Alex Gonzalez, producer and reporter, Arizona News Connection, a bureau of Public News Service.
The relationship between US airlines and air travelers is somewhat bumpy. Last year, flyers filed approximately 67,000 complaints, a 9% increase from 2023, according to a new report from the Education Fund of the Public Interest Research Group. The top grievances were cancellations and delays, not receiving refunds, and luggage being lost or damaged.
Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the group’s Arizona education fund, said the number of travelers was expected to increase by about 7% this year. Still, economic uncertainty and an expected drop-off in international tourists could affect that prediction. She noted Delta, Southwest, and United have all indicated they will cut their number of flights in the months ahead.
“Then you throw in the safety issue,” Murray added. “We don’t have any way of knowing — and I don’t think the airlines really know for sure — what to expect in the months ahead, although it is certainly expected that maybe we won’t see a 7% increase in passengers this year.”
Protection for air travelers
Murray pointed out travelers have more rights this year than they did a year ago. For instance, complaints about refunds and delays prompted action from Congress on an FAA reauthorization bill, which mandates airlines to issue fast, no-hassle refunds if a flight is canceled for any reason. Online, people can visit pirg.org/flighttips for more information.
Murray noted that overall, cancellations and delays across the nation increased last year. Just this week, Newark Airport saw many delays and cancellations after the FAA issued a ground stop following an outage at one of its air traffic control facilities. Murray argued that flyers need to be informed and vigilant about their flight routes.
“Pay attention to the news,” Murray urged. “Because there are going to be other hot spots where, because of the air traffic control shortages and because of equipment, there may be some airports that are just a little bit more headache-inducing than what we’ve seen.”
Murray realizes that some are on edge about the current state of the airline industry. Still, she emphasizes that being courteous and respectful to fellow passengers and airline representatives goes a long way.
