Airline Passengers’ Rights – Department of Transportation

Overbooking is not illegal, and most airlines overbook their
scheduled flights to a certain extent in order to compensate for
“no-shows.” Passengers are sometimes left behind or
“bumped” as a result. When an oversale occurs, the Department of
Transportation (DOT) requires airlines to ask people who aren’t in a hurry to
give up their seats voluntarily, in exchange for compensation. Those passengers
bumped against their will are, with a few exceptions, entitled to compensation.

Voluntary bumping

Almost any planeload of airline passengers includes some
people with urgent travel needs and others who may be more concerned about the
cost of their tickets than about getting to their destination on time. DOT rules
require airlines to seek out people who are willing to give up their seats for
compensation before bumping anyone involuntarily. Here’s how this works. At the
check-in or boarding area, airline employees will look for volunteers when it
appears that the flight has been oversold. If you’re not in a rush to arrive at
your next destination, you can give your reservation back to the airline in
exchange for compensation and a later flight. But before you do this, you may
want to get answers to these important questions:

* When is the next flight on which the airline can confirm
your seat? The alternate flight may be just as acceptable to you. On the other
hand, if the airline offers to put you on standby on another flight that’s
full, you could be stranded.

* Will the airline provide other amenities such as free meals,
a hotel room, transfers between the hotel and the airport, and a phone card? If
not, you might have to spend the money it offers you on food or lodging while
you wait for the next flight.

DOT has not mandated the form or amount of compensation that
airlines offer to volunteers. DOT does, however, require airlines to advise any
volunteer whether he or she might be involuntarily bumped and, if that were to
occur, the amount of compensation that would be due. Carriers can negotiate
with their passengers for mutually acceptable compensation. Airlines generally
offer a free trip or other transportation benefits to prospective volunteers. The
airlines give employees guidelines for bargaining with passengers, and they may
select those volunteers willing to sell back their reservations for the lowest
price. If the airline offers you a free ticket or a transportation voucher in a
certain dollar amount, ask about restrictions. How long is the ticket or
voucher good for? Is it “blacked out” during holiday periods when you
might want to use it? Can it be used for international flights?

Involuntary bumping

DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are
bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining
how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn’t. Those
travelers who don’t get to fly are frequently entitled to denied boarding
compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of
their ticket and the length of the delay:

* If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges
substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final
destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original
scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.

* If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is
scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your
original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights),
the airline must pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your final
destination that day, with a $650 maximum.

* If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to
your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if
the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the
compensation doubles (400% of your one-way fare, $1300 maximum).

* If your ticket does not show a fare (for example, a frequent-flyer award ticket or a ticket issued by a consolidator), your denied boarding compensation is based on the lowest cash, check or credit card payment charged for a ticket in the same class of service (e.g., coach, first class) on that flight.

* You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on
another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an
“involuntary refund” for the ticket for the flight you were bumped
from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your
inconvenience.

* If you paid for optional services on your original flight (e.g., seat selection, checked baggage) and you did not receive those services on your substitute flight or were required to pay a second time, the airline that bumped you must refund those payments to you.

Like all rules, however, there are a few conditions and
exceptions:

* To be eligible for compensation, you must have a confirmed
reservation. A written confirmation issued by the airline or an authorized
agent or reservation service qualifies you in this regard even if the airline
can’t find your reservation in the computer, as long as you didn’t cancel your
reservation or miss a reconfirmation deadline.

* Each airline has a check-in deadline, which is the amount of
time before scheduled departure that you must present yourself to the airline
at the airport. For domestic flights most carriers require you to be at the departure
gate between 10 minutes and 30 minutes before scheduled departure, but some
deadlines can be an hour or longer. Check-in deadlines on international flights
can be as much as three hours before scheduled departure time. Some airlines
may simply require you to be at the ticket/baggage counter by this time; most,
however, require that you get all the way to the boarding area. Some may have
deadlines at both locations. If you miss the check-in deadline, you may have
lost your reservation and your right to compensation if the flight is oversold.

* As noted above, no compensation is due if the airline
arranges substitute transportation which is scheduled to arrive at your
destination within one hour of your originally scheduled arrival time.

