Recent air travel complaints rise 270% from pre-pandemic levels
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The spike in air travelers’ complaints coincides with a nightmarish summer of delays, lost bags, and terminal traffic for Houstonians trying to flee the city.
Man coming to grips with yet another airport delay (stock photo)
Ariel Skelley/Getty ImagesThe U.S. Department of Transportation said in a new report released Friday that the rate of complaints lodged by air travelers shot up nearly 35 percent month-over-month earlier this summer, as consumers filed 5,862 complaints about airline services in June compared with 4,344 complaints filed in May. This jump continues a skyrocketing trend of grievances with airlines that shows complaint rates up nearly 270 percent over pre-pandemic levels—in June 2019, DOT received only1,586 complaints.
Travelers’ complaints tallied by U.S. DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics were mostly focused on problems related to unexpected changes to flights: At least 28 percent of the nearly 6,000 complaints lodged in June alone bemoaned cancellations, delays and other changes to airlines’ travel schedules. Refund-related issues made up another significant chunk of June’s registered gripes, as nearly 1,500—or about 25 percent—of recent complaints came from passengers who were initially denied refunds after unexpected flight delays or cancellations.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 03: A traveller checks arrivals and departures flight information at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on December 03, 2021 in Houston, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesAll that said, the number of flights operated in June was only down about one percent compared with May.
Summer travel isn’t expected to return to “normal” until at least mid-2023, United CEO Scott Kirby told CNBC earlier this year. Escalating complaints from air travelers across the U.S. during summer months have coincided with huge headaches for Houstonians looking to fly out of local airports. The Houston Airport System, made up of Hobby, Ellington and Bush Intercontinental Airports, is still weathering what many have dubbed an ongoing nightmare for travelers.
Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz told the Houston Chronicle this week that the airport system was “caught flat-footed” when air travel demand shot up this year. On top of all that, major construction projects at Bush that started back in 2019 were intended to be finished well before demand rebounded, but ongoing work on the projects has caused mind-numbing traffic jams and delays at multiple terminals. At times, these jams have forced travelers to get out of cars and walk to the terminal if they plan to make their flights on time.
Travelers seeking to escape traffic and delays at Bush by flying through Hobby or Ellington airports may not fare much better in the coming months either: Diaz and Houston Airport System COO Jim Szczesniak also confirmed to the Houston Chronicle that new construction projects are scheduled to commence at Houston’s other airports in the near future.
The expansions at all three airports aim to accommodate projected growth in and around the Houston area, Diaz and Szczesniak said to the Chronicle. “It’s going to be a phenomenal terminal, when it’s finished,” Diaz said of Bush Intercontinental’s terminal currently under construction. “It’s going to be one of a kind. It’s gonna be really high grade in the United States. But getting there is the problem.”
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