DOT Announces First-Ever Bill of Rights for Passengers with Disabilities, Calls on Airlines to Seat Families Together Free of Charge

DOT Fines Air China and FlightHub Group for Violating Aviation Consumer Protection Rules

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) took action today to protect aviation consumers by issuing fines to an airline and an online ticket agent for violating federal statutes and the Department’s aviation consumer protection rules. DOT fined the airline Air China...

Air Travel Consumer Report: November 2021 Numbers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of November 2021 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, complaints received, and oversales. The...

Air Travel Consumer Report: October 2021 Numbers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of October 2021 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, complaints received, and oversales. The...

Bumping & Oversales

The vast majority of the time, passengers don’t have any problems boarding their flights.  But occasionally, airlines may “bump” passengers and have them give up their seats.  Bumping, also known as “denied boarding,” happens when there...

Airlines Report 15 Tarmac Delays Over Three Hours on Domestic Flights, Five Tarmac Delays Over Four Hours on International Flights in August

WASHINGTON – Airlines reported 15 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights and five tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights in August, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report released today.  All...

April 2016 Complaints Down and On-Time Performance Up From Previous Year, March 2016

WASHINGTON – In April, the U.S. Department of Transportation received 1,122 complaints about airline service from consumers, down 20.9 percent from the total of 1,419 filed in April 2015 and down 21.5 percent from the 1,429 received in March 2016, according to the Air Travel Consumer...

Final Rule: Use of Electronic Cigarettes on Aircraft

The Department of Transportation is issuing a final rule to extend the smoking ban in 14 CFR Part 252 to include all charter (i.e., nonscheduled) flights where a flight attendant is a required crewmember. The revised Part 252 would comport with 49 U.S.C. § 41706, which was revised in 2012, to...

2015 Airline Consumer Complaints Up From Previous Year

WASHINGTON – Airline consumer complaints filed with DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division during 2015 were up 29.8 percent from 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report released today.

For all of last year, the Department received 20...

March 2015 Complaints About Airline Service Up From Previous Year And February 2015

WASHINGTON – Airline consumer complaints filed with DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division in March 2015 were up 55.1 percent from March 2014 and up 27.2 percent from February 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report released today...