Asia is set for a boom in air travel, according to a range of forecasts, but the eye-popping predictions have also brought concerns about congested airports, a lack of pilots and flight safety.

The rise of Asia’s aviation sector – described as “unprecedented long-term growth” by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – is being driven by middle class travellers from China and India, the emergence of new players like Indonesia and Vietnam, and intense competition among low-cost carriers. Technological and entrepreneurial innovations have also played a role, as has the region’s overall economic good health.

Even so, the industry as a whole has been left scrambling to catch up to increasing demand – a complex, urgent and expensive process that has been made even more difficult by the Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people in October.

Lion Air, furious at Boeing over crash blame, may cancel billions in orders

“The aviation boom in Asia is a game changer,” said Conrad Clifford, the IATA’s regional vice-president for Asia-Pacific. “We are forecasting that Asia-Pacific will see an extra 2.35 billion annual passengers by 2037, for a total market size of 3.9 billion passengers. This growth is a huge opportunity for the region’s economies and aviation but also a challenge in terms of infrastructure, human capital, regulation and investment.”

Airports Council International (ACI) predicts that by 2040 China will become the largest passenger market with just under 4 billion passengers, or about 20 per cent of all global traffic, while India will have 1.3 billion. The Asia-Pacific region, over the same time, is expected to contribute more than 42 per cent of all international air travellers.

The most rapidly expanding countries in the world for air passengers, according to the ACI estimates, will be India and Vietnam, with China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines also in the top 10. Of the 10 airports that grew the fastest from 2007 to 2017, nine were in Asia, including Bangkok, Surabaya, Indonesia, and Zhengzhou, China. (The only non-Asian city was Istanbul.)

By 2030, it is estimated that air travel in Asia will be bigger than the next two markets – North America and Europe – combined. Travel isn’t the only factor: an IATA study found that by 2035, air transport was expected to support more than 70 million jobs and nearly US$1.3 trillion in gross domestic product – compared to more than 33 million jobs and upwards of US$700 billion in GDP in 2014.

“The way that aviation goes hand-in hand with economic and social development is well understood,” said Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines. “In Asia, that applies to large and small countries and nations in different states of development. There’s a commitment to growth here.”

India’s aviation regulator wants pilots to train in a simulator that replicates Lion Air crash

Aviation experts said the industry must overcome various challenges to capitalise on the boom. As Goh Choon Phong, the chief executive of Singapore Airlines, wrote in the 2018 IATA annual review: “Clearly, the key constraint is infrastructure.”

Infrastructure in this context mostly refers to airports, planes and the people needed to fix and fly them. The shortages, many insiders said, are acute.

“The industry in Asia is going to need literally hundreds of thousands of aviation workers over the next 20 years: pilots, flight attendants and, just as important, is what we call the MROs, the technicians in charge of maintenance, repair and overhaul,” said Matt Driskill, the editor of Asian Aviation magazine.

Driskill is hardly exaggerating: Boeing, the US aerospace giant, estimated that by 2037 the Asia-Pacific region would need 240,000 new pilots, more than half of those in China. The company’s 2018 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook, meanwhile, said the region would need nearly 320,000 cabin crew over the same period.

“These are the men and women who keep the plane safe, and this is one of the big concerns that people have. One of the problems is that there aren’t enough training facilities for pilots and ground crew. A whole generation is retiring, so another problem is how to get young people interested in the industry. For the MRO techs, I call it code monkeys versus grease monkeys. Everything today is run by algorithms, and young people are asking, ‘Why would I want to be an air plane mechanic?’”

The shortage of aviation workers comes at a problematic time: thousands of new planes are already on order by regional airlines. Boeing has projected that 40 per cent of its new passenger planes will be delivered to Asia, and experts estimate the same to be true for Airbus, the European aerospace conglomerate. Most of these orders, according to Driskill, will be “single-aisle planes” like the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320.

“The global order book is heavily tilted to Asia, but where do these planes park and where do they fly?” said Brendan Sobie, the chief analyst for think tank the CAPA Centre for Aviation. “The airlines might be able to fill them up with passengers, but is there enough space in the airports and in the air to accommodate them?”

Most Asian airports, including those in Jakarta, Manila and Beijing, are operating at – or over – their original capacity, according to Sobie and other experts. Hundreds of new facilities, meanwhile, are in development or stuck in the slow, thorny process that inevitably requires some level of government approval and large amounts of capital. CAPA has estimated that some 230 new airports are being built in the Asia-Pacific region, more than half the world’s total.

“Virtually every Asian country needs airport infrastructure,” Sobie said. “Some need it more urgently and some need it in other places, like secondary cities. But the main capital cities have a situation where there is not enough growth to meet the increased demand. Bangkok’s two airports are at capacity, so they’re focusing on a third airport, and Hong Kong is a good example: growth has been slow there because there is no more space.”

Lion Air crash was so intense it tore black box apart

The pace of growth, according to Clifford, the IATA regional vice-president, has forced the industry into a race against time.

“Aircraft have been ordered but airports need to have enough slots, runways and gates to handle them,” he said. “Air traffic control needs to be enhanced to handle these flights efficiently and safely, and airport terminals need to be expanded to provide a safe, secure, efficient and pleasant experience to all these additional passengers. But there is just not enough time, space and money to triple the airport building infrastructure for this growth.”

COMPETITION, SAFETY

For an industry facing many challenges, the Lion Air disaster could not have come at a worse time. Analysts have been left to determine whether the fatal crash was a blip in an otherwise much improved safety record, or a symptom of breakneck growth and intense competition.

“One problem is that everybody and their dog wants to be the next Tony Fernandes and be the next AirAsia and make millions of dollars,” said Driskill of Asian Aviation, referring to the chief executive of Malaysia-based AirAsia, Southeast Asia’s largest low-cost carrier.

“There is this intense pressure to grow, grow, grow and, combined with a lack of skilled pilots and MRO techs, these things have led to safety problems as we have seen with Lion Air and some of the Indian carriers.”

“If you look at the profit margins, most airlines are running on about US$10 profit per passenger per flight. I heard one executive say that is basically a hamburger and a Coke away from making a loss. So when you have such thin profit margins, and the only way to make money is to keep planes in the air, there is a real incentive to fly that thing 24/7,” Driskill said.

