Frontier and Spirit, two ultra-low-cost airlines, had essentially the most complaints per passenger last 12 months. (Photo by Joe Raedle)
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AAirlines within the US weren’t exactly blissful in 2023. Complaints against domestic airlines rose by almost 29% – a brand new record – though passenger volume increased by only 11% in comparison with 2022, in accordance with a recent report from the US PIRG Education Fund, the buyer protection organization’s report based on Data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) last Friday.
Through its online offering Complaints and comment portalThe agency’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) received an estimated 61,233 complaints against U.S. airlines last 12 months, surpassing the previous record of 47,591 in 2022. Over the past three years, complaints have made up a median of 91% of consumer submissions, with the rest consisting of opinions, compliments and requests for information.
Two ultra-low-cost airlines performed worst by way of the variety of customer complaints. Frontier Airlines recorded 32.99 complaints per 100,000 passengers, greater than double the subsequent worst airline, Spirit Airlines (14.76). In last place was JetBlue Airways (13.32).
Alaska Airlines had the very best grievance rate with only 2.34 per 100,000 passengers, followed by Southwest Airlines (3.61).
Among the established airlines, Delta performed best with 3.64 complaints per 100,000 passengers, beating American (5.97) and United (7.47).
Only three airlines – Alaska, Southwest and Allegiant – had a greater complaint-to-passenger ratio last 12 months than in 2022.
Fewer cancellations and delays, more flexibility for consumers
Cancellations – one of the common reasons for complaints in previous years – fell by greater than half, from 2.7% of all scheduled flights in 2022 to 1.2% in 2023. According to the DOT, that is the bottom rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years, despite record air travel volumes.
Meanwhile, there have been barely fewer flight delays in 2023 than within the previous 12 months. Of the 7.28 million flights scheduled by the highest 10 U.S. airlines in 2023, 78.3% arrived on time, in comparison with 76.7% in 2022. Nearly 70% of flight delays were weather-related, in accordance with the DOT.
In April, the Biden administration announced a brand new rule requiring airlines to supply automatic money refunds for cancellations reasonably than waiting for purchasers to request them.
In May, Frontier and Spirit eliminated nearly all change and cancellation fees, allowing travelers to alter flights without penalty. With these moves, these ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) join larger airlines which have eliminated most change fees (aside from the most cost effective and most restrictive tickets) throughout the pandemic. As a result, this summer can be the primary wherein virtually all industrial airline passengers affected by flight cancellations and significant delays may have the flexibleness to alter their plans without incurring any fees.
“We are disappointed by our complaints to date,” a Frontier Airlines spokesperson said in an email to Forbes. “However, we are pleased with the recent decline in complaints due to improved operational reliability, the reopening of our call center and the New Frontier offering, which provides clear, pre-determined low fares with no rebooking fees.”
Compared to global airlines, U.S. airlines rank mediocre within the World’s Best Airlines list for 2024 by AirlineRatings.com, the one global safety and product rankings website. Its rankings are based on comprehensive safety and government reviews of 12 key aspects, including fleet age, passenger rankings, profitability, safety rating, product rating, innovation and future fleet orders.
In the AirlineRatings rankings, JetBlue got here in at number 16, followed by Hawaiian Airlines (number 17) and Alaska Airlines (number 18). The traditional airlines got here in at the underside of the list: Delta Air Lines at number 23, United Airlines at number 24 and American Airlines at number 25. Southwest didn’t make the highest 25 global airlines, but was still named the very best low-cost carrier within the Americas region.
