The Department of Transportation recently released its August 2026 Air Travel Consumer Report with Global World & Travel. The report revealed flight delays; mishandled luggage, wheelchairs and scooters; and other incidents.

Per airline, the report included number of bags enplaned and number mishandled. The report defined mishandled as checked bags lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered as reported by or on behalf of the passenger, that were in the airline’s custody for its reportable domestic, non-stop scheduled passenger flights.

While several airlines consistently showed improvement from 2025 to this year, American Airlines had the highest number of mishandled baggage claims, at 0.73 per 100 bags enplaned, followed closely by Envoy Air at 0.72 mishandled bags per 100 enplaned. Comparatively, Delta Air Lines came in at 0.38, JetBlue at 0.31 and Southwest Airlines at 0.32.

In total, U.S. airlines mishandled 1,052,492 bags between January and June 2026 out of 213 million bags, a decrease from previous years. For context, the first half of 2025 showed an average mishandling rate of 0.52, while the first half of 2026 dropped to 0.49.

The report also analyzed the number of wheelchairs and scooters mishandled from January to June 2026 across U.S. carriers. Frontier Airlines mishandled the most wheelchairs and scooters (1.51 per 100 enplaned), followed by JetBlue at 1.36. Airlines can face penalties for violations of laws protecting airline passengers with disabilities, as was the case with American Airlines in October 2024. Airlines with the least incidents of mishandling wheelchairs and scooters in this same time frame include Delta Air Lines, Allegiant Air and Republic Airways.

And what about oversales, when your plane ticket is ready but passengers are told the flight is oversold and can’t board? DOT also reported on airlines and flights that departed without passengers due to oversold flights. Frontier Airlines was named as having the most involuntary denied boardings per 10,000 passengers from January to June 2026. Denied boarding comprised both voluntary and involuntary denied boardings, but the report only looked at involuntary denied boardings for its final findings, in which Frontier Airlines had a 1.42 involuntary denied boardings per 10,000 passengers, followed by PSA Airlines at 1.23. Delta Air Lines and Allegiant Air had no involuntary denied boarding incidents during these same months.

Ever complained about an airline service or incident? Whether it was a refund issue, customer service or delays, thousands of complaints were issued this year. DOT defines a complaint as a “specific written expression of dissatisfaction concerning a difficulty or problem with which the person experienced when using or attempting to use an airline’s services.” From January to June 2026, American Airlines received a total of 9,046 complaints, the most of any U.S. airline. The next airline with the most complaints was Delta Air Lines at 4,354.

Have you had luggage mishandled this year by a U.S. airline? Have you filed a complaint against a domestic airline this year? Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.