AG, DOT tackling gripes on airlines
New way for addressing consumer complaints reinforces traveler rights
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and the U. S. Department of T ransportation announced a new partnership at Denver International Airport on Tuesday that will s treamline how consumer complaints a gainst a irlines are reviewed and resolved.
The new process for addressing consumer complaints against air travel companies r einforces state and federal commitments to protect the rights of travelers, according to a Tuesday news release from the Office of the Attorney General.
“Consumers d eserve t o be treated fairly, know what they’re getting, and get everything they pay for when t hey fly,” Weiser said. “This agreement and partnership with the DOT will allow my office to directly serve Colorado c onsumers when they file complaints about unfair or deceptive airline business practices and creates a process to ensure DOT prioritizes complaints we refer.”
This p artnership c omes a t a time w hen complaints a bout flight disruptions, lack of refunds, and lost or delayed baggage are at an all- time high, the attorney general says.
Approximately 62.8 m illion passengers a nd 3 9.4 million checked bags were screened i n January, according to the March 2024 A ir T ravel Consumer R eport. That month, 280,093 bags were reported as mishandled, a 4% i ncrease compared t o January 2 023. A dditionally, 9 ,054 complaints were filed concerning Transportation Security Administration screening practices, a 25% decrease from the previous year, and 60,155 passengers were denied boarding because of oversold flights from October to December 2023, a 15% decrease from October to December 2022.
Under the new agreement, the attorney general’s office is authorized to investigate and resolve consumer complaints against air carriers, ticket agents and other travel companies supervised by DOT. W hen necessary, t he a ttorney g eneral w ill refer complaints to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection and coordinate with them to determine next steps, according to the release.
DOT will also provide technical assistance and training to staff in the attorney general’s office and meet with them at least once a year to assess ongoing efforts, updating Colorado on actions taken in response to state- referred complaints.
“By working together, we’re making a d ifference f or a irline passengers. We’re going to hold accountable companies who are breaking the law and undermining travel e xperience,” Weiser said a t the Tuesday news c onference announcing the partnership. “We’re going to make sure to send an important message:
consumers have r ights. They deserve to be treated fairly.”
The memorandum will last for two years, and Colorado and DOT can agree to extend the agreement at two- year intervals. Other states that have signed the memorandum w ith the DOT include California, the District of Columbia and New York.
According to U. S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the DOT is also pressing airlines to get rid of additional fees, and airline passengers are set to receive more than $ 3 billion i n refunds and payments. F our airlines — Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Jetblue — have already incorporated fee- free family seating.
“We take o ur m ission to protect consumers seriously, and today’s launch of t he A irline P assenger Protection Partnership i s an i mportant m ilestone in t hat effort,” B uttigieg stated i n the release. “By partnering w ith a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, the U. S. Department o f Transportation h as e xpanded our ability to hold airlines and ticket agents accountable and protect passengers from u nfair or d eceptive practices.”
In a statement on the announcement, Airlines f or America, an industry trade group, defended its efforts to improve the passenger experience. It cited a survey of a irline p assengers in January that found 71% were satisfied with their air travel experiences last year, while 11% were dissatisfied and 18% were neutral.
“We consistently w ork with the U. S. Department of Transportation, state attorneys general and a wide range of other state and national groups to constantly improve the customer experience f or a ll p assengers,” the group said.
But a Colorado c onsumer advocacy group said the new partnership could increase accountability for the airlines.
“Airlines have b een skirting rules for way too many y ears a nd p assengers have paid the price,” said Danny Katz, the executive director o f the Colorado Public I nterest Research Group Foundation. “Airlines will now have to answer t o more than just the overworked DOT.”