Tom Ballantyne, the chief correspondent for Orient Aviation magazine, has covered the industry in Asia for 25 years. He urges caution when considering the recent disaster.

“The Lion Air crash reflects poorly on the industry. For many people, it’s another crash in Indonesia. But you have to recognise that it’s a single incident and the Asia-Pacific region, in fact, has an incredible safety record. In 2017, there were no accidents, and there have been real improvements: China, which once had a poor safety record, now has one of the best safety records in the world.”

Still, safety concerns from the public remain another major headache for an industry facing plenty of challenges. The Lion Air accident has intensified scrutiny of Indonesia’s aviation safety practices, and the government has called for increased oversight of the nation’s airlines.

Despite this, as Ballantyne points out, the staggering growth appears set to continue.

“It’s happening: and the number one concern in Asia is whether the infrastructure can keep up with the growing demand. At the moment it certainly is not,” he said. “Every time I write stories about the region and China or India, you almost can’t believe the numbers. But the forecasts are real, and they’re not even forecasts any more, the growth is already here.”

Alvin Lie, a former Indonesian lawmaker and aviation expert who now consults for the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said the Lion Air crash had sent a clear warning to the government. He said the DGCA was already taking a look at pilots’ hours and working to digitise logbooks.

“If there is any fault in the Lion Air tragedy, the blame is on Boeing for the plane’s technical problems,” Lie said. “But another issue that deserves attention is the airlines, such as Lion Air. The number of planes they operate and the number of routes they serve – it doesn’t make sense. Sometimes they operate below the minimum number for crew.”

Lie was adamant, however, about the negligible effect he believes the Lion Air disaster will have on Indonesia’s aviation sector, which he praised as “one of the fastest growing in the world”.

“If you look at the safety record of Indonesia it has improved tremendously. In fact, in 2017 there wasn’t a single accident or fatality. The Lion Air accident doesn’t reflect on Indonesia’s air safety.” ■

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A lingering storm kept dumping immobilizing snow, sleet or freezing rain across five southern states, leaving dangerously icy roads and hundreds of thousands of people without electricity. Authorities urged people to stay home Monday in areas where driving was dangerous.

A winter storm in the southeastern United States was impacting travel Sunday, causing the cancelation of more than 1,000 flights, including some to and from San Diego.

American Airlines canceled 225 flights on Saturday and 1,100 flights on Sunday — most of them in and out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where the airline has a major hub. Another 300 cancellations were expected for Monday.

The airline canceled two direct flights from Charlotte Douglas to San Diego International Airport and one direct flight from San Diego to Charlotte on Sunday, as well as multiple others with layovers, according to the American Airlines website.

“If you are traveling to an area that’s affected by bad weather, check the status of your flight,” San Diego International Airport spokeswoman Rebecca Bloomfield advised travelers. “Even if you aren’t, the flight may be coming from an affected area.”

American Airlines also issued a travel alert for nine airports throughout the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia, meaning passengers may be able to change travel plans without a fee.

Travelers were advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport. Cancellations were reported on flights from as far as the Midwest.

Accidents on snow-covered interstates caused major delays Sunday, hundreds of flights were canceled and drivers in North Carolina and Virginia got stuck in snow or lost control on icy patches. But the commuters’ nightmare provided pre-winter thrills for kids and the young at heart, who were able to go sledding and build snowmen in places that don’t often see so much of the white stuff.

The National Weather Service said a “prolonged period of snow” began late Saturday and would last until Monday in the region, with the heaviest snow in northwest North Carolina and southern Virginia. Some areas of North Carolina and Virginia saw more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow by Sunday afternoon.

More than 300,000 power outages were reported across the region, with North Carolina bearing the brunt of it, and nearly 270,000 remained without power Monday morning, according to poweroutage.us. South Carolina and Virginia, along with parts of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, also saw outages.

Police in North Carolina and Virginia said they’d responded to hundreds of snow-related traffic accidents as of Sunday afternoon, as cars, trucks and tractor-trailers all struggled with the snow and ice.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper strongly urged residents to stay off the roads, asking drivers not to put lives of first responders needlessly at risk. Cooper said emergency crews, including the National Guard, worked overnight to clear traffic accidents on major roadways.

“Stay put if you can,” Cooper said Sunday. “Wrap a few presents, decorate the tree, watch some football.”

Five members of a dive team searched the Neuse River in Kinston, North Carolina, for a missing driver Sunday after a tractor-trailer ran off a road and into the river, WRAL-TV reported . Police just outside of Charlotte said a driver died when a tree fell on a moving vehicle.

Some found that walking was a more reliable means of transportation as the roads were blanketed with a wintry mix. On Sunday, Tervante Wilkerson trudged through blowing snow up Old NC 98 in Wake Forest, North Carolina, to walk across town to see his two young children.

Still, he made light of the situation, saying: “It’s definitely a Kodak moment in Wake Forest.”

In Greensboro, a few restaurants were open Sunday night for NFL games despite as much as one foot (.3 meters) of snow falling on the city, according to the News Record.

“We’ve got some nice homemade chicken soup, some tacos and we’ve got beer,” Greg Munning, owner of Taqueria el Azteca, told the newspaper. “We’re just hanging out and chilling and watching the Panthers game.”

The Roanoke, Virginia, area saw 10 or more inches (25 cm) of snow. And it came down so fast that some people couldn’t keep up with their snow shovels, such as Adam Thompson, who was working on the walkway to his house.

“That’s funny,” he told The Roanoke Times. “I just shoveled that part and it’s already covered in snow again.”

Governors and local officials in several states declared emergencies ahead of the storm crossing several Southern states, which hit portions of North Carolina and Virginia particularly hard.

Virginia State Police said Interstate 81 in far southwest Virginia was particularly dangerous, with snow coming down faster Sunday afternoon than crews could clear it. Police said several tractor-trailers slid off the highway.

Officials warned residents to prepare emergency kits and stay off roads in impacted areas. Several schools districts in North Carolina and Virginia announced they’ll be closed Monday.

