Air journey has change into much more depressing up to now 12 months, given the variety of client complaints filed with the US authorities.
The Division of Transportation mentioned Friday it acquired almost 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 a 12 months earlier. The division mentioned there have been so many complaints it took till July to type by means of the paperwork and compile the numbers.
That is the best variety of client complaints in opposition to airways since 2020, when airways had been gradual to refund clients after the coronavirus pandemic grounded air journey.
The rise in complaints got here at the same time as airways canceled far fewer U.S. flights — 116,700, or 1.2% of the full, final 12 months, in contrast with about 210,500, or 2.3%, in 2022, in line with FlightAware information. Nevertheless, delays remained persistently excessive final 12 months at round 21% of all flights.
This 12 months, the variety of canceled flights stays comparatively low at round 1.3% of all flights, however delays are nonetheless round 21%.
Greater than two-thirds of all complaints final 12 months concerned US airways, however 1 / 4 concerned overseas airways. Many of the relaxation involved journey brokers and tour operators.
The variety of complaints concerning the remedy of passengers with disabilities elevated by greater than 1 / 4 in comparison with 2022. Complaints of discrimination, though small in quantity, additionally rose sharply. Most associated to race or nationality.
Airways get much more complaints from vacationers who do not understand how or do not hassle to complain to the federal government, however carriers do not launch these numbers.
The Transportation Division is modernizing its grievance system, which the company says will assist it higher oversee the airline business. Nevertheless, the division now publishes grievance numbers many months late. It didn’t launch figures for the second half of 2023 till Friday.