Airlines improved their on-time performance in July across America -- but that doesn't mean consumers were any more satisfied. In fact, they were less satisfied.
The Department of Transportation said Thursday that 78.1% of flights on the leading airlines arrived on time in July. That's up from 74.8% in June and 75.6% in July 2014.
Cancelations were also down to 0.9% for the month, which the DOT called "the lowest for any July in 21 years of comparable records." Twenty-one years. And there were no tarmac delays longer than regulations allow (three hours for domestic flights, and four hours for international flights).
But consumer complaints are up, to 2,163. That's a 5% increase compared to June, and a 31% increase compared to the same month a year ago.
It's possible the complaints are up simply because it's easier to file a complaint. Or maybe it's because millennials.
The airlines that posted the highest on-time arrival rates were Hawaiian Airlines (88.6%), Alaska Airlines (86.4%) and Delta Air Lines (84.2%). The airlines with the lowest on-time arrival rates were Spirit Airlines (68.7%), which often wins this race to the bottom, followed by Frontier Airlines (71.4%), and Southwest Airlines and United Airlines (both 73.5%).
Additional reporting by the Associated Press