“Virginians should take all necessary precautions to ensure they are prepared for winter weather storm impacts,” said Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the sixth busiest airport in the country, said American Airlines reduced its operations, with more than 1,000 flights canceled on Sunday.

 

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A winter storm in the southeastern United States was impacting travel Sunday, causing the cancelation of more than 1,000 flights, including some to and from San Diego.

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American Airlines canceled 225 flights on Saturday and 1,100 flights on Sunday — most of them in and out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where the airline has a major hub. Another 300 cancellations were expected for Monday.

The airline canceled two direct flights from Charlotte Douglas to San Diego International Airport and one direct flight from San Diego to Charlotte on Sunday, as well as multiple others with layovers, according to the American Airlines website.

“If you are traveling to an area that’s affected by bad weather, check the status of your flight,” San Diego International Airport spokeswoman Rebecca Bloomfield advised travelers. “Even if you aren’t, the flight may be coming from an affected area.”

–City News Service

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Asia is set for a boom in air travel, according to a range of forecasts, but the eye-popping predictions have also brought concerns about congested airports, a lack of pilots and flight safety.

The rise of Asia’s aviation sector – described as “unprecedented long-term growth” by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – is being driven by middle class travellers from China and India, the emergence of new players like Indonesia and Vietnam, and intense competition among low-cost carriers. Technological and entrepreneurial innovations have also played a role, as has the region’s overall economic good health.

Even so, the industry as a whole has been left scrambling to catch up to increasing demand – a complex, urgent and expensive process that has been made even more difficult by the Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people in October.

Lion Air, furious at Boeing over crash blame, may cancel billions in orders

“The aviation boom in Asia is a game changer,” said Conrad Clifford, the IATA’s regional vice-president for Asia-Pacific. “We are forecasting that Asia-Pacific will see an extra 2.35 billion annual passengers by 2037, for a total market size of 3.9 billion passengers. This growth is a huge opportunity for the region’s economies and aviation but also a challenge in terms of infrastructure, human capital, regulation and investment.”

Airports Council International (ACI) predicts that by 2040 China will become the largest passenger market with just under 4 billion passengers, or about 20 per cent of all global traffic, while India will have 1.3 billion. The Asia-Pacific region, over the same time, is expected to contribute more than 42 per cent of all international air travellers.

The most rapidly expanding countries in the world for air passengers, according to the ACI estimates, will be India and Vietnam, with China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines also in the top 10. Of the 10 airports that grew the fastest from 2007 to 2017, nine were in Asia, including Bangkok, Surabaya, Indonesia, and Zhengzhou, China. (The only non-Asian city was Istanbul.)

By 2030, it is estimated that air travel in Asia will be bigger than the next two markets – North America and Europe – combined. Travel isn’t the only factor: an IATA study found that by 2035, air transport was expected to support more than 70 million jobs and nearly US$1.3 trillion in gross domestic product – compared to more than 33 million jobs and upwards of US$700 billion in GDP in 2014.

“The way that aviation goes hand-in hand with economic and social development is well understood,” said Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines. “In Asia, that applies to large and small countries and nations in different states of development. There’s a commitment to growth here.”

India’s aviation regulator wants pilots to train in a simulator that replicates Lion Air crash

Aviation experts said the industry must overcome various challenges to capitalise on the boom. As Goh Choon Phong, the chief executive of Singapore Airlines, wrote in the 2018 IATA annual review: “Clearly, the key constraint is infrastructure.”

Infrastructure in this context mostly refers to airports, planes and the people needed to fix and fly them. The shortages, many insiders said, are acute.

“The industry in Asia is going to need literally hundreds of thousands of aviation workers over the next 20 years: pilots, flight attendants and, just as important, is what we call the MROs, the technicians in charge of maintenance, repair and overhaul,” said Matt Driskill, the editor of Asian Aviation magazine.

Driskill is hardly exaggerating: Boeing, the US aerospace giant, estimated that by 2037 the Asia-Pacific region would need 240,000 new pilots, more than half of those in China. The company’s 2018 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook, meanwhile, said the region would need nearly 320,000 cabin crew over the same period.

“These are the men and women who keep the plane safe, and this is one of the big concerns that people have. One of the problems is that there aren’t enough training facilities for pilots and ground crew. A whole generation is retiring, so another problem is how to get young people interested in the industry. For the MRO techs, I call it code monkeys versus grease monkeys. Everything today is run by algorithms, and young people are asking, ‘Why would I want to be an air plane mechanic?’”

The shortage of aviation workers comes at a problematic time: thousands of new planes are already on order by regional airlines. Boeing has projected that 40 per cent of its new passenger planes will be delivered to Asia, and experts estimate the same to be true for Airbus, the European aerospace conglomerate. Most of these orders, according to Driskill, will be “single-aisle planes” like the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320.

“The global order book is heavily tilted to Asia, but where do these planes park and where do they fly?” said Brendan Sobie, the chief analyst for think tank the CAPA Centre for Aviation. “The airlines might be able to fill them up with passengers, but is there enough space in the airports and in the air to accommodate them?”

Most Asian airports, including those in Jakarta, Manila and Beijing, are operating at – or over – their original capacity, according to Sobie and other experts. Hundreds of new facilities, meanwhile, are in development or stuck in the slow, thorny process that inevitably requires some level of government approval and large amounts of capital. CAPA has estimated that some 230 new airports are being built in the Asia-Pacific region, more than half the world’s total.

“Virtually every Asian country needs airport infrastructure,” Sobie said. “Some need it more urgently and some need it in other places, like secondary cities. But the main capital cities have a situation where there is not enough growth to meet the increased demand. Bangkok’s two airports are at capacity, so they’re focusing on a third airport, and Hong Kong is a good example: growth has been slow there because there is no more space.”

Lion Air crash was so intense it tore black box apart

The pace of growth, according to Clifford, the IATA regional vice-president, has forced the industry into a race against time.

“Aircraft have been ordered but airports need to have enough slots, runways and gates to handle them,” he said. “Air traffic control needs to be enhanced to handle these flights efficiently and safely, and airport terminals need to be expanded to provide a safe, secure, efficient and pleasant experience to all these additional passengers. But there is just not enough time, space and money to triple the airport building infrastructure for this growth.”

