Wednesday, September 27, 2023
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Division of Transportation (DOT) as we speak launched its Air Journey Client Report (ATCR) on airline operational information compiled for the month of June 2023 and the primary six months of 2023 for on-time efficiency, mishandled baggage, mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, and second quarter oversales.
The ATCR is designed to help customers with info on the standard of providers supplied by airways. DOT stays dedicated to making sure airline passengers are handled pretty and flights function as scheduled. For the primary six months of 2023, 1.6% of flights have been canceled, far beneath the three.2% cancellation price for the primary six months of final yr and the two.4% cancellation price for first six months of pre-pandemic 2019.
DOT makes use of the info from the ATCR, shopper complaints, and different info it secures from the airways to tell its enforcement actions and the adequacy of current guidelines.
This yr, DOT has already issued the biggest fines within the historical past of the buyer safety workplace based on complaints acquired. Because the pandemic started, the Division has helped return greater than $2.5 billion in refunds to vacationers.
The Division can also be enhancing shopper protections via rulemakings and different actions. After a two-year DOT push to enhance the passenger expertise, the ten largest airways now assure meals and free rebooking on the identical airline and 9 assure lodge lodging as a part of the Division’s Airline Buyer Service Dashboard. DOT expanded the user-friendly dashboard at FlightRights.Gov to spotlight which airways, if any, supply money compensation, present journey credit or vouchers, or award frequent flyer miles after they trigger flight delays or cancellations. In Might, DOT introduced plans to launch a brand new rulemaking that may suggest to make passenger compensation and facilities necessary in order that vacationers are taken care of when airways trigger flight delays or cancellations, corresponding to staffing points or mechanical issues.
Additional, earlier this yr, President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airways to decide to fee-free household seating. Earlier than their urging, no airline dedicated to guaranteeing fee-free household seating. Now three airways have dedicated to guaranteeing fee-free household seating, and DOT is pursuing a rulemaking that may require all airways to take action. Secretary Buttigieg additionally submitted to Congress a legislative proposal to require that airways present fee-free household seating.
To additional help customers in assessing airline household seating commitments, in March 2023, DOT rolled out a brand new household seating dashboard that highlights the airways that assure fee-free household seating, and people that don’t, making it simpler for folks to keep away from paying junk charges to take a seat with their youngsters after they fly.
Flight Operations
The 600,721 flights operated in June 2023 have been 102.94% of the 583,584 flights operated in June 2022. Operated flights in June 2023 have been up 2.94% year-over-year from the 583,584 flights operated in June 2022 and down 1.97% month-over-month from 612,797 flights operated in Might 2023.
In June 2023, the ten advertising community carriers reported 613,577 scheduled home flights, 12,856 (2.1%) of which have been canceled. In Might 2023, airways scheduled 616,630 home flights, of which 3,833 (0.6%) have been canceled. In June 2022, airways scheduled 602,057 home flights, of which 18,473 (3.1%) have been canceled.
June 2023 On-Time Arrival
In June 2023, reporting advertising carriers posted an on-time arrival price of 71.3% down from each 81.2% in Might 2023 and 73.5% in June 2022. The year-to-date on-time arrival price for 2023 is 76.5%.
Highest Advertising and marketing Provider On-Time Arrival Charges June 2023 (ATCR Desk 1)
Alaska Airways Community – 79.4% Delta Air Strains Community – 77.8% Hawaiian Airways – 77.4%
Lowest Advertising and marketing Provider On-Time Arrival Charges June 2023 (ATCR Desk 1)
Frontier Airways – 53.7% Spirit Airways – 58.8% JetBlue Airways – 60.8%
For the primary six months of 2023, the reporting advertising carriers posted an on-time arrival price of 76.48%, up from 75.94% for a similar interval in 2022.
June 2023 Flight Cancellations
In June 2023, reporting advertising carriers canceled 2.1% of their scheduled home flights, larger than the speed 0.6% in Might 2023 and decrease than 3.1% in June 2022.
