Passengers Air a Record Number of Complaints

Airline passengers on domestic flights are unhappier than they've been in years, with consumer complaints up 60%, according to the annual Airline Quality Rating survey. Long delays, cancellations, overbooking, late arrivals, and lost baggage accounted for most of the complaints, which haven't been this bad since 2000, reports the AP. Complaints doubled on US Airways and Comair, and increased for 15 out of 16 carriers in the study. The sole exception was Mesa Airlines.

The performances of six airlines—Frontier, Northwest, SkyWest, Southwest, United, and US Airways—declined in every area. "The trend is bad and it doesn't look like it gets any better," said a professor who co-authored the survey. The results reflect a spate of financial and safety problems plaguing US carriers. (More airline stories.)