Air travel complaints are on the rise: What you need to know when flying to NJ

NEWARK, NJ – With just over a month to go before Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer, many people in New Jersey are planning getaways before fall arrives.

Getting to their destinations by air without any complications can be tricky as the airline industry tries to get back to normal with the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions and suppressed travel demand.

This despite higher fares, persistent inflation and rising interest rates – and despite increasing passenger complaints. Complaints were 200 percent above pre-pandemic levels in May, but down 15 percent from April, when complaints were 300 percent above pre-pandemic levels, according to the most recent data available in the US Department of Air Travel’s Consumer Report of Transport in July.

It’s a great tool for New Jersey residents to use when planning travel, providing a snapshot of airline and airport data to get people and their luggage to their destinations on time.

Hawaiian Airlines had the nation’s best on-time arrival rate in May, with 86 percent of its flights arriving on time, according to the report released last month. Timely data of other operators and their brand partners:

• Delta Air Lines network: 80.7 percent
• Alaska Airlines network: 80.2 percent
• American Airlines network: 77.4 percent
• United Airlines network: 77.4 percent
• Southwest Airlines: 76.8 percent
• JetBlue Airways: 69.4 percent
• Spirit Airlines: 68.8 percent
• Allegiant Air: 66.0 percent
• Frontier Airlines: 64.6 percent

At Newark Liberty International Airport, airline on-time arrival rates in May were:

• Alaska Airlines network: 52.9 percent (329 flights)
• Allegiant Air: 70.9 percent (55 flights)
• American Airlines network: 55.9 percent (780 flights)
• Delta Air Lines network: 63.3 percent (766 flights)
• JetBlue Airways: 54.9 percent (694 flights)
• Spirit Airlines: 53 percent (1,895 flights)
• United Airlines network: 54.4 percent (10,586 flights)

In May, 55.3 percent of planes arrived at Newark on time, while 57.7 percent left the airport on time. Here’s how the month went at New Jersey’s smallest airports:

• Atlantic City International Airport: 74.2 percent on-time arrivals (283 flights), 79.6 percent on-time departures (284 flights)
• Trenton-Mercer Airport: 66.8 percent on-time arrivals (220 flights), 73.5 percent on-time departures (219 flights)

The report also shows the baggage handling data of different airlines. Among major airlines, American Airlines and its affiliates had the worst bag handling rate, with 0.79 percent of every 100 bags checked in May. United Airlines and its partners had a rate of 0.63 percent, and Delta Air Lines and its partners had a rate of 0.52.

Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines canceled the lowest number of flights in May, at 0.1 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively. United and its affiliates canceled 2.4 percent of flights and the Delta group canceled 2.7 percent of flights that month.

Summer bumpy ride

It is important to note that actual ridership experiences in June and July are not reflected in DOT’s consumer reports. Travelers have faced long lines, longer vacations and lost luggage this summer, with airline and airport staff shortages the most frequently cited reasons, according to Business Insider. It’s also important to remember that travel volume in May 2021 was nowhere near 2022 levels.

Americans’ experiences during the last holiday travel weekend — the Fourth of July — are not reassuring. Airlines canceled more than 1,100 flights, a quarter of them by United Airline, which said in a message to staff that more flights were scheduled than the air traffic control system could handle, Reuters reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration disputed that, saying there were “no FAA personnel-related delays at all” July 3-4, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said air traffic control personnel issues do not explain most of the delays. and cancellations.

Days earlier, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who runs with the Democrats, asked Buttigieg to airlines fined $55,000 per passenger for every flight cancellation they knew it couldn’t be fully staffed.

The widespread cancellations “left passengers and crew members stranded at crowded airports from one end of the country to the other, forcing them to miss weddings, funerals and business meetings and ruining family vacations that have been planned for months, Sanders wrote.

Travel difficulties could continue through Thanksgiving and Christmas, Buttigieg told the Deseret News on Friday during a visit to Utah.

“It will take some time for the pilot workforce to return to pre-COVID levels,” he said. “I don’t think this is going to be solved overnight.”

There are some signs things are getting back to normal, Buttigieg told the Deseret News, with cancellation rates around 2 percent now, up from 3 percent and 4 percent in early spring.

As confusing as the last two months have been, problems encountered in May were about equal to pre-pandemic levels, according to the DOT consumer complaint report.

Overall, in May, airlines canceled about 2 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, roughly the same number as in the pre-pandemic 2019 period. On-time arrival rates in May 2022 (77.2 percent) and May 2019 ( 77.2 percent) were also similar. .

Some industry analysts say the rebound from the pandemic exacerbated existing staff shortages. Globally, there were 2.3 million fewer people employed in aviation in September 2021 than at the start of the pandemic, according to a study by Oxford Economics.

“Now that you’re coming out of COVID and demand is actually showing signs of rapid recovery, you’re starting to see that they have fewer pilots and the same amount of flying to do,” Alton Aviation’s Umang Gupta, a. consulting company, Business Insider said.

What can you do?

Educate yourself. The DOT’s Consumer Complaints Report provides a good snapshot of airlines and airports’ track record of getting people and their luggage to their destinations on time.

When you book, fly direct if you can, and if you can’t, a one-hour layover isn’t enough, a flight attendant wrote earlier this summer in The New York Times. Fly early in the day if possible.

Make sure you have downloaded the airline app beforehand. Check FlightAware’s tracking data page to make sure your flight or the one you’re meeting is on time. Get to the airport early and avoid the baggage check if possible. Don’t overload your carry-on to the point you’re carrying it trying to figure out how to fit it in the overhead bin.

If your flight is cancelled, know your rights. Airlines may offer points or miles, but “you are entitled to a refund when your flight is canceled,” Buttigieg tweeted. “When deciding whether to accept miles, it’s helpful to know their value, which varies but is often estimated at 1 to 1.5 cents per mile.”

The DOT Consumer’s Guide to Air Travel has more detailed information.