More Delays, Cancellations, Complaints on Airlines

Canceled and delayed flights are rising on the nation's leading airlines, and so are consumer complaints.

That's according to new figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The rate of canceled flights nearly doubled to 1.6 percent in April compared to the same month in 2016. Delta Air Lines accounted for nearly half the cancellations — it was crippled for days by a one-day storm in Atlanta.

About 78.5 percent of flights arrived within 14 minutes of schedule, down from the 84.5 percent on-time rate in April 2016.

Complaints rose 70 percent, although only a tiny fraction of the millions of travelers lodged a protest.

April was also the month in which a passenger was dragged from a full United Express flight to make room for crew members.