WASHINGTON – The U.S. Division of Transportation (DOT) immediately launched its Air Journey Client Report (ATCR) on airline operational knowledge compiled for the month of July 2023 for on-time efficiency, mishandled baggage, and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters.
The ATCR is designed to help customers with info on the standard of companies offered by airways. DOT stays dedicated to making sure airline passengers are handled pretty and flights function as scheduled. For the primary seven months of 2023, 1.7% of flights have been canceled, far under the three.0% cancellation charge for the primary seven months of final yr and the two.4% cancellation charge for first seven months of pre-pandemic 2019.
DOT makes use of the information 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 most important fines within the historical past of the patron safety workplace based totally on complaints acquired. For the reason that pandemic started, the Division has helped return greater than $2.5 billion in refunds to vacationers.
The Division can also be enhancing shopper protections by means of 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 resort lodging as a part of the Division’s Airline Buyer Service Dashboard. DOT expanded the user-friendly dashboard at FlightRights.Gov to focus on which airways, if any, provide 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 might suggest to make passenger compensation and facilities necessary in order that vacationers are taken care of when airways trigger flight delays or cancellations, resembling 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 4 airways have dedicated to guaranteeing fee-free household seating, and DOT is pursuing a rulemaking that might require all airways to take action. Secretary Buttigieg additionally submitted to Congress a legislative proposal to require that airlines provide fee-free family seating. To additional help customers in assessing airline household seating commitments, in March 2023, DOT rolled out a brand new family 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 sit down with their youngsters after they fly.
Flight Operations
The 623,120 flights operated in July 2023 have been 102.54% of the 607,657 flights operated in July 2022. Operated flights in July 2023 have been up 2.54% year-over-year from the 607,657 flights operated in July 2022 and up 3.73% month-over-month from 600,721 flights operated in June 2023.
In July 2023, the ten advertising community carriers reported 638,995 scheduled home flights, 15,875 (2.5%) of which have been canceled. In June 2023, airways scheduled 613,577 home flights, of which 12,856 (2.1%) have been canceled. In July 2022, airways scheduled 618,790 home flights, of which 11,133 (1.8%) have been canceled.
July 2023 On-Time Arrival
In July 2023, reporting advertising carriers posted an on-time arrival charge of 69.6%, down from each the speed of 71.3% in June 2023 and the speed of 74.9% in July 2022. The year-to-date on-time arrival charge for 2023 is 75.4%.
Highest Advertising Service On-Time Arrival Charges July 2023 (ATCR Desk 1)
- Hawaiian Airways – 82.5%
- Alaska Airways Community – 81.2%
- Delta Air Strains Community – 76.1%
Lowest Advertising Service On-Time Arrival Charges July 2023 (ATCR Desk 1)
- JetBlue Airways – 49.5%
- Frontier Airways – 53.5%
- Spirit Airways – 60.8%
July 2023 Flight Cancellations
In July 2023, reporting advertising carriers canceled 2.5% of their scheduled home flights, larger than each the speed of two.1% in June 2023 and the speed of 1.8% in July 2022. The year-to-date cancellation charge for 2023 is 1.7%.
Lowest Advertising Service Charges of Canceled Flights July 2023 (ATCR Desk 6)
- Alaska Airways Community – 0.4%
- Hawaiian Airways – 0.8%
- Allegiant Airways – 0.9%
Highest Advertising Service Charges of Canceled Flights June 2023 (ATCR Desk 6)
- JetBlue Airways – 6.8%
- Frontier Airways – 4.5%
- United Airways Community – 4.5%
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 knowledge within the ATCR has been delayed primarily due to the time wanted to evaluation and course of these shopper complaints. The Division has been analyzing how finest to evaluation and course of the patron complaints acquired to keep away from reporting delays as it’s more and more clear that shopper complaints aren’t returning to pre-pandemic ranges. This evaluation led the Division to hunt a Expertise Modernization Fund (TMF) funding to assist modernize OACP’s outdated shopper criticism and case monitoring utility system that assists 1000’s of customers every year. On September 29, the TMF introduced that it was awarding DOT an $8 million grant in direction of this effort.
Tarmac Delays
In July 2023, airways reported 63 tarmac delays of greater than three hours on home flights, in comparison with 74 tarmac delays of greater than three hours on home flights reported in June 2023. In July 2023, airways reported three tarmac delays of greater than 4 hours on worldwide flights, in comparison with 14 tarmac delays of greater than 4 hours on worldwide flights reported in June 2023.
Airways are required to have and cling to assurances that they won’t permit 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 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 July 2023, reporting advertising carriers dealt with 45.6 million baggage and posted a mishandled baggage charge of 0.75%, larger than each the speed of 0.70% in June 2023 and the speed of 0.64% in July 2022.
The Division started displaying the mishandled baggage knowledge as a proportion (i.e., per 100 baggage enplaned) in January 2022. That is according to the way that the mishandled wheelchairs and scooters charge is calculated and displayed.
Within the prior three calendar yr reviews (2019 to 2021), the Division calculated the mishandled baggage charge primarily based on the variety of mishandled baggage per 1,000 checked baggage.
Mishandled Wheelchairs and Scooters
In July 2023, reporting advertising carriers reported checking 81,536 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 1,137, for a charge of 1.39% mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, decrease than each the speed of 1.45% mishandled in June 2023 and 1.63% mishandled in July 2022.
Bumping/Oversales
Bumping/oversales knowledge, in contrast to different air service knowledge, are reported quarterly moderately than month-to-month.
For the second quarter of 2023, the ten U.S. reporting advertising carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, charge of 0.36 per 10,000 passengers, larger than the speed of 0.30 within the fourth quarter of 2022 and equal to the speed of 0.36 within the second quarter of 2022.
Incidents Involving Animals
In July 2023, carriers reported one incident involving the demise, damage, or lack of an animal whereas touring by air, equal to the one report filed in June 2023, however down from the 2 reviews filed in July 2022. July 2023’s incident concerned the demise of 1 animal.
Customers 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 might 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.
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