Cancellations are down but consumer report shows flight complaints are sky high

WASHINGTON — As airlines are preparing for another potentially record-breaking travel season, federal transportation officials say cancellations are at their lowest point in five years.

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But a new consumer watchdog report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) reveals passenger complaints are climbing this year.

It shows there were more than 26,000 complaints against U.S. airlines during the first half of this year which is more than double from the same time-period in 2022.

Researchers say nearly 35 percent of airline complaints this year were about flight problems.

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“On time arrivals are worse and incidents of lost or damaged baggage and lost or damaged wheelchairs are worse,” said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog with U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

Another issue is refunds or Murry said the lack of them.

“A lot of the airlines have been dragging their feet in issuing … those refunds, even though they have to provide them within seven days if you paid by credit card,” she said.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation says it is holding airlines accountable for these issues.

“I think our follow up on those complaints has clearly made a difference in terms of people getting their money back and taken care of,” said Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Additionally, the agency has an online dashboard showing which airlines offer meal or hotel vouchers or free rebooking support whenever there’s a significant delay or cancellation within its control.

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But none of the top ten airlines offer cash compensation and very few offer credit vouchers or frequent flyer miles.

“There are already many countries where if you have a long delay, and it’s the airline’s fault, you can expect not just a voucher for a meal, but a cache level of cash compensation,” said Buttigieg. “We’ve launched the rulemaking process that would establish how to do that, in the U.S. context we’re going through all of the right procedures, listening to everybody, including the airlines and giving them a fair hearing.”

Secretary Buttigieg also said pushing for airlines to allow parents to sit with their kids on flights without paying extra for it.

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