DOT Complaints Keep Falling

DOT Complaints Keep Falling

It’s time for a trip down complainers’ lane — our periodic check-in with the Department of Transportation to see who’s treating their frequent flyers well.

Each month, the Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings compiles the Air Travel Consumer Report, which, among other things, documents the number and type of complaints filed with the DOT. DOT has not, at the time of publication, determined the validity of the complaints.

The Consumer Complaints section essentially summarizes the number of complaints in various categories — including delays, mishandled baggage, and the like. However, there remains an “other” category, which consists primarily of frequent flyer complaints.

For October, the outlook is fairly positive: of 315 total complaints, only 12 were frequent flyer related — down from 16 a year ago. No single airline had more than four.

The verdict: the year-long trend we’ve been tracking showing that consumer complaints are declining continues.