Lowest Advertising and marketing Provider Charges of Canceled Flights June 2023 (ATCR Desk 6)
Alaska Airways Community – 0.3% Allegiant Air – 0.6% Southwest Airways – 0.6%
Highest Advertising and marketing Provider Charges of Canceled Flights June 2023 (ATCR Desk 6)
United Airways Community – 4.5% Frontier Airways – 3.9% JetBlue Airways – 3.5%
For the primary six months of 2023, the reporting advertising carriers posted a cancellation price of 1.6%, down from 3.2% for a similar interval in 2022.
Complaints About Airline Service
The Division continues to obtain a excessive quantity of air journey service complaints in opposition to airways and ticket brokers and its Workplace of Aviation Client Safety is processing them. . The discharge of shopper criticism information within the ATCR has been delayed primarily due to the time wanted to overview and course of these shopper complaints. The Division is analyzing how greatest to overview and course of the buyer complaints acquired to keep away from reporting delays as it’s more and more clear that shopper complaints will not be returning to pre-pandemic ranges.
Tarmac Delays
In June 2023, airways reported 74 tarmac delays of greater than three hours on home flights, in comparison with three tarmac delays of greater than three hours on home flights reported in Might 2023. In June 2023, airways reported 14 tarmac delays of greater than 4 hours on worldwide flights, in comparison with two tarmac delays reported in Might 2023.
Airways are required to have and cling to assurances that they won’t enable plane to stay on the tarmac for greater than three hours for home flights and 4 hours for worldwide flights with out offering passengers the choice to deplane, topic to exceptions associated to security, safety, and Air Site visitors Management associated causes. An exception additionally exists for departure delays if the airline begins to return the plane to an acceptable disembarkation level to deplane passengers by these instances.
The Division investigates prolonged tarmac delays.
Mishandled Baggage
In June 2023, reporting advertising carriers dealt with 43.4 million luggage and posted a mishandled baggage price of 0.70%, larger than the speed of 0.51% in Might 2023 and decrease than the speed of 0.71% in June 2022.
For the primary half of 2023, the carriers posted a mishandled baggage price of 0.61%, decrease than the speed of 0.63% posted within the first half of 2022.
The Division started displaying the mishandled baggage information as a proportion (i.e., per 100 luggage enplaned) in January 2022. That is per the style that the mishandled wheelchairs and scooters price is calculated and displayed.
Within the prior three calendar yr stories (2019 to 2021), the Division calculated the mishandled baggage price based mostly on the variety of mishandled luggage per 1,000 checked luggage.
Mishandled Wheelchairs and Scooters
In June 2023, reporting advertising carriers reported checking 77,661 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 1,126 for a price of 1.45% mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, larger than the speed of 1.27% mishandled in Might 2023 and decrease than the speed of 1.68% mishandled in June 2022.
For the primary half of 2023, the carriers posted a mishandled wheelchair and scooter price of 1.37%, decrease than the speed of 1.52% posted within the first half of 2022.
Bumping/Oversales
Bumping/oversales information, not like different air service information, are reported quarterly quite than month-to-month.
For the second quarter of 2023, the ten U.S. reporting advertising carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, price of 0.36 per 10,000 passengers, larger than the speed of 0.30 within the first quarter of 2023 and equal to the speed of 0.36 within the second quarter of 2022.
Incidents Involving Animals
In June 2023, carriers reported one incident involving the loss of life, damage, or lack of an animal whereas touring by air, larger than the zero stories filed in Might 2023 and equal to the one report filed in June 2022.
Shoppers might file air journey shopper or civil rights complaints on-line at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm or by voicemail at (202) 366-2220, or they could mail a criticism to the Aviation Client Safety Division, U.S. Division of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.
The ATCR and different aviation shopper issues of curiosity to the general public could be discovered at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.
###
