Even in the best case scenario, flying can be a hassle. Air travel can be a nightmare when travel is damaged by delays, cancellations and improper baggage.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2024, customers made a record 66,675 complaints against U.S. airlines, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. According to PIRG, passenger complaints have been increasing since the pandemic and have increased every year since 2021.

"When you file a complaint, DOT asks if you talk to the airline, so this is not your first stop," Teresa Murray, director of Consumer Watchdogs at PIRG, told CBS MoneyWatch. "When people try to get the money back and the airlines don't do that, that's when people file a complaint."

For example, some customers seek refunds related to cancelling flights or delays, while others seek to reimburse their lost or damaged luggage. Airlines are facing increased pressure now According to the new rules In the case of adoption in 2024, they are required to provide an automatic refund to customers when cancelled or significantly delayed.

Bad pandemic

Before 2020, annual complaints against all airlines hovered below 20,000 when Covid-19-19 broke out in the U.S. That year, they jumped to over 102,000 during catastrophic times as travel restrictions and demand for flights plummeted. Airlines are working to upgrade capacity in 2021 and 2022, resulting in massive cancellations and delays.

The report said that among the top 10 airlines in the United States, cancellations increased from 1.28% of flights in 2023 to 1.36% last year, resulting in a total of 102,908 canceled flights cancelled in 2024. Delays have also intensified, with 78.1% of flights last year falling from 78.3% in 2023. A total of about 1.7 million flights are delayed or cancelled in 2024.

National Air traffic controller shortage Pilger said that for the rest of 2025, more rants could be caused.

There is a relative highlight in the report: airlines have fewer bags and wheelchairs in 2024 compared to the previous year. Although this shows some modest improvement, 2.7 million bags are still missing or damaged, and 11,357 wheelchairs and scooters are also added.

PIRG found that airlines with the highest complaint rates per 100,000 passengers: Border airlines have the worst cancellation records, the worst record of on-time arrivals and the worst record of involuntary collisions. It ranks second because it is not good at wheelchairs.

"It's a lot of the worst," Murray said.

According to PIRG, these are last year’s transportation, cancellations and delays, and other indicators, which are the best and worst performing airlines last year.

Overall complaint

The best airlines

1. Southwest (1.5 complaints per 100,000 passengers)
2. Alaska (2.6 per 100,000 passengers)
3. Hawaiians (3.8 per 100,000 passengers)

Worst airline

1. Border (23.3 complaints per 100,000 passengers)
2. Spirit (12.8 per 100,000 passengers)
3. JetBlue (10.4 per 100,000 passengers)

Cancel the flight

The best airlines

1. Southwest (0.83% of flight cancellation)
2. Hawaiian (cancel 1.05%)
3. Increment (cancel 1.09%)

Worst airline

1. Border (2.32% of flight cancellations)
2. Spirit (cancelled 1.91%)
3. United (1.74% Cancelled)

Delay

The best airlines

1. Hawaiian (16.42% of delayed flights)
2. Delta (17.98% delay)
3. Joint (delayed 20.86%)

Worst airline

1. Border (30.5% of delayed flights)
2. JetBlue (26.94% delay)
3. Mental (delayed 25.52%)

Bags of unfortunate

The best airlines

1. Allegiant (0.2%)
2. JetBlue (0.35%)
3. Border (0.4%)

Worst airline

1. United States (0.79%)
2. Manchester United (0.66%)
3. Alaska (0.58%)

Unlucky wheelchair

The best airlines

1. Increment (0.63%)
2. Allegiant (0.75%)
3. Manchester United (0.97%)

Worst airline

1. Spirit (2.07%)
2. Border (1.76%)
3. United States (1.63%)

Involuntary collision

The best airlines

1. Allegiant (0 per 10,000 passengers)
2. Delta (0 per 10,000 passengers)
3. United (0.03 per 10,000 passengers)

The worst airline

1. Border (2.25 per 10,000 passengers)
2. United States (0.67 per 10,000 passengers)
   
3. Spirit (0.48 per 10,000 passengers)