If you’ve ever wondered why the government does little more than count the number of complaints filed by air travelers and then reports them, the answer is simple: the Transportation Department’s Office of Aviation Enforcement & Proceedings only has the resources to pursue the biggest cases. The net effect is that airlines have been getting away with almost anything they want to.
That’s about to change. A funding bill that I’m told is being brought forward this afternoon will allocate an additional $2.5 million to the department in 2008. That’s enough to add 25 new staffers to the office’s team of about 80 attorneys — and to start making things a little more uncomfortable for the often lawless domestic airline industry.
If the bill passes, as it is widely expected to, it could mean that the complaints you send to the Department of Transportation will be met with a response more often than they are now. The department will finally have the resources to fulfill two key mandates: to verify compliance with the government’s aviation consumer protection requirements, and to provide guidance to the industry and members of the public on consumer protection matters.
It wouldn’t be fair to say the government isn’t already doing this, of course. Only that, given the growth of the airline industry and the recent surge in customer complaints, it hasn’t had enough people to do the job.
If this funding bill passes, then it could.
✓ Get the latest travel news, tips and commentary from Elliott’s E-Mail, the subversive newsletter from industry gadfly Christopher Elliott. You’ll travel like a pro. Sign up here. It’s free.
Sign up for my 
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I had a problem and asked DOT to get involved, which they finally did and the problem was resolved. They called UA who in turn called me. Do you think it had something to do with the 40 some odd emails sent to UA and DOT? Hmmm, maybe! But tenacity and perserverence help.
I had a $50 pocket knife taken from my checked luggage (Spirit Air) on a trip from St. Thomas, USVI, to Detroit in December 2007. Six months after I had written Spirit (with all proper documentation) I received a denial of my request that the item be replaced. I have often wondered if allowing small time pilferage with no consequences to the thief is one of the ways that the ‘low cost” carrier Spirit allows dishonest employees make a little money on the side. Is this a common occurrence? I have not flown Spirit since; that $50 item, so far, cost them a couple of thousand in fares.