COMPETITION, SAFETY

For an industry facing many challenges, the Lion Air disaster could not have come at a worse time. Analysts have been left to determine whether the fatal crash was a blip in an otherwise much improved safety record, or a symptom of breakneck growth and intense competition.

“One problem is that everybody and their dog wants to be the next Tony Fernandes and be the next AirAsia and make millions of dollars,” said Driskill of Asian Aviation, referring to the chief executive of Malaysia-based AirAsia, Southeast Asia’s largest low-cost carrier.

“There is this intense pressure to grow, grow, grow and, combined with a lack of skilled pilots and MRO techs, these things have led to safety problems as we have seen with Lion Air and some of the Indian carriers.”

“If you look at the profit margins, most airlines are running on about US$10 profit per passenger per flight. I heard one executive say that is basically a hamburger and a Coke away from making a loss. So when you have such thin profit margins, and the only way to make money is to keep planes in the air, there is a real incentive to fly that thing 24/7,” Driskill said.

Tom Ballantyne, the chief correspondent for Orient Aviation magazine, has covered the industry in Asia for 25 years. He urges caution when considering the recent disaster.

“The Lion Air crash reflects poorly on the industry. For many people, it’s another crash in Indonesia. But you have to recognise that it’s a single incident and the Asia-Pacific region, in fact, has an incredible safety record. In 2017, there were no accidents, and there have been real improvements: China, which once had a poor safety record, now has one of the best safety records in the world.”

Still, safety concerns from the public remain another major headache for an industry facing plenty of challenges. The Lion Air accident has intensified scrutiny of Indonesia’s aviation safety practices, and the government has called for increased oversight of the nation’s airlines.

Despite this, as Ballantyne points out, the staggering growth appears set to continue.

“It’s happening: and the number one concern in Asia is whether the infrastructure can keep up with the growing demand. At the moment it certainly is not,” he said. “Every time I write stories about the region and China or India, you almost can’t believe the numbers. But the forecasts are real, and they’re not even forecasts any more, the growth is already here.”

Alvin Lie, a former Indonesian lawmaker and aviation expert who now consults for the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said the Lion Air crash had sent a clear warning to the government. He said the DGCA was already taking a look at pilots’ hours and working to digitise logbooks.

“If there is any fault in the Lion Air tragedy, the blame is on Boeing for the plane’s technical problems,” Lie said. “But another issue that deserves attention is the airlines, such as Lion Air. The number of planes they operate and the number of routes they serve – it doesn’t make sense. Sometimes they operate below the minimum number for crew.”

Lie was adamant, however, about the negligible effect he believes the Lion Air disaster will have on Indonesia’s aviation sector, which he praised as “one of the fastest growing in the world”.

“If you look at the safety record of Indonesia it has improved tremendously. In fact, in 2017 there wasn’t a single accident or fatality. The Lion Air accident doesn’t reflect on Indonesia’s air safety.” ■

With so many people flying today, problems are bound to occur – and with rising fees, fuel surcharges, restrictive luggage policies and excess charges, it’s no surprise that more than 90% of flyers don’t like flying. 

The experience is so bad, 32 million potential trips never took place in 2016, according to a survey by the U.S. Travel Association. People decided it was not worth the trouble.

To identify the 13 biggest air travel complaints of 2018, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the travel complaints most frequently filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT). The data comes from the Air Travel Consumer Report, a monthly report by the DOT, which has tallied incidents through September 2018.

Safety complaints, which are handled by the Federal Aviation Administration, and security complaints, which are handled by the Transportation Security Administration, are not included.

The U.S. airlines receiving the most reports of each complaint, and the total number of each complaint for foreign airlines, as well as the month in which the most of a given complaint were reported, also came from the Air Travel Consumer Report.

13. Advertising
Total number of complaints: 46
Worst month: September
Worst performing airline: Spirit Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 13

Advertising complaints refer to messages that are perceived by customers as unfair, misleading or offensive. They accounted for less than 1% of total complaints this year and last. The 72 foreign airlines included in the same report received significantly fewer advertising complaints — a total of 13 between January and September 2018.

12. Discrimination
Total number of complaints: 68
Worst month: July 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 11

Discrimination complaints include civil rights complaints by air travelers (other than disability). They can be based on race, national origin, or religion. Between U.S. and foreign air carriers, American Airlines had the most complaints based on race — a total of 11, as many as all foreign airlines combined — through September 2018.

11. Oversales
Total number of complaints: 334
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 126

Oversale complaints cover all bumping problems and whether the airline complied with DOT regulations for overbooking, which require that no one will be denied a seat until the crew asks for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for compensation. About 3% of total air travel complaints with U.S. airlines are about oversales. Carriers, however, are getting better at limiting overbooking — the number of such complaints for almost every month in 2018 was lower than the same month in 2017.

10. Other
Total number of complaints: 393
Worst month: July 2018
Worst performing airline: United Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 138

The “other” category includes complaints by frequent flyers, cargo problems, security, airport facilities, and claims for bodily injury. About half of all complaints are filed by frequent flyers, and the total number has increased since 2017. They complain the most about long security and boarding lines, boarding queues, delays, and long walks on arrival, according to a survey by Oliver Wyman, a global consulting firm.

9. Misconnection
Total number of complaints: 520
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: N/A
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: N/A

Missed connections fall under the flight problems category. American Airlines had the most flight problems complaints of any U.S. carrier, with a total of 570. The biggest reason for missing connecting flights is airline delays, according to a study by Travelers United, a non-profit. Airlines are not obliged to guarantee their schedules; the DOT’s advice is to plan a trip accordingly. There are no federal requirements for handling passengers who are delayed at the airport.

8. Disability
Total number of complaints: 620
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 124

This category includes civil rights complaints by air travelers with disabilities. The total number of complaints went down slightly between January and September 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 — from 664 to 622. Airlines got fewer complaints from people with disabilities, but these represented a slightly higher percentage of total complaints — from 5.8% in 2017 to 7.1% in 2018.

