Complaints by US air travelers soared last year — with this being the most common gripe: data
Complaints by US air travelers soared 12% last year, federal Department of Transportation data shows.
There were 96,853 “submissions” from flyers in 2023, up from 86,240 in 2022, was the most since 2020, according to the annual Air Travel Consumer Report.
Nearly 70%, or 67,661, of the submissions concerned US airlines, while 26% focused on foreign carriers.
An average of 91% of the submissions over the past three years have been complaints by peeved passengers, according to the report.
The top complaint in 2023 was about disability-related issues, with 2,685 gripes from flyers, a 28% surge from the year before.
The DOT saw a similar 27% spike in discrimination-related complaints in 2023, with 223.
The department would not break down the complaints by airline or airport.
The sky-high number of complaints comes when disturbing, out-of-control incidents on airplanes are making headlines almost daily.
