In 2023, U.S. airlines faced a challenging year marked by a significant increase in complaints, soaring by 29% to a record high compared to the previous year. This surge is particularly alarming given that U.S. travel numbers only experienced a modest 11% rise from 2022.
The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), registered a total of 61,233 complaints in 2023, up from 47,591 in the preceding year. The DOT's release of statistics for June through December 2023 was notably delayed, with the data only becoming public on July 5, 2024, underscoring the magnitude of the increase in grievances.
The United States Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) analyzed the complaint statistics for 2023, revealing several noteworthy trends. Alaska and Southwest emerged as the top performers among the 10 U.S. carriers, with both airlines recording the lowest complaint rates. Allegiant also joined them in seeing a decrease in lodged complaints.
Conversely, Delta, American, Hawaiian, and United experienced increases in complaints, although they maintained rates below 10 per 100,000 passengers.
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