More: Disabled passenger’s bill of rights? Proposed U.K. regulation seeks to make flying easier

More: American Airlines says video footage proves passenger was not abandoned in wheelchair

7. Refunds
Total number of complaints: 1,017
Worst month: September 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 587

Complaints about refunds include problems in obtaining refunds for unused or lost tickets as well as fare adjustments. The overall number of such complaints, which include carriers and tour operators, has gone up slightly; but the number of refund complaints against U.S. airlines only has gone down. Unlike Europe, there is no specific law or regulation in the United States requiring airlines to refund passengers. The DOT determines whether compensation is warranted on an individual basis.

6. Fares
Total number of complaints: 1,046
Worst month: March 2018
Worst performing airline: United Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 486

Fare complaints include incorrect or incomplete information about fares, discounts, overcharges, and price increases. In addition to airlines, travel agents have also been the subject of a lot of fare complaints — a total of 115 through September 2018, with most of them directed at Justfly and Cheapoair.

More: Budget-friendly vacation destinations for winter 2018-19

More: WOW Air sale: Fares drop below $100 one way on Europe flights

5. Delays
Total number of complaints: 1,215
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: N/A
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: N/A

Delays fall under the flight problems category, which American Airlines tops. Overall, the number of delay complaints is down by about a quarter since 2017. Most delays occur because a previous flight with the same aircraft arrived late (due to non-extreme weather, problems with airport operations, or heavy traffic volume), causing further delays. and. Technically speaking, delays are down, but it does take longer to complete a flight because airlines are padding their schedules. They are saying it will take longer than anticipated to arrive at your destination, so it looks good when they actually get there “early.”

4. Customer Service
Total number of complaints: 1,241
Worst month: July 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 371

Customer service complaints include reporting rude or unhelpful employees, inadequate meals or cabin service, and bad treatment of delayed passengers. The DOT also accepts passenger complaints about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which no longer publishes claims data. There were close to 14,000 complaints against the TSA between January and September 2018, the majority about courtesy and damage to personal property.

3. Reservations, Ticketing, Boarding
Total number of complaints: 1,475
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 682

Representing about 10% of all travel complaints, these are claims against an airline or a travel agent for making mistakes in reservations and ticketing, as well as problems making reservations and getting tickets, and problems boarding the aircraft that don’t involve oversales. The online booking sites with the most complaints between January and September 2018 were Justfly and Expedia.

2. Cancellation
Total number of complaints: 1,542
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: N/A
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: N/A

Cancellations fall under the flight problems category, which American Airlines tops. Carriers appear to be getting better at not canceling flights; the number of complaints filed with the DOT was down by a third, from 2,242 between January and September 2017 to 1,542 in the same period in 2018.

1. Baggage
Total number of complaints: 2,131
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 1,207

Claims for lost, damaged or delayed baggage, charges for excess baggage, carry-on problems, and difficulties with airline claims procedures are the biggest category of air travel complaints. Baggage complaints represent nearly 13% of all complaints in 2018. The situation is not getting much better; roughly the same number of claims were filed in the January to September period in both 2017 and 2018. Data reported by the airlines show an increase — 1.2 million baggage reports last year compared to almost 1.4 million so far in 2018 — with the worst-performing airline being Southwest.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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WHY IT RATES: While October’s growth is good news, the big picture still reveals more moderated growth compared to earlier in the year.—Mia Taylor, TravelPulse Senior Writer.

---

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for October showing that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) rose 6.3 percent compared to the same month last year.

This marked a rebound from 5.5 percent growth recorded in September, which was an eight-month low. Capacity also grew 6.3 percent and load factor was flat at 81.1 percent, matching last year’s record for the month.

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“October’s healthy performance is reassuring after the slower demand growth in September—some of which was attributable to weather-related disruptions. However, the bigger picture is that traffic growth has moderated compared to earlier in the year, reflecting a more mixed economic backdrop and reduced demand stimulation from lower fares,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.

International Passenger Markets

October international passenger demand rose 6.3 percent compared to October 2017, up from 5.1 percent growth in September. Airlines in all regions recorded gains. Total capacity climbed 6.1%, and load factor increased 0.1 percentage point to 79.8 percent.

European carriers’ October demand climbed 7.5 percent over October 2017, which was the strongest growth among regions and well up on the 5.3 percent increase for September.

Capacity rose 7 percent and load factor edged up 0.4 percentage point to 85.2 percent, highest among regions. Given mixed signals on the economic situation for the region, it’s unclear if the rebound is sustainable.

Asia-Pacific airlines’ traffic rose 5.8 percent compared to the year-ago period, up from 5.4 percent year-over-year growth in September. Capacity climbed 5.4 percent and load factor rose 0.3 percentage points to 78.9 percent.

Underlying passenger demand is continuing to be supported by structural changes, including rising living standards in the region, as well as network changes that stimulate demand.

Middle East carriers experienced a 4.4 percent rise in demand in October compared to last year, slowest among the regions for the seventh time in 12 months. It was, however, an increase over the 3.3 percent increase in September.

Capacity increased 6.4 percent, and load factor slid 1.3 percentage points to 69.8 percent, lowest among regions. Carriers have been buffeted by policy measures and geopolitical tensions in recent years, including the ban on portable electronic devices and travel restrictions. However, while volatile, passenger volumes are trending up solidly in seasonally-adjusted terms.

North American airlines’ traffic climbed 5.6 percent in October compared to the year-ago period, up from 4.9 percent growth in September. Strong momentum in the US economy is helping to drive robust international demand.

Capacity rose 3.7 percent and load factor surged 1.4 percentage points to 80.4 percent.

Latin American airlines were the only carriers to experience a slowdown in growth as demand rose 5.9 percent versus 6.3 percent in September. Capacity climbed 9.1 percent, and load factor dropped 2.4 percentage points to 80.4 percent.

African airlines’ traffic grew 6.8 percent year-on-year in October, raised from 6 percent annual growth in September. The upward trend in passenger demand remains strong notwithstanding challenges in the economic backdrop of the continent’s largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa. Capacity rose 5.5 percent and load factor climbed 0.9 percentage point to 70.3 percent.

Domestic Passenger Markets

Domestic demand climbed 6.4 percent in October compared to October 2017, unchanged from September, while capacity rose 6.7 percent. Load factor slipped 0.2 percentage point to 83.3 percent. China, India, and Russia led all markets with double-digit growth rates.

