DENVER (CN) — A United Airlines flight from Denver to Vail was delayed Tuesday afternoon, along with Southwest’s route to San Jose and Delta’s trip to Atlanta. Upon landing, Frontier Airlines sent one orange suitcase out to baggage claim, instead of routing it onto a customer’s next flight.
“Is it mine,” said Jackson Stull with a disbelieving laugh when he saw his bag in Denver. “I flew all the way to New Orleans with this as a carry-on, and then got told on my flight to Denver I’d have to check it. They promised to put it on my flight to Salt Lake City, but we came out here to make sure there was no tomfoolery.”
The airline charges a premium for the convenience of bringing carry-on luggage on the plane. Grabbing his bag, Stull said he would consider filing a complaint, but he was more interested in spending his layover sightseeing.
With consumer complaints against airlines rising in recent years, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited Denver International Airport on Tuesday to ink an agreement with state attorneys general vowing to streamline investigations and hold airlines accountable for disruptions.
“Our preference is that passengers not experience these disruptions in the first place,” Buttigieg said during a press conference. “When something does go wrong, we have to have a system for accountability.”
Every year tens of thousands of Americans file complaints against airlines for cancellations, disruptions, hidden fees and lost baggage. In 2022, the Department of Transportation's office of three dozen employees tasked with investigating consumer complaints faced a record high 77,656 traveler reports — a number requiring intergovernmental collaboration to take on.
Under the agreement, attorneys general will investigate consumer complaints, and send substantiated ones onto the federal agency for further inquiry and action since states lack authority to hold airlines accountable directly.
Airlines also aren’t required to respond to state investigations, so state attorneys general need reinforcement from the federal government for carries that try to shake off state inquiry.
“This is cooperative federalism,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is credited with spearheading the reinforced partnership with the feds. “Now we’ve got a direct line to make sure people can get their money back.”
Previously, Weiser said his office could only forward consumer complaints to the federal government with no way of tracking the process or outcome. With the new system online, Weiser estimates the processing time for complaints will substantially decrease.
“An ideal world would be where states have the ability to enforce action against airlines, but Congress hasn’t acted on that,” Weiser said, calling the agreement the next best thing. “We’re going to hold accountable companies that are breaking the law and undermining travel experiences.”
Although airlines only canceled 1.2% of flights last year, that rate adds up to passengers on 16.3 million planes needing to make new plans — a fraction of whom follow up with formal complaints.
“Coming out of here took forever,” said Liz F., who flew into Denver from Atlanta on Saturday and asked that her last name not be used. “We were delayed four hours due to ‘operational difficulties,’ but I was pissed because we were already out on the tarmac, about to take off. You would think they would check those kinds of things before they put people on the plane.”
After, Liz said the airline gave her a $50 voucher, but even without that, she said she wasn't going to let one bad experience deter her from traveling. “As I get older, I’m learning not to sweat the small stuff,” she said before stepping into the security queue and heading off to Salt Lake City.
In addition to levying fines against airlines for violating consumer rights, Buttigieg estimated the federal government helped customers receive $3 billion in refunds and reimbursement from airlines last year.
Individuals with complaints against airlines are encouraged to send them to their attorney general.
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