Sunday, July 7, 2024 Air travel woes continued in 2023 according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), with a significant rise in passenger complaints filed with the government.
This news comes despite a decrease in flight cancellations compared to 2022. Passenger Complaints Skyrocket The DOT received nearly 97,000 consumer complaints in 2023, a substantial increase from the approximately 86,000 complaints received in 2022. This marks the highest number of airline complaints since 2020, highlighting ongoing frustrations among travelers .
The surge in complaints was so significant that it took the DOT until July 2024 to process and compile the data. Flight Cancellations Down, Delays Remain High While flight cancellations decreased in 2023, with airlines canceling only 1.2% of the U.
S. flights compared to 2.3% in 2022 according to a data, flight delays remained a major pain point for passengers.
A staggering 21% of all flights experienced delays in 2023, and so far in 2024, delays persist at a similar rate. Complaints Focus on Disabilities and Discrimination The DOT reported a concerning rise in complaints related to the treatment of passengers with disabilities, with a 25% increase compared to 2022. Additionally, complaints alleging discrimination, primarily based on race or national origin, also showed a sharp increase.
Increased Awareness and Enforcement The DOT attributes the rise in complaints partly to an increase in passenger awareness of their rights and the a.