Airline Passenger Complaints Reach Record High in 2022, Analysis Reveals

A new analysis has revealed that the year 2022 was one of the most disruptive for airline passengers on record. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) reported that travelers filed nearly 78,000 grievances with the U.S. Department of Transportation, travel agents, and third-party booking sites like Expedia and Priceline.

The combination of a post-pandemic boom in air travel demand and reduced staffing as a result of pandemic-fueled layoffs and retirements led to a series of delays and cancellations in 2022. Among U.S. carriers, Frontier Airlines saw the highest rate of passenger complaints, with more than 20 complaints for every 100,000 passengers who boarded its aircraft.

Teresa Murray, a consumer watchdog for PIRG, said in the report that the airlines had been struggling long before the Christmastime meltdown. She noted that the number of complaints was more than five times the roughly 15,000 complaints filed in 2019 before the pandemic.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics published data earlier this month that showed the number of complaints about canceled flights, lost luggage, and other issues had surged to their highest level in years. The data also showed that the number of complaints about customer service had increased significantly, with many passengers citing rude or unhelpful airline staff.

The airline industry is still dealing with the fallout from the pandemic, and it is clear that passengers are feeling the effects. Airlines are working to improve their customer service and address the issues that have caused so many complaints. It remains to be seen if these efforts will be enough to improve the customer experience in the coming years.