Airline complaints took off — more than 1,500% — as coronavirus hampered the industry

Airlines saw a huge spike in complaints in April as the coronavirus pandemic impacted the industry, the U.S. Department of Transportation said.

The department received 19,856 airline complaints from consumers in April, up 1,546% from the same month in 2019, which saw 1,206 complaints, according to the June Air Travel Consumer Report.

Complaints were also up about 292% compared to March, when the department received 5,064.

Most of April’s complaints — 17,387 of them — pertained to refunds.

Of U.S. airlines, the department received the most refund complaints about United, with 2,727 in April, according to the report. American followed with 1,173.

The department said the coronavirus pandemic “resulted in significant changes to airline schedules and operations, contributing to airlines’ on-time performance and cancellation statistics in April 2020.”

The spike in complaints came as there were fewer people flying, The Points Guy reported. The number of travelers dropped as much as 96% compared to April 2019, according to the report.

In April, scheduled domestic flights dropped by more than half compared to the month before, with 331,238 flights scheduled, the department said. Of those flights, 41% were canceled.

As the coronavirus pandemic picked up steam near the end of February, some airlines began suspending cancellation fees, allowing passengers to change or cancel a trip in exchange for a travel credit.

In March, reports emerged that some fliers were denied refunds even after airlines canceled their flights, offering travel credits — some that would expire at the end of the year — instead.

Not long after, the Department of Transportation issued a warning to airlines, cautioning them that they must provide refunds to passengers who request them if their flight has been canceled.

“The obligation of airlines to provide refunds, including the ticket price and any optional fee charged for services a passenger is unable to use, does not cease when the flight disruptions are outside of the carrier’s control,” the department said.

This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Airline complaints took off — more than 1,500% — as coronavirus hampered the industry."