The US Department of Transportation (DOT) released an updated Air Travel Consumer Report earlier this month. The report features the number of complaints airlines received last year, which was nearly 80,000.
Data from the original report compiled for February this year did not include complaint data due to the time the department needed to review the complaints. In addition to the full year 2022, the updated report also focuses on complaints made in December, which was a tough month industrywide.
Complaints up by more than 50%
According to the USDOT, 77,656 airline complaints were received last year. The department recorded 49,991 complaints the previous year, meaning 2022’s complaints were up 55%. The nearly 50,000 complaints in 2021 represented a decrease of almost 25% compared to the record-high number of complaints in 2020, which was 102,560.
The leading causes for the complaints include flight disruptions, reimbursement, and baggage problems. 24,647 or 31% of the nearly 80,000 complaints last year were related to flight problems, including frustrations about the lack of compensation from airlines. 19,993 or 25% of complaints were concerning refunds, and 12,007 or 15% were baggage complaints.
Photo: Denver International Airport
Among all the complaints, the report is designed to give passengers information on the quality of airline services. According to the DOT, cancellations this year are already at a lower rate than in 2022. Last week, the department said it would continue ensuring passenger satisfaction.
“DOT remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are treated fairly and flights operate as scheduled. For the first two months of 2023, cancellations have stayed below 2% and are far lower than last year’s 2.7% cancellation rate.”
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December setback
Flight disruptions towards the end of last year in December were mainly due to inclement weather across the country. The DOT recorded nearly 17,000 air travel complaints from passengers, the third highest for one single month on record. The only months the department received more complaints were in April and May 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started wreaking havoc across the industry.
Photo: Southwest Airlines
8,729 of the complaints, which is more than 50% of the total complaints that month were related to Southwest Airlines’ infamous meltdown in December, where it canceled nearly 17,000 flights,
“The Department is currently investigating several domestic airlines to ensure that they are not engaging in unrealistic scheduling of flights,” the DOT said.
Southwest Airlines probe
The investigation comes amidst the US Justice Department (DOJ) joining the DOT’s existing probe into the cause of Southwest’s meltdown, which the DOT believes was due to the carrier’s unrealistic scheduling protocols.
“DOT is in the initial phase of a rigorous and comprehensive investigation into this incident and has made clear to Southwest that it must provide timely refunds and reimbursements and that the Department will hold the airline accountable if it fails to do so,” the department said.
Overall, the number of complaints in December of last year represented an increase of more than 150% compared to the number of complaints in November 2022.
Source: US Department of Transportation (1), (2)
The Main Causes Of USDOT’s 77,656 Air Travel Complaints In 2022
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