New federal aviation data shows many travelers have had issues negotiating with the nation's airports this year.

Customer complaints more than doubled in the first half of the year compared to 2021, according to the data.

The number of complaints rose from 6,800 to 16,000.

More than 5,500 were related specifically to flight problems.

The transportation department is introducing a new dashboard Thursday that shows each airline's policies for certain complaints.

To view that dashboard, click here.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —

Madison Miller rescued 5-year-old Bluebell in London. A place little Bluebell felt at home

Until her parents moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

It wasn't until they landed at the Nashville International Airport that they realized Bluebell didn't she didn't make the trip.

"They said she wasn't in Nashville and they said their best guess was she was in Saudi Arabia," Miller said.

An hour later, Miller says airport staff tracked Bluebell down, sending a picture of her locked in her crate.

Three flights and 63 hours later, Bluebell bolted to see her owners.

"We had to go and grab her because she was so horrified and that's when we knew something was wrong," Miller said.

Something was wrong then and ever since.

When they got home, Bluebell would cry when left alone－at one point chewing through a door.

Now they want to know how this happened in the first place.

Watch the video above for the full story.

A group of Republican senators is pushing back against an effort supported by some of the airline industry to create a government blacklist of violent and disruptive passengers.

"Creating a federal 'no-fly' list for unruly passengers who are skeptical of this mandate would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland," the senators wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland dated Monday.

Nearly 500 unruly passenger incidents have been reported in the first six weeks of 2022, Federal Aviation Administration data show, for a total of more than 6,400 since the start of 2021. About two-thirds of the reports this year allege violations of the federal mask mandate. The FAA said Wednesday it has referred a total of 80 incidents to the Justice Department to consider criminal prosecution.

The spike in incidents has airlines calling for a government-coordinated "no-fly list" for passengers who create in-flight disturbances. Proponents say it would be separate from the existing government-run list that is part of the FBI's Terrorist Screening Database.

Airlines may ban an unruly passenger from their own flights, but competition rules mean that information is not shared with other carriers. CNN broke news of the industry's ask to the government in September, and Delta Air Lines renewed the request this month in a letter to the Justice Department.

The Senate group says they "strongly condemn" the violence, but urge the Justice Department to reject the request.

"The creation of this list by DOJ would result in a severe restriction on the ability of citizens to fully exercise their constitutional right to engage in interstate transportation," they wrote, and said the matter should be decided by Congress.

The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Mike Lee of Utah, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Marco Rubio of Florida, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Ted Cruz of Texas, John Hoeven of North Dakota and Rick Scott of Florida.

A major flight attendant group responded sharply to the letter. Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, called it "irresponsible and political brinkmanship that puts our economic security at risk right along with our lives."

"We've been punched, kicked, spit on, and sexually assaulted," Nelson wrote. "We urge the FAA, TSA, and DOJ to come together to implement a plan with due process to keep dangerous flyers on the ground."

CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested to CNN last fall that a federal no-fly list for violent airplane passengers "should be on the table," and he told CNN last week that federal authorities were still "looking at" such policy recommendations.

But, he acknowledged, "there are enormous implications in terms of civil liberties, in terms of how you administer something like that. I mean, even when it was over terrorism, it was not a simple thing to set up."

Frustration over mask mandates

There have been multiple in-flight disruptions in recent days. Two passengers were charged this week with interfering with flight crew members after attempting to open aircraft exits in flight. In one of those incidents, four passengers helped American Airlines crewmembers subdue a passenger armed with plastic utensils and a wine bottle who was pulling on a door handle.

Buttigieg declined in a recent CNN interview to say whether the mask mandate will be allowed to expire in mid-March or whether it might be extended or lifted earlier.

"When we have the guidance saying that is the right thing to do, I will be as relieved as any traveling American that we can move on to the next phase," he said.

The FAA's announcement that it has referred 80 incidents since the start of last year to the Justice Department marks about a doubling of referrals since President Joe Biden called for an increased role for the Justice Department in October. In November, the FAA said it had referred 37 cases for prosecution.

Not all cases can be referred for prosecution and many of the cases referred to the FBI for criminal review involve physical assault on crew or passengers, and sexual assault or harassment cases on a passenger or crew, a FAA spokesperson said.

The FAA called the issue a priority and said the agency, along with the FBI, are "continuing to work together so unruly passengers face criminal prosecution when warranted." The Transportation Security Administration is also revoking expedited screening privileges through the PreCheck program in some cases, the agencies said.

The CEOs of two of the nation's major airlines say they don't think wearing masks on planes does much to help limit exposure to COVID-19.

