After reviewing hundreds of consumer complaints about US Airways’ lack of proper assistance for travelers in wheelchairs at two of the airline’s hub airports, the Dept. of Transportation has fined the carrier $1.2 million, a good chunk of which is to be used to improve systems for disabled passengers at these airports. [More]
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US Airways Fined $1.2 Million For Repeatedly Failing To Provide Proper Wheelchair Assistance
By 11.5.13
DOT Sued For Failing To Issue Rule On Rear Visibility In Cars
By 9.25.13
Everyone knows that the wheels of government don’t always turn quickly, but the folks at the Dept. of Transportation have been sitting on a Congressionally mandated new safety rule, one that could save an awful lot of lives and prevent even more injuries, for several years. In an effort to compel the DOT to finally act, several consumer groups and the parents of children who have died in auto accidents have sued the agency in a federal court. [More]
DOT Fines United Airlines For Delaying Refunds To 9,000 Passengers
By 9.3.13
Thanks to the merger with Continental, United Airlines is now the nation’s largest commercial carrier, but has the airline been able to keep up with its increased customer base? On Friday, the Dept. of Transportation fined United $350,000 because it failed to provide prompt refunds to thousands of customers in 2012. [More]
DOT Fines Southwest For Promoting Deals But Not Actually Making Seats Available At Sale Prices
By 8.2.13
Is a sale a sale when only a few people can actually take advantage of the deal, or if no one at all can get a piece of the advertised deal action? Nope, said the Department of Transportation, which has fined Southwest Airlines $200,000 for touting a sale that didn’t provide enough actual seats — or in one case, any at all — at the bargain price it advertised. [More]
DOT Fines Delta $750,000 For Breaking Rules On Passenger-Bumping
By 6.27.13
Delta isn’t great about letting passengers volunteer to be bumped off an oversold flight instead of just bumping them by force. The company just doesn’t have enough CEOs to go around and offer seats to people who need to get home. Don’t take our word for it: the U.S. Department of Transportation gave them a public reprimand and ordered the airline to pay a penalty of $750,000. [More]
DOT Issued Record-Setting Number Of Violations To Airlines In 2012
By 1.2.13
Up until the very end of 2012, it looked like the Dept. of Transportation was only going to tie the record it set in 2011 for the number of fines handed out to airlines. But a pair of Dec. 31 violations pushed 2012 into a spot on top of the charts all on its own. [More]
Sorry Airlines, Court Says You Have To Tell The Truth About Airfares
By 7.24.12
In the last year or so, the U.S. Dept of Transportation has instituted a number of new rules — like requiring airlines to include all known taxes and fees in its advertised prices — aimed at adding more transparency to airfares. Some carriers, especially discount airlines that love to advertise a bottom-dollar price with oodles of fine print hiding the fact that it’s not such a good price, have challenged these changes. But today, a U.S. appeals court sided with federal regulators (and common sense). [More]
TripAdvisor Smacked With $80K Fine For Violating Fare Advertising Rule
By 7.13.12
TripAdvisor has fallen afoul of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s rule about fare advertising, resulting in a fine of $80,000. The rule went into effect in January, and stated that ticket agents and airlines must display fares as the total of what a consumer will pay, taxes and fees included. [More]
New DOT App Gives You Potentially Scary Info About The Bus You're Riding
By 3.20.12
When you take your seat on that bus to visit grandma in Atlantic City, you’re putting your life in the hands of a driver you don’t know and a bus company whose safety record you may not be familiar with. But a new app from the Dept. of Transportation aims to put some of that info in the palm of your hand… if you own an iPhone, that is. [More]
Spirit Airlines Sued Over $2 "Unintended Consequences Fee"
By 3.9.12
Back in February, a new regulation kicked in that allows fliers to change their flights without penalty within the first 24 hours after booking. The folks at Spirit Airlines responded by tacking on a $2 “Dept. of Transportation Unintended Consequences Fee,” which they said was to cover the added costs resulting from the new rule. But a woman in Illinois says it’s just plain fraud. [More]
Spirit Adds $2 "Dept. Of Transportation Unintended Consequences Fee"
By 2.1.12
Fresh off fighting laws that require truth in advertising, Spirit Airlines, which hilariously dubbed itself the “most consumer-friendly airline,” is now taking a stand against another government regulation — one that requires airlines to allow passengers to change flights within 24 hours of booking without paying a penalty — by adding two dollars to everyone’s ticket. [More]
Spirit Airlines Says Posting Full Airfares Is Government's Way Of Hiding Taxes
By 1.24.12
In recent years, the Dept. of Transportation has been cracking down on airlines, especially discount carriers, for advertising airfares that don’t actually represent what consumers will end up paying. With the latest round of rule changes having just kicked in, low-budget airline Spirit is fighting back, telling its customers that this is all about the government trying to hide higher taxes in airfares. [More]
Spirit Airlines Fined $50K For Misleading Tweets
By 11.21.11
The Dept. of Transportation rules about airfare transparency don’t just apply to carriers’ websites and ads, but also to their Twitter feed. Just ask Spirit Airlines, which was slapped with a $50,000 fine for Tweets touting its $9 airfares. [More]
White House Wants Your Car To Get 54.5 MPG By 2025
By 11.16.11
Earlier today, the White House — along with the EPA and DOT — formally announced their proposal to improve fuel economy over the next decade and a half, with the goal of achieving fuel efficiencies equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. [More]
Orbitz Hit With $60K Fine For Failing To Disclose Taxes & Fees On Airfares
By 10.17.11
Orbitz has been slapped with a $60,000 fine by the Dept. of Transportation because the travel site violated federal laws that require clear disclosure of taxes and fees associated with airfares. [More]
Latest Round Of Pro-Consumer Airline Regulations To Start This Week
By 8.22.11
The Department of Transportation’s newest airline regulations — aiming to cut down even more on tarmac delays, curb passenger-bumping and make ticket fees more transparent — will kick in for air travelers tomorrow. [More]
DOT & Disney Team Up To Fight Distracted Driving, Promote New Movie
By 6.15.11
The Department of Transportation’s campaign against distracted driving is becoming animated. Literally. [More]
Airlines Now Actually Have To Return Bag Fees If They Lose Your Bag
By 4.20.11
It’s sort of sad that the Department of Transportation actually had to force airlines to refund bag fees if they lose your baggage — but whatever, let’s not dwell. [More]