* If the airline must substitute a smaller plane for the one
it originally planned to use, the carrier isn’t required to pay people who are
bumped as a result. In addition, on flights using aircraft with 30 through 60
passenger seats, compensation is not required if you were bumped due to
safety-related aircraft weight or balance constraints.

* The rules do not apply to charter flights, or to scheduled
flights operated with planes that hold fewer than 30 passengers. They don’t
apply to international flights inbound to the United States, although some
airlines on these routes may follow them voluntarily. Also, if you are flying
between two foreign cities — from Paris to Rome, for example — these rules will
not apply. The European Commission has a rule on bumpings that occur in an EC
country; ask the airline for details, or go to http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passengers/air/air_en.htm.

Airlines set their own “boarding priorities” — the order in
which they will bump different categories of passengers in an oversale
situation. When a flight is oversold and there are not enough volunteers, some
airlines bump passengers with the lowest fares first. Others bump the last
passengers to check in. Once you have purchased your ticket, the most effective
way to reduce the risk of being bumped is to get to the airport early. For
passengers in the same fare class the last passengers to check in are usually
the first to be bumped, even if they have met the check-in deadline. Allow
extra time; assume that the roads are backed up, the parking lot is full, and
there is a long line at the check-in counter.

Airlines may offer free tickets or dollar-amount vouchers for
future flights in place of a check for denied boarding compensation. However,
if you are bumped involuntarily you have the right to insist on a check if that
is your preference. Once you cash the check (or accept the free flight), you
will probably lose the ability to pursue more money from the airline later on.
However, if being bumped costs you more money than the airline will pay you at
the airport, you can try to negotiate a higher settlement with their complaint
department. If this doesn’t work, you usually have 30 days from the date on the
check to decide if you want to accept the amount of the check. You are always
free to decline the check (e.g., not cash it) and take the airline to court to
try to obtain more compensation. DOT’s denied boarding regulation spells out
the airlines’ minimum obligation to people they bump involuntarily. Finally,
don’t be a “no-show.” If you are holding confirmed reservations you
don’t plan to use, notify the airline. If you don’t, they will cancel all
onward or return reservations on your trip.

Between the time you check your luggage in and the time you
claim it at your destination, it may have passed through a maze of conveyor
belts and baggage carts. Once airborne, baggage may tumble around the cargo
compartment if the plane hits rough air. In all fairness to the airlines,
however, relatively few bags are damaged or lost. With some common-sense
packing and other precautions, your bags will likely be among the ones that
arrive safely.

Packing

You can pack to avoid problems. Certain items should never be
put into a piece of luggage that you plan to check into the baggage
compartment:

* Small valuables: cash, credit cards, jewelry, an expensive camera.

* Critical items: medicine, keys, passport, tour vouchers,
business papers.

* Irreplaceable items: manuscript, heirlooms.

* Fragile items: eyeglasses, glass containers, liquids.

Things like this should be carried on your person or packed in
a carry-on bag. Remember, the only way to be sure your valuables are not
damaged or lost is to keep them with you. Full flights sometimes run out of
room in the cabin for full-size carry-on bags. In those situations the airline
must sometimes “gate check” the carry-on baggage of the last passengers to board
the flight. This happens near the door to the aircraft. Pack your carry-on
bag in a manner so that if it must be gate-checked you can quickly remove the
fragile, valuable and critical items described above. For example, consider
packing all such items in a small, soft bag that will fit under the seat in
front of you, and make sure that this small bag is easily accessible in your
carry-on bag.

Under U.S. government rules, smoking is prohibited on all
scheduled-service flights of U.S. airlines. As a general matter, foreign airlines
must also ban smoking on all scheduled-service flight segments in, to and from
the United States. Cigar and pipe smoking is banned on all U.S.-carrier flights
(both scheduled and charter).

On flights where smoking is not banned by law (e.g., charter
flights), airlines must have a non-smoking section and must accommodate in that
section every passenger who has complied with the airlines check-in deadline
and who wishes to be seated there. On these flights, carriers are not required
to have a smoking section. An airline is free to ban smoking on a particular
flight, or on all of its flights.

None of the regulations described in this chapter apply to
charter flights performed with small aircraft by on-demand air taxi operators.