The comments from American Airlines CEO Doug Parker — the nation's largest carrier — and Southwest CEO Gary Kelly came during a hearing about the financial support that airlines received from the federal government in 2020 and 2021. But the topic of masks arose via a question from Sen. Roger Wicker, the ranking Republican on the Senate committee holding the hearing.

"I think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting," said Kelly.

Both Kelly and Parker, who each have announced plans to retire as CEOs in the coming months, mentioned that high-grade HEPA air filters on planes capture virtually all airborne contamination and air quality is helped by how frequently cabin air is exchanged with fresh air from outside the cabin.

"I concur. An aircraft is the safest place you can be," said Parker. "It's true of all of our aircraft — they all have the same HEPA filters and air flow."

After the hearing, American Airlines tried to walk back Parker's remarks. It issued a statement claiming that his concurrence with Kelly was on the point about the quality of the air in the aircraft cabin, not mask requirements.

Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, testified at the hearing that not all aircrafts are equipped with the same quality of air filters. For example, some older planes do not have HEPA filters, she said.

The mask requirement is still a source of controversy. Much of the steep rise in incidents involving unruly passengers over the last two years have revolved around passengers being ordered to wear masks.

"I think that is probably for the medical community to decide rather than me," Nelson added. "What I will add is that the studies that have been done [on masks]....were done with mannequins that were sitting straight forward with masks on, not removing them, not eating."

"It is important to recognize that the safe, controlled environment on planes...includes the HEPA filters that are not on all aircraft," she concluded.

Masks on planes are required by the federal government, following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control. The DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the testimony.

The remarks by Kelly and Parker were criticized by one committee member, Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.

"I'm shocked that some of the CEOs here today have suggested we no longer need masks mandates on planes," he said. "In the face of Omicron, children under five who still cannot be vaccinated....and that we still allow unvaccinated people on planes." He said it was "immoral" to take the position that people on planes could be forced to sit next to unvaccinated people who are not wearing masks.

Nelson, who Markey was questioning, agreed that while she hopes that one day masks will not be required, she does not support lifting the mask mandate at this time.

"I believe that the government has taken a very responsible approach to this," she said. "We believe it should continue to stay in place. It's a workplace safety issue. We do need a consistent message though. It troubles me to hear different messages. I would hope we are going to stay on the same messages and follow the medical experts and do what's necessary to keep everybody safe."

Nelson said that the confidence in the safety of air travel is the reason people are willing to buy airline tickets in near pre-pandemic levels today. She said that the mask mandate is one of the factors leading to that confidence by airline passengers.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

The upcoming Thanksgiving weekend is expected to be the busiest travel holiday in more than two years. Experts, like travel insurance expert Omar Kaywan, say travelers need to plan ahead.

“This particular Thanksgiving weekend we are expecting about 80 to 90% pre-COVID traffic,” Kaywan said.

As things start to get back to normal, the travel expert says it will be some time before airline travel gets there.

“The last couple of weeks we’ve seen thousands of people stranded in airports and not know what to do,” Kaywan said.

He says airlines are doing all they can to handle the return to normal levels, but it’s been a struggle.

“Flights are getting delayed. Airlines are dealing with a lot of different issues, shortage of staff is just one of them. The vaccination mandate, although it has been delayed until January 1, it’s still out there and still a problem for them to be dealing with,” Kaywan said.

He says travel insurance makes more sense now than ever.

“One thing that COVID has been teaching us more so than ever before is that you need to travel with travel insurance,” Kaywan said.

Kaywan says insurance can get you rooms in local hotels if flights are canceled. It can also get refunds you might not get from the airline.

“We also recommend using a flight tracker or Flight Aware so you know exactly where the origin of your flight is,” Kaywan said.

The expert says this year, if possible, travel a day before or a day after the peak on Thanksgiving weekend. He says the most important thing is to stay patient before the flight.

Kaywan says the best bet is just to download a travel insurance app and use it as you need it.

CHICAGO — We’ve all seen them--cellphone videos of people misbehaving on flights and being removed.

This week, Delta Airlines proposed carriers share their no-fly lists of unruly passengers. It’s an effort to protect airline employees across the industry. It comes as flight crews are left to enforce pandemic-era restrictions and bear the brunt of travelers unwilling to comply.

In January, due to the disturbing increase in violent behavior on flights, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enacted a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who “assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members.”

“Post-pandemic travel is not the same,” said Ron Phifer, supervisory air marshal in charge of the Chicago field office for the Federal Air Marshal Service.

Phifer says FAA mandates like wearing a mask must be enforced on flights by federal law.

