Airline passengers in the U.S. can finally fly without too many restrictions, but many are still not happy about their travel experiences. Air travel consumer complaints in May were 237% higher than the same period in 2019, with 4,344 complaints, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, released earlier this month. Still, that number was 14.5% down from the 5,079 complaints in April.
Passengers’ No. 1 reason for filing a complaint was related to seeking a refund, with 30.5% of complaints focused on that issue. Flight problems followed as the No. 2 complaint, with nearly a quarter of complaints in May related to scheduling issues such as cancellations and delays. In May, carriers handled 42 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.56%, higher than 0.55% in April, but still lower than the pre-pandemic rate of 0.63% in May 2019. Airlines checked 72,332 wheelchairs and scooters in May, and mishandled 1,110, giving a rate of 1.53% mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, higher than 1.46% in April, but lower than 1.54% in pre-pandemic May 2019.Passengers got bumped at a higher rate For the first quarter of 2022, the U.S. carriers posted a bump rate of 0.44 per 10 …