U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks at a press conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., the day after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 27, 2024.
Elisabeth Franz | Reuters
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Tuesday that he is working with state attorneys general to expedite investigations of complaints against airlines and ticket agents as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to bolster consumer protections.
Currently, the authority to enforce passenger protection rests solely with the federal government. While state attorneys general receive consumer complaints, airlines are not legally required to respond to their inquiries.
Buttigieg said that under the partnership, states will investigate complaints about airlines and refer them to the U.S. Department of Transportation for priority review and enforcement action.
They will also report instances where carriers fail to respond to requests for information. The Department of Transportation will allow states to access its database of consumer complaints.
“The reality is, given the record-breaking air travel we’re seeing, we need force multipliers to help meet the demand,” Buttigieg told reporters.
Complaints against U.S. airlines rose sharply last year even as flight cancellations fell to their lowest point in a decade, according to U.S. Transportation Department data.
The Biden administration has been aggressively pushing for measures to expand consumer rights for air passengers.
It has proposed rules mandating compensation and accommodations for passengers when an airline is responsible for a flight delay or cancellation. It also urged operators to eliminate waste fees, including those for providing seating for families.
Buttigieg has launched multiple investigations and fined airlines for misconduct. Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation fined Southwest Airlines $140 million for failures during the December 2022 holiday season that resulted in the cancellation of 16,900 flights and stranded 2 million passengers.
The latest move comes as U.S. passenger traffic this year is expected to reach its highest level ever.
Buttigieg said the bipartisan agreement brings together Republican and Democratic state attorneys general.
It includes 18 states including California, New York, Nevada and Colorado, which are home to some of the busiest airports in the United States. The DOT said seven other states — Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington — are interested in joining the initiative.
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