“We treat mask requirements very similar to those other safety requirements on board the aircraft, and that's what aircrews are trained to do,” said Phifer.

After a pandemic pause, the TSA resumed self-defense training for crew members this past summer. Taught by federal air marshals, it’s designed to teach them effective defensive measures for use onboard an aircraft or even in public spaces.

“They learn to defend themselves with hand strikes with using their feet, their legs. So, protecting their vital parts of their body,” said Phifer.

Lisa Hodo has been a flight attendant for more than 30 years and finally decided to take the class.

“Flight attendants have been the subject of attacks,” she said. “I mainly, I came so that I could protect myself as well as my passengers on the plane.”

Hodo says enforcing federal mask mandates has been a real challenge.

“Even though they have signed the agreement, that they're going to keep wearing the masks, they don't necessarily want to do it,” said Hodo.

So far this year, the FAA has documented nearly 4,500 reports of unruly passengers and close to 3,300 mask-related incidents.

Flight attendant and instructor Barbara Aievoly, another first-time self-defense trainee, says it’s important now more than ever to be prepared for a confrontation.

“No matter what's going on, everyone knows it's going to be filmed. And I don't want to be famous for, you know, having to handle an unruly passenger,” said Aievoly. “I'd like to de-escalate at first. But I also want to know the proper way to get out of a situation that I might not be able to handle.”

Penalties for unruly behavior have been upped with a fine of up to $37,000 or criminal charges. The FAA’s already initiated 169 enforcement cases this year and collected more than $1 million in fines.

Hodo says she hopes those deterrents will work.

“You just don't want to escalate it. That's the main thing," Hodo said. "You don't really want to have to move to the things that we're being taught in here.”

United Airlines is trying to bring back supersonic travel. They announced a deal this week with a Denver-area start-up called Boom Supersonic.

It announced it's buying 15 new jets from a Denver startup.

The jets would carry between 65 to 88 people at a speed of Mach 1.7 and it would cut flight times almost in half.

A flight from New York to London would be 3.5 hours compared to the normal 6.5 hours.

The planes have not been built yet. United plans to have passengers on-board by 2029. It's been nearly 20 years since the Concorde supersonic plane was retired.

Robin Dich and Alex Livingston contributed to this report.

CHICAGO — Travel should see a massive rebound this Memorial Day weekend. By some estimates, an increase of 60% from last year’s record low. With increases in vaccinations, relaxed mask mandates, and many people ready for "revenge travel," Americans are expected to take to the air and roads with a vengeance.

“We're going to spend more money, maybe take more trips or stay longer,” said Jeanette McGee with AAA.

Updated CDC guidelines say fully vaccinated people taking proper precautions can travel domestically at low risk.

“It's not completely back to normal yet, and I think for a lot of people, they will want to stay a little closer to home or travel to areas that they have a lot of comfort with for a while,” said Melanie Lieberman, senior travel editor with the travel and lifestyle media platform The Points Guy.

According to AAA, 34 million Americans are planning Memorial Day road trips, with another 2.5 million expected to travel by air.

“There are a lot of people traveling, so, you know, those COVID roads, where there were open roads and not so much traffic, that's not so much the case anymore,” McGee said.

The top five road trip destinations this holiday weekend:

1. Las Vegas, Nevada
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Myrtle Beach, Florida
4. Denver, Colorado
5. Nashville, Tennessee

Pent-up demand also means vacationing will be expensive. Flight prices have been climbing since April.

“This is a popular time for people to travel anyway,” said Lieberman. "Families are reconnecting. There are a lot of factors converging, and all of this is compounded by the fact that there’s still reduced inventory.”

Low inventory and high demand for rental cars could leave some scrambling for a ride. Rental car pricing in places like Arizona, Hawaii, and Florida has spiked by 300%.

“As much as $134 a day, if not more,” said McGee. “So, definitely best to plan ahead when you're looking at rentals.”

Experts say there will be a pain at the pump as well.

“Gas prices are the most expensive we've seen since 2014, and they're not going to get cheaper anytime soon,” said McGee.

For those hoping to avoid crowds, travel experts suggest reconsidering travel to some of the most popular vacation destinations.

“It's important to use a travel agent, someone you can ask questions to understand what's open, what restrictions are in place just again, so you can enjoy that vacation, especially if you're planning an international trip,” said McGee.

It’s important to remember the pandemic is not over yet and case increases could change things at your final destination.

“It's also a really good time to think about getting a travel insurance policy, even if that's something you didn't do before the pandemic. It's a great way to protect your travel investment,” said Lieberman.

Experts say successful summer travel will be found where planning ahead meets flexibility.