Attorney General William Tong announced an agreement with the federal Department of Transportation Tuesday that empowers his office to deal more directly with airlines on behalf of consumers.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed with the federal DOT, the Connecticut Attorney General’s office is able to investigate complaints made by consumers against airlines and ticket companies, and make preliminary determinations about whether federal protections for aviation passengers have been violated.
“This agreement is a powerful breakthrough that bolsters the Office of the Attorney General’s authority to fight for refunds and relief for consumers wronged by airlines,” Tong said in a statement. “Over the past few years, my office alone has received hundreds of consumer complaints regarding canceled or delayed flights, denied refunds, lost luggage, and inadequate customer service. We’ve successfully secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds and relief, but in far too many instances, airlines have tried to hide behind federal preemption to dismiss our inquiries.”
Under current federal law, the DOT is charged with protecting consumers when dealing with airline and ticketing companies. Customers are entitled to a refund in the case of a delay or cancellation, and may be entitled to additional compensation in the case of a controllable delay caused by airlines. Oftentimes though, customers were not able to successfully pursue complaints because of the requirement to file them federally. The agreement explicitly authorizes state-level attorneys general to participate in the enforcement of federal airline consumer protection laws.
Connecticut joins over 20 other states and territories who have signed the memorandum with the DOT or expressed interest in doing so. 939 million passengers flew inside of the United States last year, making the issue of fairness in advertising and refunding for tickets a critical one.
“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.”
The aviation industry has been faced with some high-profile disruptions in recent years. Tens of thousands of travelers were disrupted by Southwest Airlines computer failures a year ago and also in 2016.
According to data from the federal government, more than 28% of flights arriving at Bradley International Airport have been delayed this year, the highest percentage over the same time period since at least 2015, with about 3.4% of arrivals being canceled. Departures are also at a record high, with nearly 21% of departures seeing delays so far in 2024. Slightly less than 3.9% of departures were canceled.
There have been massive disruptions to air travel this year as a result of dramatic weather events. In January, a winter storm that knocked out power across the eastern United States led to over 2,000 flight cancellations and more than 5,000 delays. Another storm in February that struck the Northeast led to at least 1,200 flights being canceled.
Some scientists say that these weather-induced delays and cancellations will only get worse over time as a result of climate change fueling more storms with greater destructive power. A recent example is the “historic” rain storm that crippled the Dubai International Airport with more than five and a half inches of rain in a 24-hour period. The same area typically receives less than 4 inches of rain for an entire year. The deluge resulted in more than 800 flights being canceled.
For its part, the airline industry appeared ready to be cooperative with the new power of the Attorney General’s office.
“Consumers are the core of the U.S. airline industry, and carriers compete every day for customers and for their repeat business. U.S. airlines strive to provide the highest levels of customer service, and recent national surveys show that the vast majority of travelers are satisfied with their air travel experiences,” Airlines for America, a trade group representing several of the country’s largest airlines, said in a statement. “We consistently work with the U.S. Department of Transportation, state attorneys general and a wide range of other state and national groups to constantly improve the customer experience for all passengers. We appreciate the role of state attorneys general and their work on behalf of consumers, and we look forward to continuing working with them.”
Consumers who wish to file a complaint about a flying experience can contact the Attorney General’s office at 860-808-5318 or by email at attorney.general@ct.gov.
