Got an Airline Complaint? The DOT Just Supercharged How You File It

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched an updated, modernized system for filing airline travel-related complaints that promises to speed up and streamline the process of raising and resolving issues with airlines or travel agencies.

The new online tool, part of the DOT’s Aviation Complaint, Enforcement, and Reporting System (ACERS), allows air passengers in the U.S. to file complaints about airlines or ticket agents, as well as make comments or provide compliments for good service.

Click, Complain, and Carry On

The new process also makes it easier for companies to process consumer complaints and respond to them promptly and efficiently.

The portal, which can be found on the DOT’s website, replaces outdated technology that had been in place since the 1990s. The old system required analysts to manually process each complaint before sending it to airlines and travel agencies, resulting in a resolution process that took over a month.

Now, the updated ACERS system will ensure that companies and other relevant bodies will automatically receive complaints as soon as they are filed. The DOT also claims that the new system enhances data and privacy protection for consumers.

“I’m committed to making DOT work better for the American people,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy. “By modernizing our technology and getting rid of outdated legacy systems, we can better serve the traveling public and maximize efficiencies.”

Complaints In, Data Out

While the DOT continues to recommend that travelers should first raise any issues directly with the airline or travel agency in question, filing complaints to the ACERS system helps the DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) to track trends and identify instances where enforcement action is required.

However, due to the sheer number of complaints that are filed into the system, the OACP says it won’t be able to respond directly to each individual complaint, especially for complaints not related to civil rights, such as overbooking flights, mishandled luggage, flight disruptions, and delayed refunds.

Photo: Robert Penaloza / Unsplash

The DOT’s website states: “When a consumer submits an air travel service complaint to DOT against an airline or a travel agency, OACP ensures that the appropriate entity receives the complaint and directs it to respond directly to the consumer with a copy to OACP.

“For civil rights complaints, OACP will investigate every complaint that it receives and provide its findings to the consumer at the conclusion of the investigation. Federal laws prohibit airlines from discriminating against an air traveler because of his or her disability, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry.

“For all other complaints, OACP is not able to respond to each complaint individually, given the volume of complaints received. Although OACP does not respond to individual consumers who file complaints not involving civil rights, OACP will review and analyze non-civil rights-related complaints from consumers when conducting targeted or sample reviews to determine airlines’ and travel agencies’ compliance with aviation consumer protection requirements.”