The Air Carrier Access Act and the DOT rule that implements it
set out procedures designed to ensure that individuals with disabilities have
the same opportunity as anyone else to enjoy a pleasant flight. For information
about these provisions, see the DOT publication New Horizons: Information
for the Air Traveler With a Disability. An electronic version is on the
DOT web site at http:airconsumer.dot.gov >> Publications.

Most if not all major airlines participate in frequent-traveler
plans. These programs allow you to earn free trips, upgrades (e.g., from Coach
to First Class) or other awards based on how often you fly on that airline or
its partner carriers. In most programs you can also earn credit by using
specified hotels, rental car companies, credit cards, etc. It doesn’t cost
anything to join a program, and you can enroll in the programs of any number of
different airlines. However, you will want to determine which program best suits
your needs before you accumulate a lot of miles. Here are some things to look
at when selecting a frequent-traveler program.

* Does the airline fly where you’re likely to want to go?

* Are there tie-ins with other carriers, especially those with
international routes? Is some of the airline’s service provided by
commuter-carrier “partners”? In both cases, can you earn credits and
use awards on those other airlines?

* How many miles (or trips) are required for particular
awards?

* Is there a minimum award per flight (e.g., you are only
flying 200 miles but the airline always awards at least 500)?

* Is there a deadline for using accumulated miles?

* Carefully examine the number and length of any
“blackout periods” during which awards cannot be used. For example, on
some carriers the Thanksgiving blackout may last a week.

* If you are planning a big trip involving air travel and are
thinking about joining that airline’s frequent-flyer program, enroll before you
travel. Airlines usually won’t credit mileage that was flown before you became
a member.

After you join a program, there are other things that you
should know:

* Airlines reserve the right to make changes to their
programs, sometimes on short notice. The number of miles required for
particular awards might be raised, requiring you to use your old mileage (i.e.,
your current balance) under the more restrictive new rules. The airline may
cease service on a route that you were particularly interested in, or it may even
stop serving the city you live in. The carrier may eliminate attractive
frequent-flyer tie-ins with particular airlines or hotel chains.

* Cashing in your mileage frequently will limit your losses in
case the carrier changes the rules, merges, or goes out of business.
Accumulating a larger mileage balance will entitle you to bigger awards,
however.

* Carriers often limit the number of seats on each flight for
which frequent-flyer awards can be used. You may not be able to get
reservations on your first- or second-choice dates or flights.

* Awards can often be issued in the name of immediate family
members. However, if you sell or give an award to someone not named on the
award or the travel document and the airline finds out, the recipient could
have his or her ticket confiscated, and the carrier may penalize the program
member’s account balance.

* Ask the airline how mileage is registered; you will probably
have to identify yourself as a program member when you book your flight or when
you check in.

* Keep your ticket (or email confirmation) and your boarding
passes until you receive a statement from the frequent-flyer program reflecting
the correct mileage earnings for that trip. If a problem arises, get the names
of the people you speak with and keep notes of your conversations.

Throughout this booklet, we have tried to provide you general
information about airline travel. It is important to realize, however, that
each airline has specific rules that make up your contract of carriage. These
rules may differ among carriers. They include provisions such as check-in
deadlines, refund procedures, responsibility for delayed flights, and many
other things.

Domestic Travel

For domestic travel, an airline may provide all of its
contract terms on or with your ticket at the time you buy it. Some small
“commuter” carriers use this system. Other airlines may elect to
“incorporate terms by reference.” This means that you are not given
all the airline’s rules with your ticket [The proof has a weird symbol here; it
should be a dash] most of them are contained in a separate document which you
can inspect on request or on the airlines web site. If an airline elects to
“incorporate by reference” it must provide conspicuous written notice
with each ticket that: 1) it incorporates terms by reference, and 2) these terms
may include liability limitations, claim-filing deadlines, check-in deadlines,
and certain other key terms. The airline must also:

* Ensure that passengers can receive an explanation of key
terms identified on the ticket from any location where the carrier’s tickets
are sold, including travel agencies;

* Make available for inspection the full text of its contract
of carriage at each of its own airport and city ticket offices;

* Mail a free copy of the full text of its contract of
carriage upon request.

DOT also requires most U.S.airlines to post their contracts of
carriage on their web site, if they have one.

There are additional notice requirements for contract terms
that affect your air fare. Airlines must provide a conspicuous written notice
on or with the ticket concerning any “incorporated” contract terms
that restrict refunds, impose monetary penalties, or permit the airline to
raise the price after you’ve bought the ticket.

