Airline complaints nearly tripled in May from same month in 2019

Staffing shortages. Delays. Lost baggage. Huge strains. Significant fares. Air vacationers in 2022 have a lot to complain about.

By a lot of measures vacation is even worse than past 12 months, but here is how this year’s problems compare with just before the pandemic:

• The U.S. Department of Transportation recorded 2,413 complaints from U.S. airlines in Might, when compared with only 814 in the very same month of 2019, in accordance to a report published Wednesday.
• Grievances relating to flight cancellations, delays and skipped connections a lot more than doubled given that ahead of the pandemic.
• Compliments for these airways rose to two received in May possibly, up from a person in May perhaps 2019.

This past May possibly, just 77.2{6932ee47e64f4ce8eedbbd5224581f6531cba18a35225771c06e4f1b3f0d9667} of flights to U.S. airports arrived on time, down from 77.9{6932ee47e64f4ce8eedbbd5224581f6531cba18a35225771c06e4f1b3f0d9667} in Could of 2019.

These numbers, the latest out there, never involve the chaotic summer time rush which has pressured airways like United, Delta and other people to trim their schedules. The issues also prompted an intervention from the FAA more than congestion in some of the country’s busiest airspace. American and United executives will facial area traders Thursday when they focus on their operations on quarterly earnings calls.

Delta on Wednesday despatched associates of its recurrent flyer program 10,000 miles due to the fact of new disruptions if those people prospects flights were cancelled or delayed more than 3 hrs for journeys from May possibly 1 through the first 7 days 7 days of July.

“Though we cannot get better the time shed or stress triggered, we are instantly depositing 10K miles towards your SkyMiles account as a determination to do far better for you going ahead and restore the Delta Variation you know we are capable of,” mentioned the e-mail, a duplicate of which was observed by CNBC.

The DOT also recorded a leap in issues about baggage with above 516 baggage-associated issues noted in Might 2022, up from 190 a few decades ago. Even so, the charge of mishandled baggage — shed, broken, delayed, or pilfered — are actually reduce than the similar month of 2019, with .56 out of 100 enplaned luggage in May perhaps, down from .63 for every 100 baggage in May a few yrs earlier.

Mishandlings of wheelchairs and scooters throughout the two periods was equally regular. Whilst complete mishandlings amplified by 159 incidents, the share of these kinds of occurrences was equivalent, at about 1.53{6932ee47e64f4ce8eedbbd5224581f6531cba18a35225771c06e4f1b3f0d9667} in May possibly.

The rate and quantity of mishandled bags as effectively as wheelchairs and scooters, nevertheless, was up from previous 12 months.

Study the Could 2022 report below, and the May well 2019 report in this article.

– CNBC’s Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.