Airline Travel Has Been Terrible. Will It Get Better in 2023?

Amid a flood of complaints, the DOT could change the rules to improve your flying experience.

Airline travel has been less fun this year than ever. The Department of Transportation has received thousands of complaints over the course of 2022 with many more passengers lamenting travel problems compared with in the recent past. Airlines have also canceled thousands of flights, often citing bad weather or staffing issues as the cause of the cancellations.

In response to a flood of complaints, the DOT has begun taking some actions to try to make flying a better experience for customers. But, will this actually improve air travel for consumers in 2023?

Here's what the DOT has proposed to help improve air travel

The Department of Transportation has already moved forward with making some changes designed to help consumers facing travel problems. An Airline Customer Service dashboard was launched that shows exactly what each airline will do for customers when flights are canceled or other problems arise such as delays that are within the control of the airlines.

The DOT is also considering doing more. In fact, the agency asked for comments on a ​​proposed rule on airline ticket refunds and consumer protections. The rule would better define when airlines must provide refunds including for canceled flights and flight delays lasting for more than three hours. It also would require airlines to refund the original payment method.

Will the DOT's efforts work?

The DOT's proposal is just a proposal at this stage and it's not yet clear whether it will be enacted. Some airlines have expressed support for clarifying the rules, though, and with both industry leaders and the public believing some change is necessary, it is possible the proposal will become a new federal rule.

If the rules are stricter regarding when airlines must provide refunds, this could potentially encourage more companies to manage their schedules more effectively so controllable delays and cancellations happen less often. Consumers can also more easily compare which airlines offer better help and support in case problems crop up thanks to the DOT's new tools.

Of course, airlines also need to have the staff and equipment to prevent the types of delays and cancellations that have consumers so frustrated. The good news is, many major airlines expect to be operating back at full capacity in 2023 after years of disruption due to COVID-19 and supply chain issues.

If there are more planes in service and the airline can find staff members, then the epidemic of delays and canceled flights that caused so much consumer distress in 2022 could finally end.

But, before you break out your credit cards to start buying airline airline tickets, keep in mind that there are no guarantees these rules will make a noticeable impact in prompting airlines to change their behavior -- or that airlines will be able to staff all the additional aircrafts they hope to put back into service.

So, while you have reason to hope things will get better over the course of this year, you may want to hold off on booking a bunch of trips until you see how things play out.