Airlines Receive Higher Passenger Marks

Airlines are providing better services to their passengers in 2013, according to data release Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported airline consumer complaints for the first nine months of this year have fallen 14 percent as compared to the first nine months of 2012.

DOTs Air Travel Consumer Report, released the second week of each month, noted the department received 10,439 consumer complaints from January to September, which is down from the 12,153 complaints in the same period of 2012.

In September, the most recent month covered by the report, theon-time arrival rate for flights was 84 percent, an improvement from 79 percent in August. Southwest Airlines had the poorest on-time record of all airlines reporting, at 76 percent.

Meanwhile, American Eagle had the highest rate of cancellations in September. Best performer, Virgin America, had zero cancelled trips for the month.