Kick Your Airline Complaint Up A Notch By CCing It To The DOT

By consumerist.com March 27, 2007

WSJ reports that sending a copy of your airline complaint to the Department of Transportation (DOT) can result in increased attention from the airline.

Here’s where you stuff your grievance(s):

email: airconsumer@dot.gov
phone: 202-366-2220
Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

include:

• name
• address
• daytime phone number (including area code)
• name of the airline or company about which you are complaining
• flight date
• flight number
• origin and destination cities of your trip.
• copy of your ticket
• copies of any correspondence you’ve had with the airline

“We’re more than just a statistics- capturing office,” said a senior Transportation official. “Airlines are very sensitive to the complaints the department receives.”

— BEN POPKEN

Taking Airline Complaints to the Government [WSJ]
(Photo: Ben Popken)

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Comments

  1. Buran says:
    March 27, 2007 at 3:08 pm

    Hey, how about a link that works and actually gives us something to read? Or a working bugmenot login?

  2. Dragontologist says:
    March 27, 2007 at 3:15 pm

    Doesn’t the Federal Aviation Administration have a stake in this too? They’re part of the DoT, but more directed at airline safety. Might as well add them to the CC list while you’re at it.

    Here’s a list of all the local Public Affair contacts at the FAA, through their website. I’d recommend using the one nearest your airline.
    http://www.faa.gov/news/contact_information/

    1-866-TELL-FAA (1-866-835-5322)
    FAA Headquarters
    Federal Aviation Administration
    800 Independence Ave, SW
    Washington, DC 20591

  3. Ben Popken says:
    March 27, 2007 at 3:38 pm

    Your wish is our command. Link updated.

  4. FLConsumer says:
    March 27, 2007 at 8:09 pm

    UAL with 13 complains per MILLION passengers? Obviously the DOT doesn’t hang around airports much.

  5. benn09 says:
    March 27, 2007 at 11:34 pm

    Just wondering: can the DOT or FAA do anything with these complaints if they come from passengers that are American citizens landing at an American airport on a plane that originated in a foreign country and/or is a foreign airline ::cough Virgin Atlantic cough::?

  6. celyn says:
    March 28, 2007 at 7:24 am

    DOT reports that 42% of it’s luggage related complaints involve US Airways, but those complaints don’t seem to have made any difference to that airline’s operations.