Laura Murray U.S. PIRG Education Fund April 2014

“Consolidation in the airline industry, pressures created by new security rules, and the recent high cost of aviation gasoline have changed the way we fly. It seems as if every consumer has an airline problem story—how they were trapped on the tarmac, tricked by fees, missed their connection, or lost their bag. What many consumers don’t know is that they have a number of new rights as well as a right to complain, both to the airline and to the government. For over a decade, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has collected data on consumer complaints about air travel. This report analyzes these consumer complaints about U.S. air carriers for the five year period from 2009-2013, evaluates the effectiveness of new regulations and compares airlines’ performance. This report tracks trends in tens of thousands of consumer complaints over time, finding how some airlines have improved their rankings and others have worsened. We also compare consumer complaint data with other DOT data that tracks airlines’ on-time performance and baggage handling. The report finds that consumers’ greatest numbers of complaints were about Flight Problems, such as delays and cancellations. Other top problems were about baggage, customer service, and issues with reservations, bookings, and boarding. Over time, Flight Problems account for an increasing portion of the total complaints. The airline that generated the most complaints relative to number of passengers was Spirit Airlines. Each year, Spirit’s passengers were about three times as likely to file a complaint as the second-place airline, and its complaints volume is trending upward over time. Southwest Airlines generated the lowest number of complaints relative to number of passengers each year. U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s experience with other government agencies and their consumer complaint processes is that greater transparency and public education—including the establishment of a searchable public database of complaints—leads to greater compliance by regulated firms and improved customer service.”