NEW REPORT: ‘Plane Truth 4’ analysis shows 2023 complaints against U.S. airlines doubled vs. 2022

WASHINGTON – Just in time for the holiday travel season, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has finally released details on passenger complaints for the first five months of 2023. Following a record volume of annual complaints against U.S. airlines in 2022, that number increased by 109% from January through May 2023, while the number of passengers for the same period rose only about 14%. 

Passengers have bombarded the DOT with so many complaints this year that the regulator has fallen several months behind its typical schedule of processing and releasing data. The information that is available forms the basis of the new report The Plane Truth 4.

“Just when you thought the complaint data couldn’t get worse, it did. It’s jaw-dropping,” said Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog at U.S. PIRG Education Fund and author of the report. “According to the old saying, the first step in solving a problem is knowing you have a problem. Yes, there’s a big problem. Complaints aren’t the only evidence. The DOT tracks performance metrics for airlines. The numbers for many of them aren’t good.”

Travelers have been lodging massive numbers of complaints about three main issues in recent years, according to the analysis by U.S. PIRG Education Fund. Nearly 35% of gripes this year were about flights — cancellations, delays or missed connections. That’s followed this year by problems with prompt refunds, and lost or damaged baggage or wheelchairs. Clearly, we’re on pace for another record year for complaints. 

“It’s important for disgruntled travelers to reach out to the DOT and not just complain to their friends or post on social media,” Murray said. “Official complaints are important because they give regulators and travelers a window into the biggest problems and the best and worst airlines.”

U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s analysis also looks at which airlines have the best and worst records for cancellations and on-time flights, as well as which have the highest ratios of passenger complaints.

As we enter the upcoming Christmas travel season, we remember the meltdown from last year, when poor planning, a winter storm and a technology disaster at Southwest Airlines combined to ruin holiday plans for millions of families. To get an idea of what could happen this holiday season, we analyzed performance numbers for both the year to date and just the busy summer travel months of June, July and August.

Many people don’t know what to do when they encounter travel troubles, so U.S. PIRG Education Fund also offers tips for those who have already booked a flight and those considering a trip. 

The question now is – in this fourth consecutive year of airlines angering customers in numbers never experienced before 2020 – what will regulators do about issues that clearly need to be addressed? Our report offers suggestions for regulators and lawmakers.

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