WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today issued a final rule to implement section 403 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which requires that U.S. airlines accept musical instruments as carry-on or checked baggage on commercial passenger flights, provided that...
Overview
In 2012, the Department established the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection (ACACP) in accordance with the FAA Modernization and Improvement Act of 2012. Its purpose was to advise the Secretary of Transportation in carrying out activities relating to airline customer...
WASHINGTON – The nation’s largest airlines posted an on-time arrival rate of 75.6 percent in July, up from both the 73.1 percent on-time rate in July 2013 and the 71.8 percent mark in June 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report released today...
MARAD Releases Total Fuel Cycle Study for Natural Gas. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) recently released a study that evaluates total fuel cycle emissions for natural gas versus conventional marine fuels. This study was conducted as a part of MARAD’s Maritime Environmental & Technology...
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today assessed a civil penalty against Turkish Airlines for not responding in a timely manner to complaints filed by consumers, including passengers with disabilities, and for not adequately responding to the passengers’ complaints in its...
WASHINGTON – As Congress considers legislation to avoid a shortfall of the Highway Trust Fund, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and 11 of his predecessors offered the following open letter to Congress. In addition to Secretary Foxx, Secretaries Ray LaHood, Mary Peters, Norman Mineta, Rodney...
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today fined Southwest Airlines $200,000 for violating the Department’s full-fare advertising rules and ordered the carrier to cease and desist from further violations. By violating the full-fare advertising rule in this case, Southwest...
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today tentatively approved a proposal that would help modernize the marketing and sale of airline products by enabling all of the market players –airlines, travel agents, global distribution systems (GDSs), and consumers – to “speak the same...
WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today proposed new consumer protections for air travelers, building on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) previous passenger protection rules issued in December 2009 and April 2011. Today’s...
Under the Obama Administration, the Department of Transportation has completed two comprehensive aviation consumer rulemakings that have led to better, more fair treatment for the traveling public. Improvements include:
Tarmac Delays Virtually Eliminated
In December 2009...