The percentage of domestic flights canceled by U.S. carriers in December 2024 and for the full year ticked up from their prior-year comparisons, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s latest Air Travel Consumer Report, released Friday.
In December, 0.7 percent of flights were canceled, higher than the 0.4 percent cancellation rate for December 2023. For full-year 2024, 1.4 percent of flights were canceled, which is above the rate of 1.3 percent canceled in 2023, according to DOT.
In December, U.S. carriers operated nearly 627,400 flights, an increase of 3.9 percent year over year and a 2.6 percent increase month over month.
The carriers in December 2024 with the lowest rates of canceled flights include Delta Air Lines Network (0.3 percent), Southwest Airlines (0.5 percent) and Hawaiian Airlines (0.5 percent). Networks include branded codeshare partners.
Carriers in December with the highest rates of canceled flights include Allegiant Air (1.4 percent), Alaska Airlines Network (1.2 percent), and JetBlue (1.1 percent).
U.S. airlines in December handled 45.7 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.60 percent, higher than both the rate of 0.50 percent in December 2023 and the rate of 0.39 percent in November 2024. For full-year 2024, the carriers reported a mishandled baggage rate of 0.55 percent, down from the 0.58 percent reported in 2023.
The December report did not address the ongoing lack of data about consumer complaints. The agency last released complaint information in September.
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