If an airline incorporates contract terms by reference and
fails to provide you the required notice about a particular rule, you will not
be bound by that rule. In addition, a DOT rule prohibits airlines from changing
a term in your contract after you buy your ticket if the change will have a
significant negative effect on you.

International Travel

Not all of the detailed requirements for disclosing domestic
contract terms apply to international travel. Where they do not, the airline
must keep a copy of its “tariff” rules at its airport and city ticket offices. On
flights to or from the U.S., you have a right to examine these rules.

The most important point to remember, whether your travel is
domestic or international, is that you should not be afraid to ask questions
about a carrier’s rules. You have a right to know the terms of your contract of
carriage. It is in your best interest, as well as that of the airline, for you
to ask in advance about any matters of uncertainty.

Unlike most products, travel services usually have to be paid
for before they are delivered. This creates opportunities for disreputable
individuals and companies. Some travel packages turn out to be very different
from what was presented or what the consumer expected. Some don’t materialize
at all! If you receive an offer by phone or mail for a free or extremely
low-priced vacation trip to a popular destination (often Hawaii or Florida), there are a few things you should look for:

* Does the price seem too good to be true? If so, it probably
is.

* Are you pressured to make an immediate decision?

* Is the carrier simply identified as “a major
airline,” or does the representative offer a collection of airlines
without being able to say which one you will be on?

* Is the representative unable or unwilling to give you a
street address for the company?

* Are you told you can’t leave for at least two months? (The legal
deadline for disputing a credit card charge is 60 days, and most scam artists
know this.)

If you encounter any of these symptoms, proceed cautiously.
Ask for written information to be sent to you; any legitimate travel company
will be happy to oblige. If they don’t have a brochure, ask for a day or two to
think it over; most bona fide deals that are good today will still be good two
days from now. If they say no to both requests, this probably isn’t the trip
for you. Some other advice:

* If you are told that you’ve won a free vacation, ask if you
have to buy something else in order to get it. Some packages have promoted free
air fare, as long as you buy expensive hotel arrangements. Others include a
free hotel stay, but no air fare.

* If you are seriously considering the vacation offer and are
confident you have established the full price you will pay, compare the offer
to what you might obtain elsewhere. Frequently, the appeal of free air fare or
free accommodations disguises the fact that the total price is still higher
than that of a regular package tour.

* Get a confirmed departure date, in writing, before you pay
anything. Eye skeptically any promises that an acceptable date will be arranged
later. If the package involves standby or waitlist travel, or a reservation
that can only be provided much later, ask if your payment is refundable if you
want to cancel, and don’t pay any money you can’t afford to lose.

* If the destination is a beach resort, ask the seller how far
the hotel is from the beach. Then ask the hotel.

* Determine the complete cost of the trip in dollars,
including all service charges, taxes, processing fees, etc.

* If you decide to buy the trip after checking it out, paying
by credit card gives you certain legal rights to pursue a chargeback (credit)
if promised services aren’t delivered.

For further advice, see “Other Sources of
Information” at the end of this brochure for details on how to order the
Federal Trade Commission’s pamphlet Telemarketing Travel Fraud.

Flying is a routine activity for millions of Americans, and
raises no health considerations for the great majority of them. However, there
are certain things you can do to ensure that your flight is as comfortable as
possible. Changes in pressure can temporarily block the Eustachian tube,
causing your ears to ‘pop’ or to experience a sensation of fullness. To
equalize the pressure, swallow frequently; chewing gum sometimes helps. Yawning
is also effective. Avoid sleeping during descent; you may not swallow often
enough to keep ahead of the pressure change.

Babies are especially troubled by these pressure changes
during descent. Having them feed from a bottle or suck on a pacifier will often
provide relief. Avoid flying if you have recently had abdominal, eye or oral
surgery, including a root canal. The pressure changes that occur during climb
and descent can result in discomfort. If you have an upper respiratory or sinus
infection, you may also experience discomfort resulting from pressure changes.
Postpone your trip if possible. (Check to see if your fare has cancellation or
change penalties.) A final tip on pressure changes: they cause your feet to
swell. Try not to wear new or tight shoes while flying.

