Late Flights and Lost Bags Up, Complaints Down, Says DOT

U.S. airlines reported more late flights and lost luggage in 2006 than in 2005, but we must be getting used to it, because passengers filed fewer complaints with the government about airline service, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT).

According to DOT’s Air Travel Consumer Reports for 2006, the 20 airlines that dare to report such things accomplished an on-time arrival rate of only 75.4 percent in 2006, down from their 77.4 percent mark in 2005. The same airlines also recorded a rate of 6.73 reports of mishandled baggage per 1,000 passengers last year, up from 2005’s rate of 6.64. However, the total of 8,321 complaints about airline service DOT received from consumers was 4.8 percent below 2005’s complaint total of 8,741.

The DOT consumer reports also include data on the causes of flight delays, as well as information on flight cancellations and on consumer disability and discrimination complaints received by DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The reports also includes data on airline reports of oversales (“bumping”) during the fourth quarter and January-December 2006, as well as reports required to be filed by U.S. carriers of incidents involving pets traveling by air.

Consumers may file airline-related complaints in writing with the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, 400 7th St., S.W., Room 4107, Washington, D.C. 20590, by e-mail at airconsumer@ost.dot.gov, or by voice mail at (202) 366-2220. The U.S. Department of Transportation is a Cabinet-level, regulatory agency.

Also See:
Airport Delay Reports from FAA
FAA’s 10-year Plan to Cut Flight Delays
The Worst Airports (2000)