Delays, lost luggage, complaints soar for US airlines

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Long flight delays for passengers on the leading US airlines more than tripled in June compared with the previous month, leading to a spike in customer complaints, an official report showed Tuesday.

The report by the US Department of Transportation also showed an increase in June of flight cancellations, luggage problems, and "bumping" -- when an airline is overbooked and does not allow some passengers to board a flight for which they hold a ticket.

The travel woes contributed to a sharp rise in customer complaints, which reached 1,094 in June, up 43.4 percent from the 763 complaints received by the Department of Transportation in the same month in 2006 and 17.8 percent more than the 929 filed in May.

"Most customer complaints -- more than...