Flight Check

DTW Airport Complaints — Which Airlines Have the Most Issues

Complaint rates for 8 airlines operating at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Detroit.

Weighted Avg Rate

5.9/100K

Airlines Tracked

8

Top Issue

Flight Problems

vs. Industry

28% below

Airline Complaint Rates at DTW

Ranked by DOT complaint rate per 100,000 passengers. Rates reflect each airline's nationwide complaint data, contextualized by their presence at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County.

1Frontier Airlines(F9)
23.2/100K
5,879 total complaintsTop issue: Refunds
2Spirit Airlines(NK)
12.9/100K
4,480 total complaintsTop issue: Flight Problems
3JetBlue Airways(B6)
10.5/100K
5,182 total complaintsTop issue: Flight Problems
4American Airlines(AA)
7.9/100K
12,808 total complaintsTop issue: Baggage
5United Airlines(UA)
6.9/100K
11,156 total complaintsTop issue: Flight Problems
6Delta Air Lines(DL)
4.1/100K
7,139 total complaintsTop issue: Flight Problems
7Alaska Airlines(AS)
2.5/100K
1,828 total complaintsTop issue: Customer Service
8Southwest Airlines(WN)
1.5/100K
3,165 total complaintsTop issue: Baggage

Source: DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, 2024. Rates are nationwide per-airline figures.

Monthly Complaint Trend at DTW (2024)

5.7
Jan
5.6
Feb
5.6
Mar
5.6
Apr
5.6
May
6.1
Jun
6.7
Jul
6.7
Aug
5.6
Sep
5.6
Oct
5.9
Nov
6.7
Dec

Weighted average complaint rate per 100K passengers by month. Red bars exceed the industry average (8.2).

Top Complaint Categories at DTW

Flight Problems74%
Baggage21%
Refunds4%
Customer Service1%

Weighted by airline flight volume at DTW. Categories reflect the most frequently reported issue type for each airline.

Had a Bad Experience at DTW?

Understand your rights and get help with your airline complaint.

Disruption DeskCompensation Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

Which airline gets the most complaints at DTW?

Frontier Airlines has the highest complaint rate among airlines operating at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County at 23.2 per 100,000 passengers. However, complaint rates reflect the airline's nationwide performance, not issues specific to DTW.

What is the overall complaint environment at DTW?

The weighted average complaint rate for airlines at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County is 5.9 per 100K passengers, which is 28% below the industry average of 8.2 per 100K. The most common complaint category is flight problems.

How do I file a complaint about an experience at DTW?

If your complaint is about an airline, file with the DOT at airconsumer.dot.gov or use Flight Check's Disruption Desk (flightcheck.live/disruption-desk) to generate a complaint letter and check what you're owed. For airport facility issues (parking, terminals, security lines), contact the airport authority directly.

Does DTW cause more airline complaints than other airports?

Airport-level complaint data from the DOT is reported by airline, not by airport. The data shown here reflects the complaint rates of airlines that operate at DTW, weighted by their flight volume. Airports with more low-cost carriers tend to have higher aggregate complaint rates.

Compare Other Airports

ATLORDDFWDENLAXJFKSFOSEALASMCOEWRMIAPHXIAHBOSMSPFLLPHLLGABWISLCSANIADMDWTPAPDXHNLSTLAUS

Source: DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, January–December 2024. Complaint rates are per-airline nationwide figures weighted by flight volume at DTW.