U.S. carriers in January operated more domestic flights compared with a year prior, while the cancellation rate declined from January 2024, according to the latest U.S. Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Report.
In January, U.S. carriers operated nearly 580,300 domestic flights, an increase of nearly 3.6 percent year over year. That figure, however, was down from the nearly 627,400 flights operated in December 2024.
The portion canceled from scheduled January flights was 3.1 percent, lower than the 3.8 percent canceled in January 2024, but higher than the 0.7 percent of flights canceled a month prior.
The carriers in January 2025 with the lowest rates of canceled flights include Allegiant Air (1.3 percent), Alaska Airlines Network (1.4 percent) and JetBlue (1.8 percent). Networks include branded codeshare partners.
Carriers in January with the highest rates of canceled flights include American Airlines Network (4.5 percent), Spirit (3.3 percent) and Southwest Airlines (2.9 percent).
U.S. airlines in January handled 37.3 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.66 percent, lower than the 0.75 percent reported in January 2024, but higher than the 0.60 percent from December 2024.
DOT in January received nearly 7,600 submissions—complaints, inquiries and opinions—which increased from the more than 6,900 received a year prior. U.S. carriers accounted for 71 percent of those submissions, with foreign carriers at nearly 26 percent and travel agents at 2 percent. The 10 largest reporting U.S. carriers saw their submissions increase nearly 19 percent year over year to 5,175.
The agency had last reported submissions data in September 2024 for the months of January-May 2024. Just prior to releasing its January 2025 data, DOT published its submissions data for June-December and full-year 2024.
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