DES MOINES, IOWA (August 31, 2022) — Iowa Attorney General Tom Miler joined a bipartisan coalition in asking Congress to allow attorneys-general to enforce state and federal consumer protections for airline travelers. This request comes after attorneys-general received thousands of complaints from outraged passengers, claiming airlines have failed in their service responsibilities, causing significant frustrations and unnecessary challenges.
“Long delays, canceled flights, and endless rebooking has made travel a nightmare for many consumers this year,” AG Miller said. “As state attorneys-general, we hear about these frustrations frequently. Yet, there is nothing we can do to hold airlines accountable for this disappointing behavior. Congress can change that, and they should.”
Federal law places the central responsibility for addressing violations of airline consumer protection with the US Department of Transportation, but the agency has not kept up with the escalating issues. State attorneys-general have little to no authority in holding airline companies accountable for unacceptable behavior towards consumers.
The letter urges Congress to pass legislation that would authorize state attorneys-general to enforce both state and federal consumer protection laws governing the airline industry. It also encourages Congress to consider shifting the authority for federal investigations of airline patron complaints from the US DOT to an agency more primarily focused on consumer protection, such as the US Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission.
Joining AG Miller are the attorneys-general of Arizona, Colorado, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Read a copy of the letter here.
Consumers can file complaints with the DOT here.
