New Audit Announcements

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As travelers return to the skies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, flight delays and cancellations have also returned to their pre-pandemic patterns. In June 2022, air carriers scheduled more than 600,000 flights that included more than 100,000 delayed flights and over 18,000 cancelled flights. Similarly, delays and cancellations were a challenge in the 2022 holiday season. The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires passenger air carriers to collect and report the causes of airline delays and cancellations. In light of the increases of delays and cancellations, we are initiating this audit to inform Congress and the general public about the reported causes of these events. Accordingly, our audit objectives will be to (1) identify the reported causes of flight delays and cancellations and (2) assess the controls DOT has in place to ensure the completeness and accuracy of reported flight delay and cancellation data.