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DOT Announces Enhanced Protections for Air Travelers, Actions to Promote Airline Competition

If you’ve followed DOT’s Fast Lane blog over the last few years, you know that the Obama Administration believes that airline passengers deserve to have access to clear and complete information about the airlines they choose to fly, and to expect fair and reasonable treatment when they fly.

That’s why today, I’m pleased to announce that DOT is taking a number of actions to enhance protections for air travelers and promote competition in the airline industry.

These actions are a result of the Department’s continued commitment to ensuring that passengers are treated fairly by the airline industry, as well as an executive order issued by President Obama directing federal agencies to identify specific actions to relieve undue burdens on competition and better inform consumers.

Picture of BWI Airport

Airlines Report 15 Tarmac Delays Over Three Hours on Domestic Flights, Five Tarmac Delays Over Four Hours on International Flights in August

 

WASHINGTON – Airlines reported 15 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights and five tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights in August, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report released today.  All reported extended tarmac delays are being investigated by the Department.  Previous investigations of tarmac delays have resulted in enforcement action by the Department.

April 2016 Complaints Down and On-Time Performance Up From Previous Year, March 2016

 

WASHINGTON – In April, the U.S. Department of Transportation received 1,122 complaints about airline service from consumers, down 20.9 percent from the total of 1,419 filed in April 2015 and down 21.5 percent from the 1,429 received in March 2016, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today.

The reporting carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 84.5 percent in April 2016, up from both the 81.8 percent on-time rate in April 2015 and the 81.5 percent mark in March 2016.

Final Rule: Use of Electronic Cigarettes on Aircraft

The Department of Transportation is issuing a final rule to extend the smoking ban in 14 CFR Part 252 to include all charter (i.e., nonscheduled) flights where a flight attendant is a required crewmember. The revised Part 252 would comport with 49 U.S.C. § 41706, which was revised in 2012, to ban smoking on charter flights where a flight attendant is a required crewmember. This final rule also explicitly bans the use of electronic cigarettes (“e-cigarettes”) on all flights where smoking is banned. The Department interprets the existing Part 252 to prohibit e-cigarette use, but is codifying this interpretation.

DOT hands Southwest largest-ever tarmac delay civil penalty

Today, DOT fined Southwest Airlines $1.6 million for violating rules regarding lengthy tarmac delays and ordered Southwest to cease and desist from further violations. This is the largest civil penalty the Department has assessed for tarmac delay violations.

On January 2, 2014 --and extending into January 3-- Southwest failed to give passengers on 16 different aircraft at Chicago's Midway International Airport an opportunity to deplane within three hours of arrival. The airline also failed to have sufficient staff available to implement its Tarmac Delay Contingency Plan...

Photo of Southwest planes on tarmac at Midway; credit NBC Chicago

A little homework makes Spring Break travel smoother, safer

With loads of snow still on the ground across the country, it might seem out of place to let people know that--for much of the nation--this weekend brings a return to Daylight Savings Time. But it's true; early Sunday morning--2:00 a.m.--on March 9, we spring forward by setting our clocks an hour ahead.

Generally, that means more sunlight later in the day. But it also means an hour less sleep that first night, and--at least for a short time--it means darker mornings. With safety as our first priority here at DOT, we want to remind you to stay particularly alert behind the wheel while your body adjusts to the time change.

Infographic on Drowsy Driving

News Digest (DOT 101-13)

Consumers Cautioned on Air Tours to College Bowl Games. The U.S. Department of Transportation today reminded air travelers going to this season’s college football bowl games that a company marketing an air tour package that includes game tickets must have the tickets in hand or have a written contract for the tickets before advertising the tour. If a travel agent or other tour representative states that a game ticket is included, the consumer should require at the time of purchase that the game ticket be presented or a written confirmation for the ticket be provided.

As holiday travel heats up, air consumer complaints down

Historic consumer rules keep air travelers protected

The holiday travel season is upon us, and it's an exciting time of year for visiting loved ones, hitting the slopes, or escaping the cold.  Wherever you and your family are heading, we at DOT want your travel to be as stress-free as possible.

That’s why we’re pleased to report that airline consumer complaints filed with our Aviation Consumer Protection Division between January and September 2013 were down 14.1 percent from the first nine months of 2012. In addition, complaints filed in September 2013 were down 6.8 percent from September 2012.

Photo of travelers moving through airport

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