PASSENGER COMPLAINTS and COMPLIMENTS

When passengers comment on airline service, most airlines do listen. They analyze and keep track of the complaints and compliments they receive and use the information to determine what the public wants and to identify problem areas that need special attention. They also try to resolve individual complaints. Like other businesses, airlines have a lot of discretion in how they respond to problems. While you do have some rights as a passenger, your demands for compensation will probably be subject to negotiation and the kind of action you get depends in large part on the way you go about complaining. Start with the airline. Before you call or write to DOT or some other agency for help with an air travel problem, you should give the airline a chance to resolve it. As a rule, airlines have trouble-shooters at the airports (they're usually called Customer Service Representatives) who can take care of many problems on the spot. They can arrange meals and hotel rooms for stranded passengers, write checks for denied boarding compensation, arrange luggage repairs and settle other routine claims or complaints

If you can't resolve the problem at the airport and want to file a complaint, it's best to call or write the airline's consumer office at its corporate headquarters. Take notes at the time the incident occurs and jot down the names of the carrier employees with whom you dealt. Keep all of your travel documents (ticket receipts, baggage check stubs, boarding passes, etc.) as well as receipts for any out-of-pocket expenses that were incurred as a result of the mishandling. Here are some helpful tips should you choose to write a letter.

• Type the letter and, if at all possible, limit it to one page in length.
• Include your daytime telephone number (with area code).
• No matter how angry you might be, keep your letter businesslike in tone and don't exaggerate what happened. If the complaint sounds very vehement or sarcastic, you might wait a day and then consider rewriting it.
• Describe what happened, and give dates, cities, and flight numbers or flight times.
• Send copies, never the originals, of tickets and receipts or other documents that can back up your claim.
• Include the names of any employees who were rude or made things worse, as well as anyone who might have been especially helpful.
• Don't clutter up your complaint with petty gripes that can obscure what you're really angry about.
• Let the airline know if you've suffered any special inconvenience or monetary losses.
• Say just what you expect the carrier to do to make amends. An airline may offer to settle your claim with a check or some other kind of compensation, possibly free transportation. You might want a written apology from a rude employee or reimbursement for some loss you incurred-but the airline needs to know what you want before it can decide what action to take.
• Be reasonable. If your demands are way out of line, your letter might earn you a polite apology and a place in the airline's crank files.

If you follow these guidelines, the airlines will probably treat your complaint seriously. Your letter will help them to determine what caused your problem, as well as to suggest actions the company can take to keep the same thing from happening to other people.

Contacting the Department of Transportation

If you want to put your complaint about an airline on record with DOT, you can call the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at (202) 366-2220 to record your complaint. Or write:

Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

If you write, please be sure to include your address and a daytime telephone number, with area code. Letters from consumers help us spot problem areas and trends in the airline industry. We use our complaint files to document the need for changes in DOT's consumer protection regulations and, where warranted, as the basis for enforcement action. In addition, every month we publish a report with information about the number of complaints we receive about each airline and what problems people are having. You can write or call us for a free single copy of this Air Travel Consumer Report, which also has statistics that the airlines file with us on flight delays, oversales and mishandled baggage. (Data from recent reports are online on this home page.) If your complaint is about something you feel is a safety or security hazard, write to the Federal Aviation Administration:

Assistant Administrator for System Safety, ASY-100
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20591

or call: (800) FAA-SURE. After office hours, if you want to report something that you believe is a serious safety hazard, call the Aviation Safety Hotline at 1-800-255-1111.

Local consumer help programs

In most communities there are consumer help groups that try to mediate complaints about businesses, including airlines and travel agencies.

• Most state governments have a special office that investigates consumer problems and complaints. Sometimes it is a separate division in the governor's or state attorney general's office. Check your telephone book under the state government's listing.
• Many cities and counties have consumer affairs departments that handle complaints. Often you can register your complaint and get information over the phone or in person.
• A number of newspapers and radio or TV stations operate "Hot Lines" or "Action Lines" where individual consumers can get help. Consumer reporters, with the help of volunteers, try to mediate complaints and may report the results as a news item. The possible publicity encourages companies to take fast action on consumer problems when they are referred by the media. Some Action Lines, however, may not be able to handle every complaint they receive. They often select the most severe problems or those that are most representative of the kinds of complaints they receive.

Your last resort

If nothing else works, small claims court might be the best way for you to help yourself. Many cities have these courts to settle disputes involving relatively small amounts of money and to reduce the red tape and expense that people generally fear when they sue someone. An airline can generally be sued in small claims court in any jurisdiction where it operates flights or does business. You can usually get the details of how to use the small claims court in your community by contacting your city or county office of consumer affairs, or the clerk of the court. As a rule, small claims court costs are low, you don't need a lawyer, and the procedures are much less formal and intimidating than they are in most other types of courts. See "Other Sources of Information" at the end of this pamphlet for details on how to order a free brochure, Consumers Tell It to the Judge.

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Availability and prices subject to change.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Aviation Consumer Protection Division

Write to:
Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20590

"Plane Talk." A series of facts sheets on specialized topics. Free. -Frequent Flyer Programs -Tips on Avoiding Baggage Problems -'Defensive Flying' -Public Charter Flights -Transporting Live Animals -Passengers With Disabilities

"Kids and Teens in Flight." When children fly alone. Free.

"Consumers Tell It to the Judge." Small Claims court. Free.

"Air Travel Consumer Report." Single copies free. Statistics for the industry and for individual airlines on: -Delayed and canceled flights -Oversales -Baggage problems -Consumer complaints to DOT

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Write to:
Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20402

"Your Trip Abroad." Customs, shots, insurance. $1.25.

"A Safe Trip Abroad." Precautions against robbery, terrorism. $1.00.

"Travel Tips for Older Americans." $1.00.

For the following brochure, write to:
Consumer Information Center
Pueblo, CO 81009

"Foreign Entry Requirements." Visa and other requirements for many foreign countries. 50 cents.

U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE

Write to:
U.S. Customs Service
P.O. Box 7407
Washington, DC 20044

"Know Before You Go." Customs advice for entering the U.S. Free.

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Write to:
Federal Trade Commission
6th & Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Room 130
Washington, DC 20580

"Telemarketing Travel Fraud." Travel scams marketed by phone. Free.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Write to:
USDA/APHIS Public Information
6505 Belcrest Road, Room 613
Hyattsville, MD 20782

"Travelers' Tips." Bringing plant and animal products into the U.S. Free.

"Traveling By Air with your Pet." Free.

U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

Write to:
Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20402

"Health Information for International Travelers" $6.00 (182 pp.).

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Write to:
A.S.P.C.A. Education
Dept. 424
E. 92nd St.
New York, NY 10128

(Send a long self-addressed stamped envelope)

"Air Travel Tips" [for pets]. Free.

"Airline Travel With Your Bird." Free

AVIATION CONSUMER ACTION PROJECT

Write to:
Aviation Consumer Action Project
P.O. Box 19029
Washington, DC 20036

"Facts and Advice for Airline Passengers." $2.00.

BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU

Write to:
Better Business Bureau
257 Park Ave. South
New York, NY 10010