Complaining to DOT about airline service

File a Consumer Airline Service Complaint

Before you contact DOT for help with an air travel problem, you should give the airline a chance to resolve it.  Airlines have trouble-shooters at the airports, usually called Customer Service Representatives, who can take care of many problems on the spot.  They may be able to arrange meals and hotel rooms for stranded passengers, write checks if you’re bumped from your flight, help with baggage issues, and settle other routine claims or complaints.

If you can’t resolve the problem at the airport, you may want to file a complaint with the airline.  DOT requires airlines to acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them and to send consumers written responses addressing these complaints within 60 days of receiving them.  DOT also requires airlines to let consumers know how to complain to them.

It’s often best to email or write to the airline’s consumer office at its corporate headquarters.  DOT requires airlines that fly to, from, or within the United States to state on their websites how and where complaints can be submitted.  There may be a form on the airline’s website for this purpose.

If you feel that the airline does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you may want to file a complaint with DOT.  You may also file a complaint with DOT if you feel that you experienced unlawful discriminatory treatment in air travel by airline employees or the airline’s contractors on the basis of disability or on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religion, or ancestry.

File a Consumer Complaint button

Safety and Security Complaints

DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division does not handle aviation safety and security complaints.

  • If you are concerned about airline safety (airline and airplane safety, emergency exit seating, low-flying aircraft, pilot licensing and related issues), please visit the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website to report a safety-related issue.
  • If you have a concern about aviation security (passenger screening, the “no-fly” list, the baggage screening process, and related issues), call the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) toll-free at 1-866-289-9673 or email TSA.  For additional information, visit the TSA website.

Contact Us By Phone or Mail

If you wish to submit a complaint to DOT via written letter, please feel free to do so using the contact information below.  When mailing a letter, please include your full address and phone number as well as complete and accurate information about your trip and the problem you had or are having.

  • Contact us by phone – You may contact DOT by phone at 202-366-2220.  Please know that in order for a case to be processed as a complaint, it must be submitted in writing.
  • Contact us by mail – To contact us by mail, please send your correspondence to the below address.
    • Office of Aviation Consumer Protection
      U.S. Department of Transportation
      1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
      Washington, DC  20590

How the Complaint Process Works

For Disability and Discrimination Complaints

  • A Transportation Industry Analyst will forward your complaint to the airline, and the airline will be required to respond to you and the DOT.
  • Once the airline’s response is received, a DOT analyst will review your complaint and the airline’s response to determine if a violation occurred.  After the analyst reviews your case, it will be given to an attorney for review.  Once your case is reviewed by an attorney, an analysis with our findings will be mailed to you.  Please note that due to the volume of cases received, and the thoroughness of this process, it may take some time to fully process your case.

For All Other Complaints

  • A Transportation Industry Analyst will forward your complaint to the airline and the airline will be required to provide you with a response.  The analyst will ask the airline to provide a copy of the response to DOT only if it falls under one of the areas DOT enforces.  The DOT analyst will then review the case to determine whether a violation occurred.  If your complaint does not appear to fall under any of the laws that we enforce, it will still be logged in our database.
  • Every month, DOT publishes its Air Travel Consumer Report, which contains information about the number of complaints we receive about each airline and what problems people are having.  This report is made available to the public so that consumers and air travel companies can compare the complaint records of individual airlines and tour operators.  In addition to complaints, the report also contains statistics that the airlines file with us on flight delays, cancellations, bumping, mishandled baggage, and other helpful information.

How Do Consumer Complaints Help DOT?

Complaints from consumers help DOT spot problem areas and trends in the airline industry.  Complaints can lead to enforcement action against an airline when a serious violation of the law has occurred.  Complaints may also be the basis for rulemaking actions.

Additional Resources

DOT Relaunches Air Consumer Website

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DOT rules require US airlines to provide information on how to file a complaint with the carrier. This information must appear on their websites, on all e-ticket confirmations, and upon request at any airline’s ticket counters or gates. When passengers comment on airline service, most airlines do listen. They track and analyze the complaints and compliments they receive and use the information to determine what the public wants and to identify problem areas that need attention. They also try to resolve individual complaints.

A DOT rule requires that airlines acknowledge a written complaint within 30 days and send a substantive response within 60 days of receiving the complaint.

Like other businesses, airlines have a lot of discretion in responding to problems. While you have certain rights as a passenger, your demands for compensation will probably be subject to negotiation, and the kind of action you get often depends in large part on how you complain.

Start with the airline. Before you contact DOT 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 airports (usually called Customer Service Representatives) who can take care of many problems on the spot. They can often arrange meals and hotel rooms for stranded passengers, write checks for denied boarding compensation, arrange luggage resolutions, 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 write or email the airline’s consumer office at its corporate headquarters. DOT requires most US airlines to state how and where complaints can be submitted on their web sites. There may be a form on the airline’s website for this purpose. Take notes when the incident occurred and jot down the names of the carrier employees with whom you dealt. Keep all of your travel documents (ticket or confirmation, baggage check stubs, boarding pass, etc.) as well as receipts for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred due to the mishandling.

Here are some helpful tips should you choose to write.

  • If you send a letter, type it and, if at all possible, limit it to two pages.
  • Include your daytime telephone number (with area code).
  • Keep your letter or email businesslike tone, no matter how angry you might be. Don’t exaggerate what happened. If the complaint sounds vehement or sarcastic, you might wait a day and consider revising it.
  • Describe what happened, and give dates, cities, and flight numbers or flight times.
  • Where possible, include copies, never the originals, of tickets, receipts, or other documents that can back up your claim.
  • Include the names of employees who were rude or made things worse, as well as anyone who might have been especially helpful.
  • Don’t clutter your complaint with a litany of petty gripes that can obscure what you’re angry about.
  • Let the airline know if you’ve suffered any 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 other compensation, possibly free transportation or frequent flier miles. You might want a written apology from a rude airline employee or reimbursement for some loss you incurred. The airline needs to know what you want before deciding what action to take.
  • Be reasonable. If your demands are way out of line, you are rude or sarcastic, or you use vulgar language, at best your letter might earn you a polite apology and a place in the airline’s crank files.

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