of complaints filed in 2019.
that the agency doesn't expect complaints to return to lower pre-pandemic levels.The U.S. report, 'The Plane Truth Part 3,' comes as the holiday travel season approaches and people gearing up for trips hope for the best but brace themselves for the worst.Long tarmac delays and moreIn June, when the summer travel season kicked off, airlines had 74 tarmac delays that exceeded three hours on domestic flights, up from 60 delays in June 2022. Only 71% of flights arrived on time, compared to May's 81%. Two percent of domestic flights were cancelled, up from 0.
's analysis. There was also an uptick in mishandled bags and damaged wheelchairs or scooters. Best and worst airlinesFrontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways had the worst records for on-time performance in June. Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance.Spirit, American and United had the worst records when it came to mishandling customers' baggage for the first half of 2023.