Your fly rights

When you have a complaint about airline service, the U.S. government can be one of your most effective allies. And I’m not necessarily talking about its popular brochure, Fly Rights, which is a must-read for anyone who travels.

The Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division operates a complaint-handling system for consumers who experience air travel service problems. Here’s more information on the system, including how to use it.

But what isn’t public knowledge is how closely the airlines track the number of “official” complaints filed through the DOT, and how much power the folks at the Aviation Consumer Protection Division actually have to fix something when it goes wrong.

No one at an airline wants to get a call from Norm Strickman, the division’s director. It usually means they’ve done something wrong.

I’ve heard that Strickman, and the people working with him over at the DOT, do not suffer fools.

Stories have been relayed to me by air travelers of his agency stepping in to save the day when something has gone wrong. My favorite one involved a passenger who was being denied carriage by an airline, in violation of its own contract and federal law. Notified of the situation, a DOT official called the ticket agent and straightened things out in time for the passenger to make the flight.

Now that’s what I call your tax dollars at work.

The airline lobbyists and their main trade group, the Air Transport Association, would probably prefer the Aviation Consumer Protection Division be phased out. After all, it’s not good for their business.

But air travelers can breathe easier knowing that someone is looking out for them.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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