Bondi’s office gets complaints of price gouging by airlines

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office has received 17 complaints from people who accused airlines of price gouging in the wake of Hurricane Maria, staff said Thursday.

Their complaints joined a chorus of anger and desperation as they saw prices topping more than $1,000 to evacuate family members from Puerto Rico.

One man saw prices as high as $10,000, a state document shows.

“Can anything be done about the price gouging going on right now with the airlines?” a Port St. Lucie woman wrote. “People in Puerto Rico are in desperate conditions and they cannot afford to pay $1500 for a one-way ticket out!”

Oversight for airline consumer issues falls to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Bondi’s spokeswoman said the office forwarded complaints to federal authorities — and to airlines for voluntary compliance.

“These airlines must do the right thing and look out for all victims of this disaster," Bondi said in a statement.

Hurricane Maria crippled the San Juan airport, but by mid-week the Federal Aviation Administration had reported that flights in and out “increased dramatically” to more than 400 arrivals and departures.

The 17 complaints to Bondi’s office criticize multiple major airlines and were made from Sept. 22 to Wednesday.

Some shared a quick slice of their personal stories.

Like a man trying to help his wife get back home. Or a Floridian shopping for airline tickets so two families who had medical issues or small children could reach the mainland.

A Tallahassee man noticed a flight costing up to $10,141 to travel on a roundtrip, non-direct flight from Orlando to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico departing Oct. 6.

“I have screen shots to prove it,” he wrote Monday in his complaint to the attorney general’s office.