A new consumer watchdog report outlines some of the biggest complaints from air passengers and highlights the airlines responsible. The data shared by Colorado Public Interest Research Group Foundation (CoPIRG) aims to bring more public awareness of these issues.
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CoPIRG, a nonprofit focused on advocating in the interest of consumers, says there was another increase in complaints about airlines in 2024. Last year set a record with 66,675 complaints. That marks a 9% increase from 2023. All that information is found in their new report, titled 鈥�.鈥�
鈥淲e want to make sure that people are prepared to fly,鈥� said Danny Katz, executive director of the CoPIRG Foundation. 鈥淣ow more than ever, you need to be prepared when you're flying so that you can avoid some of those problems that unfortunately are happening all too often, from flight delays to cancellations to lost or damaged bags to challenges getting refunds or rebooked. Those are all things that people are experiencing and they're complaining about.鈥�
Katz and his team compiled the information from complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation. A lot of the data comes from the DOT鈥檚 annual Air Travel Consumer Report. That data is combined with other details from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics as well as records from years past.
The report highlights issues like airlines hitting their on-time arrival rate only 77.9% of the time, a decline from 2023. They were also responsible for about 2.7 million lost or damaged checked bags, wheelchairs and scooters.
The recent surge in complaints isn鈥檛 surprising, as the federal government has set new rules in place for airlines over the last few years. Many of these rules were created under the Biden Administration and include refunds and compensation for passengers experiencing delays and cancellations. In fact, the entire complaint system to record issues with airlines was only recently overhauled.
鈥淲e've seen a big surge in complaints, partly because we now have a good complaint system,鈥� said Katz. 鈥淲e want to make sure the flying public knows that if there's a problem and it hasn't been addressed by their airline, they should be submitting these complaints. These complaints are passed on directly to the airlines from the U.S. Department of Transportation.鈥�
While the data focuses on the everyday headaches people experience while traveling, such as waiting on the tarmac and being bumped from a flight, CoPIRG also wants to bring awareness to this public information. Especially when it clearly highlights that certain airlines struggle to meet the standards of passengers. This includes Denver-based Frontier Airlines with a complaint ratio of 23.3 per 100,000 passengers. The low-cost carrier was ten points higher than Spirit, which came in as the airline with the second highest number of complaints. JetBlue landed in the next spot.f
皇冠网址 reached out to Frontier Airlines for a response about the data, but has yet to receive a reply.
On the other end of the report are the airlines that stood above the rest. The top three airlines with the fewest customer complaints include Southwest, Alaska and Hawaiian.
鈥淚 think the traveling public should take a look at the complaints per airline before making a decision where they're going to fly,鈥� said Katz. 鈥淭hat information is public, it's available, and it's important to take into account when you're looking to purchase a ticket.鈥�
While a lot of this data may seem negative, the goal is to empower passengers with research and some tips to keep in mind while flying. This includes knowing your rights as a passenger, such as being eligible for a refund if your flight is canceled.
They also recommend doing research and seeing which airlines often have delays. Katz says this information is all public and parts of it are highlighted in the report. Next up is tracking your luggage. This is easier than ever with modern technology like an AirTag.
CoPIRG recommends booking early flights and opting for direct routes when possible. He says this is an advantage when it comes to large airports like Denver International.
鈥淲e have a lot of direct flights out of DIA because we have major airlines like Frontier, Southwest, United and so many others,鈥� he said.
Finally, Katz says people should remember to be nice when dealing with an airline employee as they 鈥渄idn鈥檛 cause your problem, but they may be able to help you fix it.鈥�
