Complaints about airline carriers and ticket agents can now be submitted to the office of Attorney General Gentner Drummond through an online form. Amid elevated levels of consumer complaints about flight disruptions, a lack of refunds, and lost or delayed luggage, Drummond recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that gives him the authority to review and resolve airline consumer complaints for Oklahoma residents.
While these investigations historically have been under the purview of the federal government, the agreement streamlines how the Office of the Attorney General and DOT will review complaints and identify violations of federal aviation consumer protection requirements.
Noting that air travel is fundamental to the lives of many Americans and the national economy, Drummond said airline complaints from Oklahomans will no longer fall on "the deaf ears of a sprawling federal government."
“Airline passengers deserve to be treated fairly and to receive the services for which they pay,” he said. “Our hope is that this airline complaint form will improve ease for Oklahomans to lodge a complaint directly with the Attorney General’s office. I am committed to protecting all Oklahomans from deceptive and prohibited conduct.”
DOT expects to launch a modernized system for handling air-travel service complaints later this month. This system is intended to improve the customer experience for the tens of thousands of consumers who file such complaints with the federal agency each year. The Office of the Attorney General will provide information on how to submit complaints directly to DOT in the near future.
The two-year agreement between Oklahoma and DOT may be extended in two-year intervals. Drummond previously urged the federal government to strengthen protections for air travelers and asked Congress to authorize state attorneys general to enforce federal consumer protection laws governing the airline industry.
More than 939 million passengers traveled by air in the U.S. last year.