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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released the Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline activity data, consumer complaints, baggage mishandling and wheelchair mishandling compiled between June and the second quarter of 2022. and scooters. Airline complaints increased by 34.9% between May and June, and complaints are 270% higher than before the pandemic.
ATCR is designed to help consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. DOT is committed to ensuring that airline passengers are treated fairly and is concerned about the recent flight cancellations and disruptions. The Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) is monitoring airlines’ activities to ensure that airlines are not engaging in unrealistic flight schedules and are complying with aviation consumer protection requirements. This includes ensuring consumers receive a quick refund in the event their flights are canceled or drastically changed if they no longer wish to continue their journey.
Also last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter to U.S. airlines urging them to improve their customer service plans, and announced that the department would create an interactive dashboard before Labor Day. Hotels and meals provided due to cancellation or extended delay due to circumstances within the control of the airline.
DOT uses data from ATCR, consumer complaints, and other information it receives from airlines to inform enforcement actions and the adequacy of existing regulations.
Flight operations
The 583,584 flights in June 2022 were 85.8% of the 679,802 flights in June 2019 before the outbreak. More than 590,957 flights per month in May 2022.
In June 2022, 10 commercial network carriers reported 602,057 scheduled domestic flights, of which 18,473 (3.1%) were canceled. In June 2021, the same airlines canceled 9,196 (1.6%) of the 573,779 scheduled domestic flights. In May 2022, airlines had scheduled 602,950 domestic flights, of which 11,993 (2.0%) were cancelled. In June 2019, airlines scheduled 694,469 domestic flights, of which 14,667 (2.1%) were cancelled.
Arriving on time June 2022
In June 2022, marketing service providers posted an on-time delivery rate of 73.5%, up from 77.2% in May 2022 and 73.3% from pre-pandemic June 2019. 2022 is the year-to-date rate of arrival on time. 75.9%
Top Trading Carrier Arrival Rates in June 2022 (ATCR Table 1)
- Alaska Airlines Network – 78.7%
- Delta Air Lines Network – 78.4%
- Hawaiian Airlines – 77.2%
Minimum Commercial Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates June 2022 (ATCR Table 1)
- Allegheny Air – 59.0%
- JetBlue Airlines – 61.3%
- Frontier Airlines – 69.5%
In the year For the first six months of 2022, commercial service carriers reported an on-time arrival rate of 75.94%, down from 77.41% in pre-pandemic 2019.
June 2022 flight cancellations
In June 2022, commercial carriers canceled 3.1 percent of their domestic flights, up from 1.6 percent in June 2021 and 2.1 percent in pre-pandemic June 2019.
Lowest Commercial Carrier Rates for Canceled Flights June 2022 (ATCR Table 6)
- Hawaiian Airlines – 0.1%
- Alaska Airlines Network – 0.7%
- Frontier Airlines – 1.1%
Top Commercial Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights June 2022 (ATCR Table 6)
- American Airlines Network – 4.4%
- Delta Air Lines Network – 3.9%
- United Airlines Network – 3.5%
In the year For the first six months of 2022, reporting marketing service providers posted a cancellation rate of 3.2 percent, similar to 2.4 percent in 2019 before the pandemic.
Complaints about airline service
In June 2022, DOT received 5,862 complaints from consumers about airline service, a 34.9% increase from the 4,344 complaints received in May 2022 and a 269.6% increase from the 1,586 complaints received in June 2019, pre-pandemic.
In the first six months of 2022, the department received 28,550 complaints, up from 22,336 in the first six months of 2021 and 27.8% more than in all of 2019.
Of the 5,862 complaints filed in June 2022, 3,382 (57.7%) were against US carriers, 2,020 (34.5%) against foreign air carriers and 460 (7.8%) against travel companies.
Flight problems were the top category of complaints received in June 2022. Of the 5,862 complaints received, 1,686 (28.8%) were related to cancellations, delays or other schedule deviations from airlines. The department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) regularly contacts airlines that are obligated to provide prompt refunds to passengers who choose to accept an alternative to a canceled or significantly changed flight. The airline is required to maintain and follow a customer service plan that identifies the services provided by the airline to address passenger inconvenience caused by flight disruptions and disruptions. The department monitors the functioning of airlines and investigates complaints against airlines to ensure that consumer rights are not violated. (Read about airline consumer rights here.)
