The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released statistics on U.S. airlines' operations for the month of November 2021, providing air travelers with information on the airlines' overall quality of service.
The DOT released the November data Jan. 26 in its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR). The monthly report tracks metrics from the 10 marketing network carriers, including on-time performance, mishandled baggage, mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, complaints received, and oversales, the DOT states. As has been the case across many industries, COVID-19 is still having an impact on airlines.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continued to result in significant changes to airline schedules and operations in November 2021," the DOT states in the report. "The 573,134 flights operated in November 2021 were 88.2% of the 649,511 flights operated in pre-pandemic November 2019."
However, year-over-year statistics show operated flights in November 2021 increased 47.9% over November 2020's 387,481 flights. This past November's number of flights is a 1.7% decrease from the 582,759 flights operated in October 2021.
Flights this past November landed on schedule 84.3 % of the time, an increase from 79.9 % over October 2021 but down from 91.7 % in November 2020, according to the ATCR. Less than 1 percent (0.6%) of scheduled domestic flights were cancelled in November 2021, which was lower than October's 0.8% but higher than the 0.5% reported the previous November.
Marketing airlines reported handling over 37 million bags in November 2021, with a "mishandling" rate of 4.60 per 1,000 checked bags, down from 5.28 per 1,000 in October 2021 but up from 3.04 per 1,000 reported for November 2020. The airlines reported mishandling 855 (1.73%) of the 49,468 checked wheelchairs and scooters, an increase over both this past October (1.36%) and November (1.22%), the ATCR reports.
The November increase in mishandled wheelchairs and scooters was the highest monthly rate for wheelchairs since March 2019 and the fourth-highest rate since the DOT released the first set of data on wheelchairs and scooters in December 2018.
"The Department is committed to expediting efforts to find ways to better ensure the safe transport of wheelchairs and scooters on aircraft and will be hosting a public meeting on this issue in March 2022," DOT officials said in the ATCR.
Overall complaints against airlines filed with the DOT in November 2021 numbered 3,543, a 7.5% decrease from October and 5.8% from the previous November. U.S. carriers were the subject of 42.4% of complaints filed, with 42.1% against foreign airlines and 15.3% lodged against travel companies, the ATCR reports.
Statistics on bumping/oversales is reported quarterly rather than monthly, according to the DOT. Bumping/oversales is the practice of "involuntary denied boarding," or "bumping" a ticket-holding customer to a different flight because the original flight was oversold, the DOT states. In the third quarter of 2021, the reporting carriers posted bumping rates of 0.16 per 10,000 passengers, a decrease from 0.17 in the second quarter of 2021 and the third quarter of 2020.