Alcohol and coffee both have a drying effect on the body.
Airliner cabin air is relatively dry to begin with, and the combination can
increase your chances of contracting a respiratory infection. If you wear
contact lenses, the low cabin humidity and/or consumption of alcohol or coffee
can reduce your tear volume, leading to discomfort if you don’t blink often
enough. Lens wearers should clean their lenses thoroughly before the flight,
use lubricating eye drops during the flight, read in intervals, and take the
lenses out if they nap. (This may not apply to extended wear lenses; consult
your practitioner.) If you take prescription medications, bring enough to last
through your trip. Take along a copy of the prescription, or your doctor’s name
and telephone number, in case the medication is lost or stolen. The medicine
should be in the original prescription bottle in order to avoid questions at
security or Customs inspections. Carry it in a pocket or a carry-on bag; don’t
pack it in a checked bag, in case the bag is lost.

You can minimize the effects of jet lag in several ways:

* Get several good nights’ sleep before your trip.

* Try to take a flight that arrives at night, so you can go
straight to bed.

* Sleep on the plane (although not during descent).

* During the flight do isometric exercises, eat lightly, and
drink little or no alcohol.

A condition known as Deep Venous Thrombosis can occur in some
people who dont exercise their legs for several hours ? for example, during an
airline flight. Consider walking up and down the aisle once or twice, and
search the web for exercises that you can do at your seat to minimize the risk
of developing this condition during a flight.

Try to use a rest room in the airport terminal before departure.
On some flights the cabin crew begins beverage service shortly after the
“Fasten Seat Belts” sign is turned off, and the serving cart may
block access to the lavatories.

Air travel is so safe you’ll probably never have to use any of
the advice we’re about to give you. But if you ever do need it, this
information could save your life. Airline passengers usually take safety for
granted when they board an airplane. They tune out the crew’s pre-flight
announcements or reach for a magazine instead of the cards that show how to
open the emergency exit and what to do if the oxygen mask drops down. Because
of this, people may be needlessly hurt or killed in accidents they could
survive. Every time you board a plane, here are some things you should do:

* Carry-on bags must be properly stowed in overhead bins or
under the seat in front of you. Be careful about what you put into the storage
bins over your seat. Their doors may pop open during an accident or even a hard
landing, spilling their contents. Also, passengers in aisle seats have been
injured by heavy items falling out of these compartments when people are
stowing or retrieving belongings at the beginning or end of a flight.

* As soon as you sit down, fasten and unfasten your seat belt
a couple of times. Watch how it works. In an emergency you don’t want to waste
time fumbling with the buckle.

* Before take-off, there will be a briefing about safety
procedures, pointing out emergency exits and explaining seat belts, life vests
and oxygen masks. Listen carefully and if there’s anything you don’t understand
ask the flight attendants for help.

The plastic card in the seat pocket in front of you will
review some of the safety information announced by the flight attendant. Read it.
It also tells you about emergency exits and how to find and use emergency
equipment such as oxygen masks. As you’re reading the card look for your
closest emergency exit, and count the number of rows between yourself and this
exit. Remember, the closest exit may be behind you. Have a second escape route
planned in case the nearest exit is blocked. This is important because people
sometimes head for the door they used to board the plane, usually in the front
of the first class cabin. This wastes time and blocks the aisles. If the oxygen
masks should drop, you must tug the plastic tube slightly to get the oxygen
flowing. If you don’t understand the instructions about how the mask works, ask
a flight attendant to explain them to you.

When the plane is safely in the air, the pilot usually turns
off the “fasten seat belt” sign. He or she usually suggests that
passengers keep their belts buckled anyway during the flight in case the plane
hits rough air. This is a good idea; there have been a number of instances of
unexpected turbulence in which unbelted passengers were seriously injured and
even killed when they were thrown about the cabin. Just as seat belts should
always be worn in cars, in airplanes they should always be fastened when you
are in your seat.

If you are ever in an aviation accident, you should remember
these things:

* Stay calm.

* Listen to the crew members and do what they say. The cabin
crew’s most important job is to help you evacuate safely.

* Before you try to open any emergency exit yourself, look
outside the window. If you see a fire outside the door, don’t open it or the
flames may spread into the cabin. Try to use your alternate escape route.

* Remember, smoke rises. So try to stay down if there’s smoke
in the cabin. Follow the track of emergency lights embedded in the floor; they
lead to an exit. If you have a cloth, put it over your nose and mouth.

