Consumer Complaints About Air Travel Soared Last Year: DOT Report

The Department of Transportation said it had to delay the release of the data until July because of the ‘high volume’ of complaints.

Travelers check in baggage and receive boarding passes at the Delta Air Lines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on May 23, 2024. Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) saw a surge in consumer complaints about air travel last year, reaching levels not seen since 2020—when many flights were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DOT said in a report on July 5 that it received 96,853 consumer submissions—including complaints, inquiries, and opinions—about airlines in 2023, up from 86,240 in 2022. This marked the highest number since 2020, when there were 102,550 complaints.