Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter.
Illustration showing frustrated business class passengers standing next to their luggage while an Aer Lingus airplane flies away in the background, depicting the airline's failure to load priority-tagged baggage onto multiple consecutive flights despite tracking confirmation

Business class baggage disaster! Why is Aer Lingus ghosting us?

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Aer Lingus failed to load business class passengers’ priority-tagged luggage onto four consecutive flights despite AirTag tracking showing exact airport locations. The airline then promised $265 baggage delay reimbursement in writing but ghosted the couple for six months before declaring their case closed without payment. Under the Montreal Convention, airlines are liable for baggage delays on international flights and must compensate passengers for reasonable replacement expenses.

Cartoon of a shepherd watching sheep branded with airline logos (Delta, American, JetBlue, Southwest) jump off a cliff, illustrating airlines following each other on fuel surcharges

Your airline is lying to you about fuel surcharges

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Airlines sure have a funny way of saying thank you. 

After you spend years obsessively funneling every purchase through their co-branded credit cards and sitting in its cramped economy class seats, you finally go to redeem your “free” flight—only to find a $1,400 bill waiting for you at checkout.

Editorial cartoon illustration of shocked and panicked travelers running away from an enormous airplane featuring both American Airlines red-white-blue livery and United Airlines globe logo, symbolizing consumer anxiety about the proposed United-American Airlines merger that would control 40% of the U.S. market

Should we allow United and American to merge?

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The United Airlines–American Airlines merger everyone feared may actually be happening.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby reportedly met with administration officials at the White House in February to float an audacious proposal: a combination with American Airlines.