The U.S. Department of Transportation released its Air Travel Consumer Report for February 2023, revealing cancellation rates have remained low in the first two months of the year.
The report provides information on the quality of services provided by airlines in the areas of on-time performance, mishandled baggage and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, according to an April 27 news release. Cancellations for the first two months of 2023 have remained below 2%, lower than last year’s rate of 2.7%.
"Spring break travel just wrapped up, and flight cancellations are lower than average. So far, every month in 2023, cancellation rates stayed below 2% - which hasn't happened in nearly 10 years. This is a good sign, and we're not letting up going into the busy summer months," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a May 2 Twitter Post.
The department is currently investigating domestic airlines to ensure they are not engaging in unrealistic scheduling of flights, the release reported.
Last year, the department issued the largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office, helping to get hundreds of thousands of people hundreds of millions of dollars back, according to the release. Since 2021, DOT has helped return more than $1 billion in refunds to travelers.
Buttigieg has pressed airlines to improve their service, resulting in 10 airlines now guaranteeing meals and free rebooking when an airline issue causes a cancellation or delay, and nine guaranteeing hotels, the release said.
Earlier this year, Buttigieg pressed airlines to commit to fee-free family seating, according to the release. Three airlines have now committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating, and DOT is pursuing a rulemaking that would require all airlines to do so.
To assist consumers in assessing airline family seating commitments, the department rolled out a new family seating dashboard last month, highlighting airlines that guarantee fee-free family seating and those that do not, the release said.