It also deals with 1,435 (24.5%) refunds out of 5,862 complaints received in June 2022. The Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) continues to liaise with airlines and travel companies that receive refund complaints to ensure compliance with refund requirements. Many travelers who were initially denied refunds received the refunds they were looking for. The department has taken enforcement action as necessary against illegal airlines and ticket agents. The OACP recently completed investigations into 10 airlines and is taking enforcement action against the airlines for delaying refunds for canceled or significantly altered flights. The Bureau is actively investigating refund procedures for additional airlines flying to the United States.
Tarma delays
In June 2022, airlines reported 60 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, 65 tarmac delays in May 2022, and 48 tarmac delays in June 2019. For international flights, this compares to two tarmac delays recorded in May 2022 and two tarmac delays recorded in June 2019.
Airlines are required to ensure and comply with the requirement that aircraft remain on the tarmac for no more than three hours without giving passengers the option to disembark, and four hours for international flights, in exceptional circumstances related to safety and security. , and air traffic control related factors. There is an exception for departure delays if the airline starts returning the aircraft to a suitable disembarkation point to pick up passengers during those times.
The department will investigate extended pavement delays.
Wrong baggage
In June 2022, commercial carriers reported handling 43 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.71%, equaling the May 2022 peak of 0.56% and the pre-outbreak June 2019 rate of 0.71%.
For the second quarter of 2022, carriers mishandled baggage at a rate of 0.63%, up from the second quarter of 2019’s rate of 0.61%.
For the past three calendar year reports (2019 to 2022), the department calculated the amount of mishandled baggage based on the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 checked bags. The Department is now displaying mishandled baggage information as a percentage (ie per 100 bags packed). This is consistent with the way wheelchairs and scooters that are not properly maintained are calculated and displayed.
Improperly maintained wheelchairs and scooters
In June 2022, commercial carriers reported 68,229 wheelchair and scooter inspections and 1,145 mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, up from 1.53% mishandled in May 2022 and 1.54% mishandled in June 2019.
For the second quarter of 2022, carriers reported a mishandled wheelchair and scooter rate of 1.52%, down from the second quarter of 2019 rate of 1.62%.
Congestion/oversalex
Unlike other air carriers, data is reported/sold quarterly rather than monthly.
For the second quarter of 2022, the top 10 U.S. commercial service carriers reported an unauthorized boarding or boarding rate of 0.36 per 10,000 passengers, up from 0.17 in the second quarter of 2021 and a rate of 0.31 in the second quarter. of 2019.
Events related to animals
In June 2022, transporters reported one incident of animal death, injury or loss compared to zero reports in May 2022, but in the pre-outbreak June 2019. The June 2022 event involves the death of an animal.
Complaints about the treatment of disabled passengers
In June 2022, the department received a total of 177 disability-related complaints, up from 158 disability-related complaints received in May 2022 and 70 complaints received in pre-outbreak June 2019.
In the first six months of 2022, the department received 886 disability-related complaints, out of 474 reported in the first six months of 2021.
Complaints about discrimination
In June 2022, the department received 15 complaints of discrimination – nine complaints regarding race, one complaint regarding national origin, three complaints regarding color, one regarding religion and one complaint regarding sexual discrimination. This is down from 52 complaints received in May 2022, but up from 10 complaints received in pre-outbreak June 2019.
In the first six months of 2022, the department received 102 complaints of discrimination – 41 complaints based on race, two complaints based on race/ethnicity, six complaints related to ethnicity, seven complaints related to color, 43 complaints based on religion, two complaints based on sexual discrimination, and one complaint as “other”. assigned. This is up from a total of 59 submitted in the first six months of 2021.
The Department is committed to combating all forms of discrimination and will take action against any service provider found to have violated federal anti-discrimination laws.
Consumers can file air travel consumer or civil rights complaints online at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm or by voice mail at (202) 366-2220 or send the complaint to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division. , US Department of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.
ATCR and other aviation consumer issues of interest to the public can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.
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