Improved DOT Website Makes Filing Air Travel Complaints Easier

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has redesigned its Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement website to make the site more user-friendly, making it easier for air travelers to file complaints with the DOT about airline service.

Additionally, says the DOT, the redesigned site will make it easier for consumers to compare the historical on-time and baggage mishandling records of airlines and to find helpful tips about air travel. The website’s address is airconsumer.dot.gov.

“This updated web site is part of our ongoing effort to improve resources for consumers and ensure that airline passengers are treated fairly when they fly,” says Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary.  “We want to make it as easy as possible for consumers to find the information they need to make their air travel experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible.”

According to the January 2010 issue of the U.S. Department of Transportation's 'Air Travel Consumer Report', Delta Air Lines received the highest rate of customer complaints of any major U.S. airline for November 2009, the latest month for which the DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics had collated air travel statistics. Delta's complaint rate was 1.79 per 100,000 enplanements. The report got worse for Delta: Next-worst in the complaint rankings was Northwest Airlines, owned by Delta but still operated as a separate carrier as of November 2009

According to the DOT, the improved site contains useful information about the department’s complaint handling system for consumers who experience air travel service problems, including a web form that consumers can use to file a complaint with the DOT about airline service.

The site also offers guidance regarding aviation rules and statutes; advice concerning airlines that have stopped operating or filed for bankruptcy protection; and travel tips and publications related to air travel, such as the Air Travel Consumer Report, Fly-Rights and the annual report on disability-related air travel complaints.

It also features easy-to-navigate links to all of the DOT’s information for air travelers, as well as links to other agency web sites with useful material for air travelers. The DOT says the public will also find it easier to obtain enforcement orders, rules and guidance pertaining to a wide array of subjects such as baggage, fare advertising, refunds, overbooking, disability and flight delays.

The website is also available in Spanish. An individual can access the Spanish website from the English site by simply clicking the word “Spanish” on the home page.

“It is important that the growing number of Spanish speakers in our nation and flying on U.S. airlines have access to information about their rights as air travelers,” says LaHood.