08/09/2006 00:00
TW
0
Joan Collins COMPLAINTS against airlines rose by 35.2 percent during the first six months of this year, in comparison with the same period in 2005, according to the director general of Consumer Affairs, Manuela Meseguer She put this down to the fact that consumers are becoming more aware of their rights. During a press conference, after presenting a campaign to advise families of the expenses for the beginning of the new school year, Meseguer explained that in 2005 there were 159 complaints to the Consumer Affairs department which were related to the operation of airlines, which has risen to 215 this year.


Problems with baggage, delayed flights and cancellations were the main consumer complaints between January and June, followed by overbooking, according to Meseguer's figures.

During the first six months of the year there were 75 complaints about baggage, compared with 53 for last year, while there were 36 complaints about delays (45 in 2005).

In addition to this there were 24 complaints about cancellations, which was an increase on the 15 complaints received in 2005.
The rest of the complaints were about other things, and this year these amounted to 75 as opposed to 39 in 2005.
As well as complaints about airlines, the Consumer Affairs department recorded a total of 1'817 complaints during the first six months of 2006, the majority of which (some 23.3 percent) were related to telephone companies, a total of 424 complaints.

Following these were complaints related to air transport, which includes travel agents (243), and housing (210), cars (104), electrical domestic appliances (91) and rental cars (83). There were 63 complaints about computers and electronics, and 54 against merchandise companies, 51 against property companies, 49 for sea transport, 41 against leisure companies, 35 against supply companies and 34 against big stores.