From staff reports OKLAHOMA CITY – Complaints about airline carriers and ticket agents can now be submitted to the state Attorney General’s office via an online form.
Amid elevated levels of consumer complaints about flight disruptions, a lack of refunds, and lost or delayed luggage, Attorney General Gentner Drummond recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Transportation that gives him the authority to review and resolve airline consumer complaints for Oklahoma residents.
While these investigations historically have been under the purview of the federal government, the agreement streamlines how the A.G.’s office and DOT will review complaints and identify violations of federal aviation consumer protection requirements.
Airline complaints from Oklahomans will no longer fall on the deaf ears of a sprawling federal government, Drummond said.
“Airline passengers deserve to be treated fairly and to receive the services for which they pay,” he said. “Our hope is that this form will improve ease for Oklahomans to lodge a complaint directly with the Attorney General’s office.”
DOT reportedly expects to launch a modernized system for handling air-travel service complaints later this month. This system is intended to improve the customer experience for the tens of thousands of consumers who file such complaints with the federal agency each year. The Office of the Attorney General will provide information on how to submit complaints directly to DOT in the near future.
The two-year agreement between Oklahoma and DOT may be extended in two-year intervals.
Airline passengers in the U.S. last year numbered more than 939 million.