In a year plagued by the ongoing challenges of air travel, consumer complaints filed with the United States Department of Transportation soared to unprecedented levels in 2023. The department received a staggering total of nearly 97,000 complaints, marking a significant increase from the approximately 86,000 complaints registered in the previous year.

The surge in complaints overwhelmed the department, with officials struggling to process and compile the data. It took until July to sort through the filings and produce the final figures. This record-breaking number of consumer complaints represents the highest volume of grievances against airlines since 2020, when the industry faced backlash for its handling of refunds during the initial wave of the pandemic.

Interestingly, despite a decrease in flight cancellations, the number of consumer complaints still rose. In 2023, airlines canceled 116,700 flights, which accounted for only 1.2 percent of the total number of scheduled flights. This figure pales in comparison to the approximately 210,500 flights, equivalent to 2.3 percent of total flights, that were canceled in 2022, according to FlightAware data.

However, flight delays remained a persistent issue, affecting approximately 21 percent of all flights throughout the year. Delays continued to frustrate passengers, indicating that timeliness of departures and arrivals remained a significant pain point for air travelers.

Majority of the complaints, over two-thirds, were directed towards US airlines, while foreign airlines accounted for a quarter of the grievances. The remainder of the complaints pertained to travel agents and tour operators. Notably, complaints related to the mistreatment of passengers with disabilities increased by more than one-fourth compared to the previous year. Additionally, there was a notable rise in discrimination-related complaints, particularly regarding race or national origin.

It is worth noting that the number of complaints received by the Department of Transportation does not encompass all grievances, as many passengers either do not know how or simply choose not to complain to the government. Airlines, however, do not disclose these undisclosed figures.

Acknowledging the need to enhance its oversight of the airline industry, the Transportation Department has started modernizing its complaint-taking system. This ongoing effort aims to improve the department's ability to address and resolve consumer concerns promptly. Presently, complaint numbers are released with significant delay, with the agency only issuing figures for the second half of 2023 recently.

The escalating number of air travel consumer complaints paired with the extended delays in addressing the grievances highlight the challenges faced by passengers in an industry continually adapting to a changing environment. As the Department of Transportation works towards modernizing its systems, stakeholders within the aviation sector will look for improvements to enhance the overall air travel experience and ensure passenger satisfaction.