WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its August 2020 Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on reporting marketing and operating air carrier data compiled for the month of June 2020. The full consumer report and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at http://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency has resulted in significant changes to airline schedules and operations, contributing to airlines’ on-time performance and cancellation statistics in June 2020.
The 10 marketing network carriers reported 237,264 scheduled domestic flights in June 2020 compared to 192,412 flights in May 2020 and 694,469 flights in June 2019. Of those 237,264 scheduled flights, 0.43%, 1,030 flights, were canceled. As a result of schedule reductions and cancellations, the carriers reported operating 236,234 flights in June 2020, compared to the all-time monthly low of 180,151 flights in May 2020 and 194,390 flights in April 2020.
A flight is listed as canceled if it was listed in a carrier’s computer reservation system during the seven calendar days prior to a scheduled departure but was not operated. Canceled flights are included in calculations of on-time arrival performance.
June On-Time Performance
In June 2020, reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 92.7%, the highest monthly on-time arrival percentage in DOT records dating from 1995. The June 2020 rate was up from both the 89.1% on-time rate in May 2020 and the 73.3% rate in June 2019. For more details, see Airlines operate more flights in June; on-time performance hits a high .
For the first six months of 2020, the reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 79.4%, compared to the rate of 77.4% during the same period last year.
Highest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates June 2020 (ATCR Table 1)
1. Hawaiian Airlines Network – 94.5%
2. Spirit Airlines – 94.4%
3. Delta Air Lines Network – 94.3%
Lowest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates June 2020 (ATCR Table 1)
1. Allegiant Air – 86.3%
2. JetBlue Airways – 90.1%
3. United Airlines Network – 91.5%
June Cancellations
In June 2020, reporting marketing carriers canceled 0.4% of their scheduled domestic flights, down from 6.4% in May 2020 and from 2.1% in June 2019.
Lowest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights June 2020 (ATCR Table 6)
1. Spirit Airlines – 0.0%
2. American Airlines Network – 0.1%
3. Frontier Airlines – 0.1%
Highest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights June 2020 (ATCR Table 6)
1. Alaska Airlines Network – 2.0%
2. Allegiant Air – 1.5%
3. JetBlue Airways – 0.7%
Tarmac Delays
In June 2020, airlines reported no tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, compared to no tarmac delays reported in May 2020 and the 49 tarmac delays reported in June 2019. In June 2020, airlines reported no tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights, compared to no tarmac delays reported in May 2020 and two tarmac delays in June 2019. Extended tarmac delays are investigated by the Department.
Mishandled Baggage
In June 2020, the reporting marketing carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 2.86 mishandled bags per 1,000 checked bags, a higher rate than the May 2020 rate of 2.86 per 1,000 checked bags but lower than the June 2019 rate of 7.07 per 1,000 checked bags. For the first six months of the year, the carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 4.76 per 1,000 checked bags, a lower rate than the 6.12 rate for the same period last year.
See the August 2020 Air Travel Consumer Report for mishandled baggage numbers by airline.
Mishandled Wheelchairs and Scooters
In June 2020, reporting marketing airlines reported checking 11,868 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 134, a rate of 1.13% mishandled, compared to the rate of 0.95% mishandled in May 2020 and 1.54% in June 2019. In June 2019, the airlines checked 66,160 wheelchairs and scooters, mishandling 1,016. For the first six months of the year, the carriers posted a mishandled wheelchair and scooter rate of 1.34%, a lower rate than the 1.62% rate for the same period last year.
See the August 2020 Air Travel Consumer Report for mishandled wheelchair and scooter numbers by airline.
Bumping/Oversales
Bumping/oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly. For the second quarter of 2020, the 10 U.S. reporting marketing carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, rate of 0.15 per 10,000 passengers, higher than the rate of 0.11 in the first quarter of 2020 but lower than the rate of 0.31 in the second quarter of 2019.
For the first six months of 2020, the marketing carriers posted a bumping rate of 0.12 per 10,000 passengers, a lower rate than the 0.31 rate for the same period last year.
See the August 2020 Air Travel Consumer Report for denied boarding numbers by airline.
Incidents Involving Animals
In June 2020, carriers reported no incidents involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, down from the two reports filed in June 2019 and the one report filed in May 2020.
Complaints About Airline Service
In June 2020, DOT received 15,946 complaints about airline service from consumers, up 904.2% from the total of 1,588 filed in June 2019, but down 27.2% from the 21,914 received in May 2020. Of the 15,946 complaints received in June 2020, 14,875 concerned refunds.
For the first six months of 2020, DOT received 65,332 complaints about airline service from consumers, up 811.6% from the 7,167 complaints received in the first six months of 2019.
Complaints About Treatment of Disabled Passengers
In June 2020, the Department received a total of 28 disability-related complaints, down from the 71 complaints received in June 2019, but up from the 18 complaints received in May 2020.
For the first six months of 2020, DOT received 237 disability-related complaints from consumers, down 40% from the 395 complaints received in the first six months of 2019.
All complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability are investigated by the Department.
Complaints About Discrimination
In June 2020, the Department received five complaints alleging discrimination – four regarding race and one categorized as “other.” This is down from the total of 10 discrimination complaints recorded in June 2019, but up from the zero complaints recorded May 2020.
For the first six months of 2020, DOT received 30 discrimination-related complaints from consumers, down 38.8% from 49 received in the first six months of 2019.
All complaints alleging discrimination are investigated by the Department to determine if there has been a violation(s) of the passenger’s civil rights.
Consumers may file air travel consumer or civil rights complaints online at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm. They may also mail a complaint to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20590.
