June flight delays among worst on record

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Air travelers whiled away more time in airports in June, one of the worst months ever for delays and cancellations, the U.S. Transportation Department said.

Officials said June was the one of the worst for air travelers in the past 12 years, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, with nearly a third of domestic flights operated by major U.S. airlines late or canceled.

The data released by the Transportation Department showed the first six months of 2007 had the most delays the industry experienced since the government began tracking data in 1995.

In addition, the Transportation Department said airlines are losing more luggage and passengers are becoming less shy about voicing their displeasure. In the first half of the year, incidents of mishandled baggage increased to 7.34 reports per thousand passengers, up from 5.86 a year ago.

Customer complaints also rose 47.2 percent.