Attorney General Michelle Henry hs announced a new complaint form for Pennsylvanians encountering hardships with airline travel, ranging from flight delays and cancellations to boarding problems.
The new form is available on the Office of Attorney General website and is a response to an uptick, nationwide, in consumer complaints regarding air travel. The form is the product of Henry’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation to better assist Pennsylvania travelers, a press release said.
Consumers may file complaints whether they purchased tickets directly, or through an agent or third party. Residents of Pennsylvania or those who faced airline issues in Pennsylvania are eligible to use the new complaint form.
Southwest passengers and airliners line up and move at Love Field in Dallas, Thursday, July 25, 2024. Southwest Airlines said Thursday that it plans to drop the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years and will start assigning passengers to seats, just like all the other big airlines. (AP Photo/LM Otero)AP
“It is no longer a secret that Pennsylvanians and consumers across the country are finding less and less convenience when traveling by air,” Henry said. “This form makes it easier for travelers who encounter problems to file a complaint, and is part of an ongoing initiative with federal partners to hold airlines and agents accountable when they mistreat consumers.”
The forms requires information, such as ticket number, flight itinerary, flight date, ticket date purchase, ticket price, and form of payment. The forms also require specifics on what issues were encountered by the traveler. This information will be useful when reviewing, and resolving, complaints.
The creation of the new aviation consumer complaint form comes following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Office of Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The MOU outlines how the agencies will work together to review consumer complaints and identify violations of federal aviation consumer protection requirements. The MOU in its entirety can be accessed here.
The Department of Transportation expects to launch a modernized system for handling air travel service complaints later this year.
This system is intended to improve the customer experience for the tens of thousands of consumers who file air travel service complaints with the Department each year. The Office of the Attorney General will provide information on how to submit complaints directly to the Department of Transportation in the future.