department-of-transportation

(Marc Lacoste)

DOT Investigates Airlines For Not Disclosing Fees On Their Websites
By Ben Popken on October 19, 2011 5:00 PM   15 Comments
Starting August 23rd, airlines were supposed to start being more upfront on their websites about the fees they charge you. Guess what? They didn't. More »

(Simone Ramella)

No Electronic Cigarettes Allowed On Flights, Rules The DOT
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 14, 2011 8:00 AM   120 Comments
Looks like cigarette smokers will have to keep furiously chewing nicotine gum on U.S. flights, as the Department of Transportation has said "nope, not gonna do it," to allowing smokeless electronic cigarettes on airplanes. More »

(frankieleon)

Government May Use Tech To Stop Cell Phone Use In Cars
By Phil Villarreal on December 1, 2010 2:40 PM   242 Comments
People are so insistent on driving while using their cell phones that only death in a car accident will stop them from doing so. Spurred by the prevalence of fatal accidents caused by distracted drivers — 5,500 last year — the government is mulling over the concept of using technology to force drivers to put down their phones. More »

(woodleywonderworks)

Flight Cancellations Hold Steady Despite New Tarmac Delay Limit
By Carey Alexander on August 8, 2010 8:00 AM   9 Comments
Remember how airlines threatened to cancel a mess of flights if the Department of Transportation imposed fines for holding planes on the tarmac for more than three hours? Well, the DOT imposed the rule and it looks like airlines are coping just fine. The Wall Street Journal examined recently released data and found that the most probable explanation for the slight jump in cancellations is a combination of weather and shoddy maintenance. More »

(KateMonkey)

DOT Lacks Power To Ban Peanuts From Flights
By Phil Villarreal on July 7, 2010 9:15 AM   79 Comments
Just when it looked like all the crusaders who want to get peanuts banned from flights were inching closer to epic victory, along comes a federal law to crack their shells. More »

(Jesse Gardner)

New Rules About Getting Paid When Airlines Bump You
By Ben Popken on June 11, 2010 10:14 AM   21 Comments
Airlines routinely overbook passengers, resulting in passengers getting bumped and having their travel plans disrupted. Currently, you can get the full ticket price if you are bumped, or 2x the ticket if you're not provided alternative transportation within a certain time frame to the next stop, up to a certain cap level. Newly proposed regulations would increase the amount passengers could get, but it's not as simple as that. Airline expert Elliott has delved into the report to find out what's being proposed: More »

(PhillipC)

Senator Joins DOT Secretary In Blasting Spirit's New Carry-On Bag Fees
By Chris Walters on April 12, 2010 10:25 AM   67 Comments
Spirit Airline's ballsy new $20-45 fee for carry-on bags has already caught the attention of the Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and now New York Senator Charles Schumer is rattling his sword. More »

(Hong Kong dear Edward)

U.S. Airways Fined $40K For Not Properly Revealing Prices Online
By Chris Morran on March 9, 2010 10:01 AM   15 Comments
For anyone who has ever been put off by an airline's overly complicated explanation of their already cryptic fare schedule, there might be a slight, sweet taste of vengeance in this news: The Dept. of Transportation just slapped US Airways with a $40,000 fine for not disclosing their full ticket prices on their Web site. More »

(Photo: SanFranAnnie)

Tarmac Imprisonment Limited To 3 Hours
By Ben Popken on December 21, 2009 11:20 AM   89 Comments
Airlines must let passengers stuck in airplanes stranded on the tarmac get off after 3 hours, the Transportation Department today ordered. They're also now only allowed to starve you for 2 hours, after which they must serve pizza or a reasonable facsimile. Toilets must be functional during the entire time as well. More »

(Photo:Dallas Allison Krewe)

Continental, ExpressJet Fined $100,000 For Tarmac Delay Incident
By Meg Marco on November 30, 2009 1:18 PM   74 Comments
Back in August, Continental and its partner, ExpressJet kept 47 passengers, including some babies, on a plane for 11 hours with only some pretzels to eat. A few days later, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that he was looking in to the issue. Last week, the DOT announced that the Aviation Enforcement Office (AEO) had fined Continental Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines $100,000 for their involvement in the incident. More »

DOT To Airlines: Sorry, But People Like To Change Their Underwear
By Laura Northrup on October 14, 2009 11:45 PM   61 Comments

—>The United States Department of Transportation has finally warned airlines: Most people don't like to go for more than 24 hours without brushing their teeth and changing their underwear.   More »

Cash For Clunkers Program Sputters To A Close
By Laura Northrup on August 20, 2009 9:36 PM   74 Comments

—>If you're still thinking about trading in an older, fuel-inefficient car, get moving. Due to its overwhelming, car-crushing success, the Cash For Clunkers (CARS) program will end at 8 p.m. on Monday.  More »

Delta Fined $375,000 For Bumping Passengers
By Carey Alexander on July 11, 2009 6:00 PM   57 Comments

—>The Department of Transportation smacked Delta with a $375,000 fine for ignoring federal laws that require airlines to offer bumped passengers adequate compensation and an explanation of their rights. Inside, a listing of your options if an airline tries to bump you off their flight...  More »

Airline Fines Fall Even As Complaints Rise
By Carey Alexander on January 13, 2009 10:30 PM   14 Comments

—>Claiming it had better things to do, the Department of Transportation issued only $1.2 million in airline fines last year, even as consumer complaints over fees and delays continued to rise. Five years ago, the agency issued over $8 million in fines, but now, they say they're too busy working on "consumer rulemaking" and "consumer forums" to ensure that airlines honor consumer protection laws.  More »

You've Got About A 1 In 3 Chance Of Arriving Late With American Airlines
By Meg Marco on July 7, 2008 8:31 PM   45 Comments

—>For the third month in a row American Airlines is the worst airline when it comes to arriving on-time, says the Department of Transportation. Only 67.3% of American's flights arrived within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival. Also remarkably tardy were United Airlines and Continental.  More »

American Refunds Canceled Plane Ticket, Keeps $15 Checked Baggage Fee
By Carey Alexander on July 6, 2008 2:15 PM   23 Comments

—>American refunded Josh's airfare after canceling his flight to New York, but not his $15 checked baggage fee. Though the fee is listed in their system, American won't issue a refund unless Josh sends a formal request letter along with his baggage claim receipt to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  More »

Confessions Of An Airline Executive
By Carey Alexander on December 15, 2007 3:12 PM   21 Comments

—>Threatening to complain to the media or the Department of Transportations is the single best way to reach an airline's executive customer service team, according to an anonymous airline executive. The jaded executive also shared his dour insights on the availability and effectiveness of short-term sales.  More »

US Airways had the most consumer complaints of any airline for the month of September, with 2.13 complaints for every 100,000 passengers. [Phoenix Business Journal via Consumerama]  More »

Delta's Atlantic Southeast Airlines Is America's Worst Airline
By Meg Marco on November 7, 2007 7:52 PM   34 Comments

—>The Department of Transportations Air Travel Consumer Report was released Monday and it confirms what we've all been thinking: Delta's Atlantic Southeast Airlines is just stunningly terrible.  More »

What To Do When Your Luggage Is Hopelessly Totally Completely Lost
By Meg Marco on September 13, 2007 3:19 PM   14 Comments

—>Here at Consumerist we get a lot of complaints that go something like this:  More »