April was certainly rough (sometimes literally) in the airline world. We covered many, many, many incidents starting with a very dramatic scandal when United Airlines Passenger was Dragged Off Plane Due To Oversell. Then there were more incidents involving a Scorpion Stinging a United Airlines Passenger Onboard Plane, United Airlines Now Kicks Off Wedding Couple from Plane, a Giant 3 Foot Rabbit Dies On United Airlines Flight all in April 2017 alone. In May, a United Flight Attendant reportedly Forces Passenger To Pee In Cup! Of course these incidences are only on United. As reported by AL.com, “The same month that a viral video depicted a United Airlines passenger being dragged from his seat, complaints against airlines in the U.S. soared 70 percent.”

Complaints Against Airlines Up 70% On Heels Of United Fiasco

As reported by AL.com, 

The same month that a viral video depicted a United Airlines passenger being dragged from his seat, complaints against airlines in the U.S. soared 70 percent.
A U.S. Department of Transportation report Wednesday showed that 1,909 complaints were filed in April against airlines flying in the U.S., up from 1,123 complaints in the same month last year.

Although flight delays and cancellations increased somewhat in April, the most likely cause of the complaint surge was the public reaction to the bloody incident April 9 that put a focus on the treatment of passengers by the nation’s airlines.

The biggest number of complaints filed in April were against American Airlines (324), followed by Delta Air Lines (297) and United (265), the federal report said. Low-cost carrier Spirit Airline had the highest rate of complaints, 7.2 complaints for every 100,000 passengers, compared with 3.04 complaints for every 100,000 passengers for United Airlines.

Bottom Line

Surely there have been some big incidents lately. What do you think about the 70% complaint surge in April? Do people complain more when there is a national focus on a major event such as the United Airlines Scandal? Or are the airlines getting that much worse? Hit the comments.

HT: AL.com