Thousands of people shuffle through Denver International Airport on any given day, and statistically, a decent number of them will report having a poor experience with an airline.
From a cordoned-off section of the airport’s ticketing booths, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday that they’ll soon be more equipped to protect travelers from those sorts of struggles. The pair announced a new partnership between several states, territories, and the Department of Transportation, which will help resolve consumer complaints against airlines more quickly.
Weiser, who led the effort among 25 attorneys general to create the partnership, said he’s recently seen an increased need to hold airlines accountable.
“During the pandemic, we know the [Department of Transportation] was besieged with complaints, so were we,” he said. “The complaints against Frontier Airlines rose to the top of the charts, and we were seeking answers on that. But without this protocol in place, we didn't know what the status was, and it did take years to get a resolution.”
Under federal law, the central responsibility for addressing consumer complaints about airlines lies with the Department of Transportation. As such, states like Colorado have been unable to fully pursue their own actions against airlines.
The new partnership will authorize state justice departments across the country to investigate complaints against airlines, ticket agents, and other air travel companies. If necessary, states will also be able to refer complaints to the DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection.
Both states and the federal government will investigate a wide range of issues, including lost baggage, disrupted itineraries, and missing refunds.
“When many things like that happen, those aren't just inconveniences, they're violations that we as a department can do something about,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg acknowledged the need for a partnership between states and his agency due to the vast number of complaints nationwide.
“It has been clear that we need more resources, that we need allies, that we need a force multiplier to help us get that work done,” he said.
The DOT has worked to increase awareness of consumer rights to help airline travelers know when to file complaints. A comprehensive rundown is available on the department’s website.
“I've yet to see an airline that is enthusiastic about being held accountable, but our view is this actually benefits the airline industry as a whole because when passengers, customers know that they're going to have a better experience, they're going to have a better feeling about choosing to fly with any airline in this country,” Weiser said.
Coloradans who have complaints against airlines and other travel agencies regulated by the federal government can file them at StopFraudColorado.gov.
The partnership will last for two years, with an option to extend it for additional two-year intervals when it ends. Other states and territories that have joined include California, the District of Columbia, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Buttigieg is making several other stops while in Colorado on Tuesday, including a visit to Interstate 70’s Floyd Hill development with Governor Jared Polis. He will also visit Denver’s Swansea-Elyria neighborhood, which recently received over $30 million from the DOT, with Mayor Mike Johnston.
