500 Americans were recently surveyed by Upgraded Points’ team of travel experts to find out what annoyances travelers experienced most often in 2022 – from airline delays to last-minute gate changes.
Even though modern air travelers have plenty of patience, there are some annoyances they are less willing to tolerate. The eight biggest problems Americans currently have with flying are listed below.
8. Animals on Flights
While not all travelers are happy about other passengers bringing their pets on flights (10.07 percent), it rates rather low in terms of the most common air travel problems these days. Most people would prefer that to having the back of their seat kicked or being asked to change seats.
7. Gate Changes
Gate changes (10.97 percent) are never fun, especially when you’re trying to catch a connecting flight. To avoid problems, check your airline’s mobile app for the most up-to-date gate information and double-check it on the airport’s flight information display system screens.
6. Additional Fees
Most people believe that payments end once you buy your airline ticket. As a result, additional and often unexpected expenses (11.96 percent) remain one of the most common annoyances among air travelers. This could be additional baggage fees or an airline selling snacks and drinks on board for a fee.
5. Poor Customer Service
Poor customer service is experienced in many industries, but poor airline customer service (12.08 percent) can be particularly annoying, as in many cases travelers are stranded at an airport far from home. According to Upgraded Points, the biggest inconveniences that cause customers to contact customer service are flight problems, misplaced luggage and being bumped.
4. Being Bumped
Nobody loves to be bumped, so it’s not surprise that it’s one of the top air travel inconveniences in 2022. (12.74 percent). While most tourists will be paid and accommodated for their inconvenience, there is no way to make up for lost time.
3. Mishandled Baggage
The only thing worse than having your flight canceled or delayed is having your luggage mishandled or lost completely (13.36 percent). According to the report, one in every four travelers believes $501 to $1,000 is acceptable compensation for misplaced baggage on a domestic flight.
2. Flight Delays
Airplane delays are undoubtedly one of the biggest annoyances of air travel, with 13.51 percent. According to a recent study by Upgraded Points, travelers are most likely to be affected by delays on Allegiant Air, JetBlue and Frontier Airlines, which each have an average monthly on-time arrival percentage of 70.1 or less.
Suggested: How To Compensate For Your Delayed U.S. Flights
1. Flight Cancellations
According to research by Upgraded Points, flight cancelations are unsurprisingly the most common complaint Americans have about airlines (15.32%). It does not help that many flights were canceled last year as airlines struggled to meet travel demand due to shortages of pilots and other essential workers.