Russia enjoyed double-digit domestic traffic growth for the third consecutive month as traffic rose 11.7 percent compared to the year-ago period.

Japan’s domestic demand recovered after the significant typhoon-related disruptions in September caused traffic to decline 4.7 percent compared to a year ago. October traffic rose 1.7 percent.

The Big Picture

“Demand for air travel is strong as we head into the holiday travel season. Trade wars and uncertainty around the political and economic impact of Brexit remain concerns but the recent easing of fuel prices is a welcome development. In a few days, IATA will hold our annual Global Media Day in Geneva, bringing together more than 100 journalists and bloggers from around the world. We will present our updated economic forecast, among other topics. I always look forward to this opportunity to discuss and debate the key issues and initiatives facing commercial aviation with our colleagues in the media,” said de Juniac.

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SOURCE: IATA press release

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Travel News | eTurboNews

Delays, cancellations and destroyed travel plans: 2018 has been one of the worst years in terms of flight disruptions, with a record number of travel plans going awry. However, no matter what goes wrong, you’re prepared; here AirHelp explains the 10 commandments of air travel you always need to remember in case your flight is disrupted.

1: Thou shalt have food and water: What could be worse than waiting for a delayed flight? Having to wait for a delayed flight on the tarmac! Many travelers don’t know that they are actually granted certain rights in those annoying situations. The U.S. Department of Transportation created a set of regulations on tarmac delays  that apply to delays that occur at U.S. airports. After two hours, the airline crew is required to provide you with food, water, operational lavatories and medical care if needed. After a tarmac delay of three hours, passengers must be given the option to deplane. (Although passengers who experience an extended tarmac delay at a foreign airport while flying to the U.S. may be protected against extended tarmac delays by the laws of another nation, they are not protected from extended tarmac delays by U.S. law.)

2: Thou shalt have a nice comped hotel: The question of whether or not you have to pay for an unplanned hotel stay following a disrupted flight is something that even frequent travelers are unsure about. In fact, under European law EC261, the airline is supposed to provide passengers on European flights with transportation to their hotel or accommodations, and a hotel stay.

3: Thou shalt be compensated for messed up luggage: There are so many things that may go wrong when it comes to your luggage. So it will be music to your ears to hear that there is a regulation called the Montreal Convention that grants you a right to financial compensation in case your suitcase gets delayed, lost or damaged after you check in for your flight. Whether you’re flying within the US or to one of the other 120 countries that ratified the Montreal Convention, if you experience luggage issues while traveling, you may be entitled to compensation. Under U.S. and Montreal Convention air passenger rights laws, the maximum compensation from an airline for checked luggage that is either lost or damaged is $1,525 – $3,500. If your luggage is damaged, make sure to file a report within 7 days, and complaints for delayed luggage should be filed within 21 days. Luggage that doesn’t arrive within 21 days is considered lost – after this period there is no time limit for complaints. Make sure to always hold onto your receipts, because you can be reimbursed for anything that was lost or damaged that you needed for your tip. For example, if you have to buy a suit for an important meeting, you can get reimbursed for the suit so you can replace them.

4: Thou shalt not leave Fido at home: Animal lovers don’t have to skip their vacations, as long as they make themselves familiar with individual airlines’ pet rules. This is especially important in light of recent tragedies. If you wish to travel with your furry best friend, we advise you to research the airline’s rules. For example, some airlines only allow assistance or guide dogs to travel in the cabin. Others base their paw fees on your pet’s size and weight, plus their carrier’s measurements. When making the decision of whether to bring your pet along, you should consider: the size of your pet; the pet carrier; pet/dog carrier fees; the temperament of your four-legged friend; and the airline’s overhead bin space availability.

5: Thou shalt avenge your injuries: If you suffer some kind of injury while being on the plane, you are entitled to financial compensation. Thanks to a modification to the international regulation, the Montreal Convention, you can now get up to $138,000. It is also worth knowing that if your case requires legal action, you might be able to take it to court in your home country, if the airline operates flights there.

6: Thou shalt help other passengers: It happens all the time in movies: a passenger gets a heart attack, the crew asks “is there a doctor on board?” and George Clooney steps in to save the day. But what if a medical urgency happens in real life? It’s worth knowing that you have the right to help out, which means that even if you are not a doctor, you can assist another passenger in need, and you are covered by legal protection if you do so.

7: Thou shalt get on the flight: Selling more tickets for a flight than seats available is a common practice in the airline industry, which sometimes leads to passengers being denied boarding, although they arrived at the gate on time and ready to board the flight. As this is an extremely frustrating situation, the airline cannot get away with offering you a food voucher as consolation. If you’re bumped, and you don’t volunteer to deplane or take another flight, you can be eligible for compensation of up to $1,350, depending on the value of your ticket fare and ultimate delay in arrival to your final destination. If you’re flying within the U.S. and you’re put on a flight that arrives within 1 – 2 hours of your planned arrival, you can be compensated 200% of your one-way ticket fare up to $675. If the delay is more than 2 hours for a domestic flight, you may claim up to $1,350. If you’re traveling abroad, and the delay to your destination compared to your original flight is between 1 – 4 hours, you can get compensated 200% of your one-way fare up to $675. For delays more than 4 hours, you may be entitled to 400% of one-way fare up to $1,350.

8: Thou shalt be treated equally: If you have a disability, you encounter more and different burdens when planning your trip. Especially due to this, nobody should be allowed to put even more obstacles in your way. Therefore, no airline can refuse to accommodate you. In fact, they are required by law to make sure accommodations are available. This is because of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), a law which makes it illegal for airlines to discriminate against passengers because of their disability. Airlines are also required to provide passengers with disabilities many types of assistance, including wheelchairs or other guided assistance to board, deplane, or connect to another flight; seating accommodation assistance that meets passengers’ disability-related needs; and assistance with the loading and stowing of assistive devices.

9: Thou shalt complain: Traveling by air was once a luxurious privilege, but has become as commonplace as taking the train. However, when things go wrong and travel is disrupted, passengers still very rarely complain or claim compensation for the hassle they’ve gone through. One major reason for this is that more than 90% of U.S. travelers still don’t know their rights as air passengers. Besides your right to compensation, you can always complain when an airline doesn’t fulfill the service they’ve promised – some might even take your feedback seriously and try to improve their service.