After an air accident, the National Transportation Safety
Board always talks to survivors to try to learn why they were able to make it through
safely. They’ve discovered that, as a rule, it does help to be prepared.
Avoiding serious injury or surviving an air accident isn’t just a matter of
luck; it’s also a matter of being informed and thinking ahead.

Are you one of those people who jumps up while the aircraft is
still taxiing, gathers up coat, suitcase and briefcase, and gets ready to
sprint? If so, resist the urge. Planes sometimes make sudden stops when they
are taxiing to the airport gate, and passengers have been injured when they were
thrown onto a seat back or the edge of a door of an overhead bin. Stay in your
seat with your belt buckled until the plane comes to a complete halt and the
‘fasten seat belt’ sign is turned off.

Never smoke in airplane restrooms. Smoking was banned there after
an accident killed 116 people in only 4 minutes, apparently because a careless
smoker left a burning cigarette butt in the trash bin. There is a steep fine for
disabling a lavatory smoke detector.

DOT rules require U.S. airlines to provide information on how
to file a complaint with the carrier. This information must appear on their web
sites, on all e-ticket confirmations, and upon request at any of the airlines
ticket counters or gates. When passengers comment on airline service, most
airlines do listen. They track and analyze the complaints and compliments they
receive and use the information to determine what the public wants and to
identify problem areas that need attention. They also try to resolve individual
complaints. A DOT rule requires that airlines acknowlege a written complaint
within 30 days and send a substantive response within 60 days of receiving the
complaint.

Like other businesses, airlines have a lot of discretion in
how they respond to problems. While you do have certain rights as a passenger,
your demands for compensation will probably be subject to negotiation and the
kind of action you get often depends in large part on the way you go about
complaining. Start with the airline. Before you contact DOT for help with an
air travel problem, you should give the airline a chance to resolve it. As a
rule, airlines have trouble-shooters at the airports (they’re usually called
Customer Service Representatives) who can take care of many problems on the
spot. They can often arrange meals and hotel rooms for stranded passengers,
write checks for denied boarding compensation, arrange luggage resolutions, and
settle other routine claims or complaints

If you can’t resolve the problem at the airport and want to
file a complaint, it’s best to write or email the airline’s consumer office at
its corporate headquarters. DOT requires most U.S. airlines to state on their
web sites how and where complaints can be submitted. There may be a form on the
airlines web site for this purpose. Take notes at the time the incident occurred
and jot down the names of the carrier employees with whom you dealt. Keep all
of your travel documents (ticket or confirmation, baggage check stubs, boarding
pass, etc.) as well as receipts for any out-of-pocket expenses that were
incurred as a result of the mishandling. Here are some helpful tips should you
choose to write.

* If you send a letter, type it and, if at all possible, limit
it to two pages.

* Include your daytime telephone number (with area code).

* No matter how angry you might be, keep your letter or email businesslike
in tone and don’t exaggerate what happened. If the complaint sounds very
vehement or sarcastic, you might wait a day and then consider revising it.

* Describe what happened, and give dates, cities, and flight
numbers or flight times.

* Where possible, include copies, never the originals, of
tickets and receipts or other documents that can back up your claim.

* Include the names of any employees who were rude or made
things worse, as well as anyone who might have been especially helpful.

* Don’t clutter your complaint with a litany of petty gripes
that can obscure what you’re really angry about.

* Let the airline know if you’ve suffered any special
inconvenience or monetary losses.

* Say just what you expect the carrier to do to make amends.
An airline may offer to settle your claim with a check or some other kind of
compensation, possibly free transportation. You might want a written apology
from a rude employee or reimbursement for some loss you incurred ? but the
airline needs to know what you want before it can decide what action to take.

* Be reasonable. If your demands are way out of line, you are
rude or sarcastic, or you use vulgar language, at best your letter might earn
you a polite apology and a place in the airline’s crank files.

If you follow these guidelines, the airlines will probably
treat your complaint seriously. Your letter will help them to determine what
caused your problem, as well as to suggest actions the company can take to keep
the same thing from happening to other people.

Contacting the Department of Transportation

Complaints about airline service may be registered with DOT’s
Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD). You can call, write or use our
web-based complaint form.