Attorney General Phil Weiser, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announce airline passenger protection partnership

Attorney General Phil Weiser, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announce airline passenger protection partnership

April 16, 2024 (DENVER)-Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation to review and resolve consumer complaints against airlines and ticket agents. The agreement, announced today with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at Denver International Airport, streamlines how the attorney general and DOT will work together to review consumer complaints and identify violations of federal aviation consumer protection requirements.

The new process for addressing consumer complaints against air travel companies, outlined in a memorandum of understanding between the Colorado Attorney General's Office and the DOT, reinforces state and federal commitments to protect the rights of the travelers. Colorado is one of 25 states or territories that either signed an MOU with the DOT or expressed an interest in executing such an agreement. This action comes at a time when complaints about flight disruptions, lack of refunds, and lost or delayed baggage continue to be core passenger concerns.

Weiser, who led the bipartisan state attorneys general partnership with DOT, praised the new coordinated effort that will provide better protection to millions of U.S. airline passengers.

"Consumers deserve to be treated fairly, know what they're getting, and get everything they pay for when they fly," said Attorney General Weiser. "This agreement and partnership with the DOT will allow my office to directly serve Colorado consumers when they file complaints about unfair or deceptive airline business practices and creates a process to ensure DOT prioritizes complaints we refer. I want to thank Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his staff for listening to our requests for more coordination between the states and the federal government on this issue. By working together, we will be improving travel for passengers and holding accountable airlines or ticket agents who harm consumers."

"We take our mission to protect consumers seriously, and today's launch of the Airline Passenger Protection Partnership is an important milestone in that effort," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "By partnering with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, the U.S. Department of Transportation has expanded our ability to hold airlines and ticket agents accountable and protect passengers from unfair or deceptive practices."

Federal law places the central responsibility for protecting airline consumers with the DOT. Under this historic agreement, the attorney general's office will be authorized to investigate consumer complaints against air carriers, ticket agents, and other air travel companies supervised by the DOT. The attorney general's office will work with consumers and companies to resolve complaints, and if necessary, will refer complaints to the DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP). The OACP will prioritize their review, include attorney general's office staff on letters of inquiry to those companies based on those referrals, and consult with the attorney general's office before determining next steps.

The DOT will also provide technical assistance and training to staff in the attorney general's office and will meet at least once a year with the attorney general's office to assess ongoing efforts and to update Colorado on any actions taken in response to state-referred complaints.

The MOU will last for two years, and Colorado and the DOT may agree to extend it at two-year intervals after the agreement ends.

Weiser has led the calls for the federal government to strengthen protections for airline passengers, and he has urged Congress to authorize state attorneys general enforcement of federal consumer protection laws governing the airline industry. He also championed action against Frontier Airlines for its mistreatment of consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Others that have signed an MOU with the DOT include the attorneys general from California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Wisconsin.

Those that have expressed an interest in executing such an agreement with DOT include the attorneys general from Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington.

Colorado consumers should file complaints against airlines, ticket agents, or any company engaged in harmful or deceptive practices to the attorney general's office at StopFraudColorado.gov.

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