10: Thou shalt be compensated: If you are on a flight to or from Europe, and you arrive to your destination with delays of more than 3 hours, you may be eligible to file for compensation. As long as your flight isn’t delayed because of “extraordinary circumstances” like weather, terrorism, air traffic control restrictions, or political unrest, you could claim up to $700 from the airline under European law EC 261, which covers passengers in cases where disruptions are the fault of the airline, and the departure airport is within the EU or the airline carrier is based in the EU and the flight is landing in the EU. If you don’t have time to file a claim right away, don’t worry, as you have up to three years to file for compensation. AirHelp offers a free eligibility check via the website or the app-integrated boarding pass scanner, so you can check whether you are owed money while you’re still at the gate.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

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Time to start budgeting a little bit of extra money for some in-flight booze. Buzz60’s Natasha Abellard has the story.
Buzz60

With so many people flying today, problems are bound to occur – and with rising fees, fuel surcharges, restrictive luggage policies and excess charges, it’s no surprise that more than 90% of flyers don’t like flying. 

The experience is so bad, 32 million potential trips never took place in 2016, according to a survey by the U.S. Travel Association. People decided it was not worth the trouble.

To identify the 13 biggest air travel complaints of 2018, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the travel complaints most frequently filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT). The data comes from the Air Travel Consumer Report, a monthly report by the DOT, which has tallied incidents through September 2018.

Safety complaints, which are handled by the Federal Aviation Administration, and security complaints, which are handled by the Transportation Security Administration, are not included.

The U.S. airlines receiving the most reports of each complaint, and the total number of each complaint for foreign airlines, as well as the month in which the most of a given complaint were reported, also came from the Air Travel Consumer Report.

13. Advertising
Total number of complaints: 46
Worst month: September
Worst performing airline: Spirit Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 13

Advertising complaints refer to messages that are perceived by customers as unfair, misleading or offensive. They accounted for less than 1% of total complaints this year and last. The 72 foreign airlines included in the same report received significantly fewer advertising complaints — a total of 13 between January and September 2018.

12. Discrimination
Total number of complaints: 68
Worst month: July 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 11

Discrimination complaints include civil rights complaints by air travelers (other than disability). They can be based on race, national origin, or religion. Between U.S. and foreign air carriers, American Airlines had the most complaints based on race — a total of 11, as many as all foreign airlines combined — through September 2018.

11. Oversales
Total number of complaints: 334
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 126

Oversale complaints cover all bumping problems and whether the airline complied with DOT regulations for overbooking, which require that no one will be denied a seat until the crew asks for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for compensation. About 3% of total air travel complaints with U.S. airlines are about oversales. Carriers, however, are getting better at limiting overbooking — the number of such complaints for almost every month in 2018 was lower than the same month in 2017.

10. Other
Total number of complaints: 393
Worst month: July 2018
Worst performing airline: United Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 138

The “other” category includes complaints by frequent flyers, cargo problems, security, airport facilities, and claims for bodily injury. About half of all complaints are filed by frequent flyers, and the total number has increased since 2017. They complain the most about long security and boarding lines, boarding queues, delays, and long walks on arrival, according to a survey by Oliver Wyman, a global consulting firm.

9. Misconnection
Total number of complaints: 520
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: N/A
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: N/A

Missed connections fall under the flight problems category. American Airlines had the most flight problems complaints of any U.S. carrier, with a total of 570. The biggest reason for missing connecting flights is airline delays, according to a study by Travelers United, a non-profit. Airlines are not obliged to guarantee their schedules; the DOT’s advice is to plan a trip accordingly. There are no federal requirements for handling passengers who are delayed at the airport.

8. Disability
Total number of complaints: 620
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 124

This category includes civil rights complaints by air travelers with disabilities. The total number of complaints went down slightly between January and September 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 — from 664 to 622. Airlines got fewer complaints from people with disabilities, but these represented a slightly higher percentage of total complaints — from 5.8% in 2017 to 7.1% in 2018.

More: Disabled passenger’s bill of rights? Proposed U.K. regulation seeks to make flying easier

More: American Airlines says video footage proves passenger was not abandoned in wheelchair

7. Refunds
Total number of complaints: 1,017
Worst month: September 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 587

Complaints about refunds include problems in obtaining refunds for unused or lost tickets as well as fare adjustments. The overall number of such complaints, which include carriers and tour operators, has gone up slightly; but the number of refund complaints against U.S. airlines only has gone down. Unlike Europe, there is no specific law or regulation in the United States requiring airlines to refund passengers. The DOT determines whether compensation is warranted on an individual basis.

6. Fares
Total number of complaints: 1,046
Worst month: March 2018
Worst performing airline: United Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 486

Fare complaints include incorrect or incomplete information about fares, discounts, overcharges, and price increases. In addition to airlines, travel agents have also been the subject of a lot of fare complaints — a total of 115 through September 2018, with most of them directed at Justfly and Cheapoair.

More: Budget-friendly vacation destinations for winter 2018-19

More: WOW Air sale: Fares drop below $100 one way on Europe flights

5. Delays
Total number of complaints: 1,215
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: N/A
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: N/A

Delays fall under the flight problems category, which American Airlines tops. Overall, the number of delay complaints is down by about a quarter since 2017. Most delays occur because a previous flight with the same aircraft arrived late (due to non-extreme weather, problems with airport operations, or heavy traffic volume), causing further delays. and. Technically speaking, delays are down, but it does take longer to complete a flight because airlines are padding their schedules. They are saying it will take longer than anticipated to arrive at your destination, so it looks good when they actually get there “early.”

4. Customer Service
Total number of complaints: 1,241
Worst month: July 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 371

Customer service complaints include reporting rude or unhelpful employees, inadequate meals or cabin service, and bad treatment of delayed passengers. The DOT also accepts passenger complaints about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which no longer publishes claims data. There were close to 14,000 complaints against the TSA between January and September 2018, the majority about courtesy and damage to personal property.

