The latest Air Travel Consumer Report suggests passengers are deeply dissatisfied with airline service. In October, the Transportation Department received 1,096 complaints from consumers about airline service — that’s 74 percent more than the 629 complaints received a year earlier, and 22 percent more than the total of 895 filed last month.
Here are the top (or should I say, bottom?) five airlines:
1. US Airways (122 complaints )
2. American Airlines (115 complaints)
3. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines (both had 113 complaints)
4. Northwest Airlines (49 complaints)
5. Continental Airlines (46 complaints)
How do you explain the huge gap between Northwest, Continental and the others? I’m told that some airlines have aggressively begun disputing each official complaint with the DOT. The strategy is to either persuade the government that the complaint doesn’t belong on the airlines’ record, or to have to reassigned to a regional carrier.
So, for example, if I flew on a Northwest flight that had a Pinnacle segment and complained about a service-related problem, the airline might argue to have the complaint reassigned to Pinnacle — a number that travel watchdogs pay little attention to.
The DOT needs to close that loophole, because it allows the airlines to downplay the actual number of complaints.
And here’s a little-known fact, as you review these complaint figures: They represent less than 10 percent of the legitimate complaints against an airline, according to internal airline sources.
The actual number far higher — and far more alarming.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
US Airways at the top of the list?? OHHHHH The pain, the shock of it all!!!
Q. What kind of complaints are customers making about USAirways? It makes no sense to say that they get the most complaints without telling us what kinds of complaints. I fly USAirways most of the time (out of Binghamton, NY, USAir probably has 70% of the market) and although I have my gripes, they are no more than my gripes with American, United, or Northwestern. How about putting some meat into these kinds of reports? Thanks, Mike Senio
A few month ago you published on a MSNBC segment a list of contacts for airlines in case someone needed to make an issue known. The airline’s web sites have dedicated to hiding all that information restricting a passenger to 1500 characters and not knowing if the message will be received or not.
Please help if at all possible. Thanks and Regards,
Ruben Olivares
Those are all here: http://www.elliott.org/category/help/
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has a lovely little form to fill out. It’s one of the ways you can fight back.
I fly a lot 2-3 round trips monthly. Mainly I fly American, US Air and Southwest. By far US Air is the worst. The surliest work crews, the dirtiest planes and oh by the way luggage lost twice this year alone, once not found until the business trip was over. American can definitely run a close second because they typically fly ancient planes and are often late but so far in the last 8 years no luggage lost. Southwest gets my votes for always flying larger planes, friendly service better on time and no lost luggage. The downside they don’t fly everywhere and long trips often require 3 segments instead of 2.
I have a specific complaint for US Airways: scabies. I just got it, and my research says I am not the first.
US Airways Express, two flights 6 months apart, same flight, same time, both flights were 3-4 hours late, leaving my wife and I to run through terminals or stand in long lines to get subsequent connecting flights. First time was due to a single safety card being missing. A mechanic had to be called out of bed(5 AM) to inspect the plane and give the OK to fly. Second time due to no pilot to fly the plane (aircraft and First Officer present), and equipment problems delaying backup flight. Difficult to recommend US Air.
I took a trip from Indianapolis to Gulfport MS. I had to change planes in CLT . Get a seat with more leg room that was $5.00 charge on one flight and $20.00 for one checked bag. I was supposed has to assisance to take me from one flight to the next. NO One show up. I ended having to buy a one day pass into the US AiR Club to rest back, that I have problems with.
The one broard crew were rude and unfriendly.
I have American just as bad. the same poor service