The travel industry experienced a surge in demand following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to significant revenue growth for airlines, hotels, and tourist destinations. However, this boom has not translated into improved customer satisfaction, as evidenced by a substantial increase in passenger complaints against carriers.

　　According to a recent report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, between January and November 2022, passengers registered a staggering 60,732 complaints—almost quadruple the number of complaints (15,432) received in 2019 before the pandemic. It's important to note that these figures do not yet include the multitude of complaints related to the widespread disruptions caused by Southwest Airlines' system meltdown in December, which left many travelers stranded during the holiday season.

　　Teresa Murray, author of the report, attributes the spike in complaints to airlines' poor decisions regarding staffing levels, scheduling, and technology infrastructure. She points out that while bad weather can lead to cancellations, it is the airlines' treatment of customers that has led to the overwhelming volume of grievances.

　　The two most pressing issues faced by passengers are difficulty obtaining refunds for cancelled flights and the frequency of both cancellations and delays. The report states that in 2022, airlines cancelled more than 190,000 flights, equating to 2.7% of all scheduled flights, with only two other instances over the past two decades causing more extensive disruption: the first year of the pandemic itself and the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

　　Moreover, an alarming 1.44 million flights, representing 20.6% of total air traffic, were delayed. To compound matters, airlines mishandled nearly 3 million pieces of luggage last year, demonstrating a broad decline in service quality across multiple aspects of air travel.

　　In summary, the report highlights that nearly every aspect of air travel took a turn for the worse in 2022, despite the overall resurgence of the travel sector. This underscores the urgent need for airlines to address customer service and operational efficiency to regain consumer trust and ensure long-term sustainability in the post-pandemic era.