3. Reservations, Ticketing, Boarding
Total number of complaints: 1,475
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 682

Representing about 10% of all travel complaints, these are claims against an airline or a travel agent for making mistakes in reservations and ticketing, as well as problems making reservations and getting tickets, and problems boarding the aircraft that don’t involve oversales. The online booking sites with the most complaints between January and September 2018 were Justfly and Expedia.

2. Cancellation
Total number of complaints: 1,542
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: N/A
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: N/A

Cancellations fall under the flight problems category, which American Airlines tops. Carriers appear to be getting better at not canceling flights; the number of complaints filed with the DOT was down by a third, from 2,242 between January and September 2017 to 1,542 in the same period in 2018.

1. Baggage
Total number of complaints: 2,131
Worst month: August 2018
Worst performing airline: American Airlines
Number of complaints with foreign airlines: 1,207

Claims for lost, damaged or delayed baggage, charges for excess baggage, carry-on problems, and difficulties with airline claims procedures are the biggest category of air travel complaints. Baggage complaints represent nearly 13% of all complaints in 2018. The situation is not getting much better; roughly the same number of claims were filed in the January to September period in both 2017 and 2018. Data reported by the airlines show an increase — 1.2 million baggage reports last year compared to almost 1.4 million so far in 2018 — with the worst-performing airline being Southwest.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

More: Hawaiian Airlines is latest carrier to hike its bag fees

More: Alaska Airlines is latest to hike bag fees, matching competitors

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Air travel could become smoother and less fraught for disabled passengers if a new charter for airlines and airports is adopted, say ministers.

Disabled flyers have long complained of lost or damaged wheelchairs, struggles with access on planes and in airports, and poor customer service.

If adopted, the charter would remove the £2,000 limit on payouts for damaged wheelchairs.

It would also enforce better training for airline crews and baggage handlers.

In the longer term, the charter would encourage the industry to look at ways to allow people to take their own wheelchairs into aircraft cabins.

• Paraplegic man drags himself through airport
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More than half (57%) of passengers with a disability say they find flying and using airports difficult, according to a survey by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Accessibility minister Nusrat Ghani said that statistic needed to be addressed and the proposed charter included measures to make “real changes”.

“We are committed to continuing the progress the industry has already made in making the aviation network truly open to all,” she said.

Chris Wood, from campaign group Flying Disabled, said the charter was what they had been working towards.

“My aspiration is to have people flying in their own wheelchairs to a destination within two years and it looks as if the UK could lead the way in making this happen,” he said.

Frank Gardner, who travels widely for his job as BBC security correspondent, has shared some of his own experiences to highlight the obstacles faced by wheelchair users.

In March, on his way back from Ethiopia, he was stranded on an empty aircraft for almost two hours after staff said they had lost his wheelchair.

At the time, he said: “That is your legs gone – it is a basic human right”.

Mr Gardner, who has used a wheelchair since being shot in Saudi Arabia in 2004, has spoken of airports having a “casual disregard” for disabled passengers.

Last year a paraplegic athlete dragged himself along the floor through Luton Airport after his self-propelling wheelchair was left behind on a flight.

And in November a man with a spinal problem was taken to hospital after he collapsed at Heathrow Airport while waiting for a booked wheelchair that failed to turn up.

Analysis: Changes welcome but how long to wait?

By BBC disability news correspondent Nikki Fox

When it comes to flying, if you have a disability, physical or invisible, the problems are never ending and progress slow.

This Passenger Charter pinpoints some of the key issues for disabled passengers – increasing the limit on lost or damaged mobility equipment, better training for staff and getting wheelchairs on planes.

All will be welcomed by disabled people and those who have been campaigning for change.

What is unclear is how this will all work.

The government will have to find a way of getting around the Montreal Convention – a set of rules the aviation industry has had to follow since the 1990s.

One of those being how much an airline has to reimburse a passenger for lost, broken and often expensive, wheelchairs.

There is also no clear indication of how long it will take to see real change.

At the moment, these new measures will feed into the government’s aviation strategy, but as yet, no date has been set.

Some airports are already introducing measures to improve the experience for disabled flyers.

At Gatwick, one of the airport lounges has been specifically designed for passengers who require assistance and some security lanes are now accessible for passengers with a range of disabilities and staffed by people trained to recognise and respond to their needs.

Gatwick’s chief operating officer Chris Woodruffe said “Flying can be a challenge for people with a disability and airports, in partnership with airlines, can change that by improving their practices and infrastructure so that everyone has an equal opportunity to fly.”

The government’s aviation strategy has been supported by Airlines UK, an association representing 13 airlines, including British Airways, EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic.

The charter is part of the government’s aviation strategy which will be considered in a 16-week consultation, due to begin this month. The government says the policy will be finalised next year.

By Hristina Byrnes December 7, 2018 1:28 pm EST

Global air travel has boomed from 310 million passengers carried in 1970 to 4 billion in 2017. Domestic and foreign airlines serving the United States carried a record 965 million passengers last year, an increase of 3.4% from the previous record high of 933.1 million in 2016.

Problems are bound to occur with so many people flying. With rising fees, fuel surcharges, restrictive luggage policies, and excess charges, it’s no surprise that more than 90% of flyers don’t like flying. People dislike researching and booking a flight. Half of travelers find checking in and getting through security the most stressful part of traveling.

The experience is so bad, 32 million potential trips never took place in 2016, according to a survey by the U.S. Travel Association. People decided it was not worth the trouble.

Flight problems account for the most air travel complaints by far — around 40 percent of all complaints. They are broken down into three major categories — delays, misconnections and cancellations.

To identify the 14 biggest air travel complaints of 2018, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the travel complaints most frequently filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT). The complaints are categorized by industry group, such as U.S. airlines and tour operators. The data comes from the Air Travel Consumer Report, a monthly report by the DOT, which has tallied incidents through September 2018.

Safety complaints, which are handled by the Federal Aviation Administration, and security complaints, which are handled by the Transportation Security Administration, are not included.

The U.S. airlines receiving the most reports of each complaint, and the total number of each complaint for foreign airlines, as well as the month in which the most of a given complaint were reported, also came from the Air Travel Consumer Report.

Click here to read about the biggest air travel complaints of 2018.