NewsU.S. and the World

Actions

Air travel complaints well above pre-pandemic levels

Southwest Reputation Repair
Posted at 11:42 AM, Jan 12, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-12 13:42:14-05

New data from the Department of Transportation indicates that the number of complaints about air travel has remained far above pre-pandemic levels.

According to DOT data released this week for the month of October, there were 370% more complaints about air travel compared to October 2019. That’s despite air traffic remaining at or below pre-pandemic levels.

The figures, however, show fewer complaints in October as compared to September.

Federal data showed that Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines had the highest rate of on-time arrivals. Hawaiian Airlines, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways had the lowest rate of on-time arrivals.

A plurality of complaints, 26.5%, were about cancellations, delays, or other deviations from airlines’ schedules. An additional 23.4% of the complaints were about refunds.

Bumping of passengers remains higher than pre-pandemic levels as .22 out of 10,000 travelers have been bumped.