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Credit – Frank Rampenhorst – Image Credit/Getty Images
If you’ve had a bad experience flying this summer, know that you’re not alone.
More than 5,800 airline complaints were filed last June—the year before. That’s a nearly 270% increase over the same month in 2019, according to new data from the Department of Transportation (DOT). As analysts predicted, airlines faced staffing shortages, weather problems and high demand for vacations, leading to more cancellations and delays.
Some help is on the way. On Wednesday, several U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines, updated their customer service agreements, pledging to pay for travelers’ meals and hotel accommodations if flights are delayed or canceled. under their control (not including the weather). For example, JetBlue has announced that it will offer $12 meal vouchers, and United will offer meal vouchers for “affordable prices at airport caterers.”
The timing couldn’t be better: Between Thursday and Monday, 12.7 million people are expected to fly out of US airports, according to travel booking app Hopper.
“We’re still seeing strong travel demand like we did in the summer,” said Hayley Berg, chief economist at travel booking app Hopper. Although cancellation rates are as high as 10% and delay rates on certain days are over 30%, travelers have proved resilient.
What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
DOT urges passengers who experience air travel problems to first contact their airline or visit a customer service representative at the airport. Issues Although some airlines may offer vouchers for meals or hotel rooms, travelers should remember that they are not entitled to any compensation if their flight is delayed or canceled due to factors beyond the airlines’ control, such as weather. he asked.
For unresolved issues at the airport, travelers can file a formal complaint with the airline by sending an email or filling out a complaint form on the airline’s website. Travelers can file complaints directly with the DOT by phone or mail. Airlines must receive a customer complaint within 30 days and send a written response within 60 days.
In June, 29% of complaints were related to flight problems, including cancellations, delays or other schedule changes, while 24% of complaints were related to refunds.
Read moreAir travel is chaos right now. What you need to know before you fly
Officials hope to do something about travel delays
“The level of disruption Americans have experienced this winter is unacceptable,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote in a letter to American Airlines executives ahead of the Labor Day travel rush.
The DOT plans to publish a new online dashboard on Sept. 2 that will give passengers “easy-to-read summary information” on the various compensation packages available to passengers when there are delays or cancellations due to factors within the airline’s control. .
The DOT also proposed several new regulations to better protect passengers, such as requiring airlines to refund passengers if a flight is delayed three or more hours or if an international flight is delayed six or more hours. Under the proposal, travelers would be eligible for a refund if their departure or destination airport is changed, additional connections are added or they are downgraded to a lower seat class. These new regulations may be finalized after a 90-day comment period.
While these initiatives greatly expand travelers’ rights, some warn it may not be enough.
“Travelers are clearly frustrated,” says Berg. But the real solution is to address the root causes of disruption by addressing all parts of the infrastructure rather than fixing the symptoms. “
When travel can be reduced
Although Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer — and the busiest travel season — flight disruptions are likely to continue until airline schedules return to full capacity and manpower returns to pre-pandemic levels, Berg says. That may be a while.
Airlines are operating at or below 95 percent capacity in 2019 as they recover from pandemic losses, staff shortages and high fuel prices. Several carriers, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, have significantly altered their flight schedules to avoid major disruptions.
But historically, Berg says, travel tends to be lighter in the fall months between September and November. Although disruption rates are likely to be higher than in previous years, we expect that overall there should be less disruption in the coming months.
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