The Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR), recently published by the US Department of Transportation (DoT), provides an annual snapshot of air travel in the United States. service quality The report is based on operational data from US airlines. Based on operational data from US airlines, the report covers punctuality, lost or misplaced baggage, services for passengers with disabilities and overbooking practices.
The verdict for 2023 is that service quality has improved overall. Here are some examples, only 1.29 % of flights were cancelled among the 10 largest US airlines. At the lowest rate for over a decadeThis compares with a cancellation rate of 2.71 % in 2022, 1.76 % in 2021, 5.99 % in 2020 and 1.90 % in 2019.
At the same time, the airlines reportedimproved punctuality. The on-time arrival rate reached 78.34% last year, compared with 76.72% in 2022, while the number of denied boardings also fell, as did the number of tarmac delays. US airlines reported 289 tarmac delays of more than three hours for domestic flights and 27 delays of more than four hours for international flights. This compares with 376 delays on domestic flights and 42 delays on international flights in 2022.
In addition, the rate of lost, mislaid or damaged baggage has fallen to 0.58% in 2023 compared with 0.64% in 2022, a reduction which also concerns the number of wheelchairs and misdirected baggage. As for overbookingcarriers have posted a rate of overbooking or refusal to embark a passenger of 0.30 per 10,000 passengers. This is down from 0.32% in 2022.
Stronger rights for passengers
The US government has also strengthened passenger rights. It obliges you to serve a meal or book a room in the event of a cancellation or very long delay. It guarantees that a family will be offered seats next to each other free of charge. The Department of Transport has also taken action to make the toilets on single-aisle aircraft more accessible. This measure particularly concerns disabled passengers.
At the same time, the government is taking coercive measures against airlines and ticket offices that fail to protect consumers. In this contextIn 2023, the DoT imposed the largest fines in the world in the history of the consumer protection agency. Like the $140 million fine imposed on Southwest Airlines for failure to meet its passenger obligations. This is in addition to the 600 million dollars already reimbursed to passengers.
The DoT also requires the carrier to set up a $90 million compensation scheme for potential future victims of major delays and cancellations. The Department for Transport has contributed to repay more than 3 billion dollars to travellers since the Covid pandemic.
