U.S. Transportation Division officers final 12 months had been as much as their necks in complaints submitted by air vacationers over all the things from delays and cancellations to lodging for disabled passengers.   

The company reported on Friday that it obtained almost 97,000 submissions in 2023, 91% of which had been complaints. That is up from about 86,000 complete submissions, together with complaints, inquiries and opinions in 2022. 

The division stated there was such a excessive quantity of client grievances filed in opposition to airways and ticket brokers final 12 months that it took till this month to type by means of the submitting and compile remaining figures.  

The determine marks the most important variety of air journey complaints by customers since 2020, when airways had been gradual to provide clients refunds after the coronavirus pandemic shut down air journey. That 12 months, the division obtained roughly 103,000 complaints, in keeping with PIRG.

The rise in complaints got here whilst airways canceled far fewer U.S. flights — 116,700, or 1.2% of the full, final 12 months, in contrast with about 210,500, or 2.3%, in 2022, in keeping with FlightAware information. Nevertheless, delays remained stubbornly excessive final 12 months, at round 21% of all flights.

Up to now this 12 months, cancellations stay comparatively low — about 1.3% of all flights — however delays are nonetheless operating round 21%.

Greater than two-thirds, or 67,661, of submissions final 12 months handled U.S. airways, however 1 / 4, or 24,991, lined international airways. Journey brokers and tour operators had been the explanation for 3,162 complaints.

Incapacity-related grievances rose by greater than 1 / 4 in contrast with 2022, with some incidents making headlines, together with a paraplegic Delta Air Strains passenger in December 2023 who claimed he was pressured to crawl to his Delta Air Strains seat after nobody was out there to assist him board. Earlier that 12 months in November, a video went viral of American Airways crew members mishandling a passenger’s wheelchair, sparking some folks with disabilities to talk out about their detrimental journey experiences. 

Although they wish to journey by airplane, many disabled People forego air journey out of worry of not being sufficiently accommodated by airways, in keeping with an April examine from the Century Basis. 

Complaints of discrimination, whereas small in quantity, additionally rose sharply. Most had been about race or nationwide origin.Airways obtain many extra complaints from vacationers who do not understand how or do not trouble to complain to the federal government, however carriers do not launch these numbers. 

The Transportation Division stated it’s modernizing its complaint-taking system, which the company says will assist it do a greater job overseeing the airline business. Nevertheless, the division now releases criticism numbers many months late. It didn’t situation figures for the second half of 2023 till Friday.

— The Related Press contributed to this report.