Government fixes up airline gripe site

By Kelly Yamanouchi

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Airline travelers who want to complain to the government may find it easier to file their gripe, perhaps even while they're still on the plane.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched the redesigned airconsumer.dot.gov, which has a direct link to the agency's web form for filing complaints about service, safety and security or disability and discrimination.

With more airlines offering in-flight wi-fi service, that means you may be able to tell the government all about that long wait on the tarmac, or how cramped the seats are, while you're still sitting in that cramped seat.

The DOT's monthly consumer complaint data is often thought to undercount how many passengers have complaints about airlines, in part because many travelers may not know that they can file complaints with the federal government, may not consider it after a flight or may not think it will yield results.

For example, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines had a total of 95 complaints to the U.S. Department of Transportation in November, out of its nearly 5.3 million passengers boarding planes that month. That still gave Delta the highest rate of consumer complaints among the 19 airlines ranked. AirTran Airways, which is based in Orlando and has its largest hub in Atlanta, had only 15 complaints to the DOT in the month.

"The idea of redesigning it is to make it more user-friendly and easier to navigate," said DOT spokesman Bill Mosley. He said it's hard to say whether that will yield an increase in complaints to the DOT about airlines.

The DOT's aviation consumer website also includes a link to the agency's monthly Air Travel Consumer Report, a lengthy document that includes data on flight delays, mishandled baggage, bumped passengers, consumer complaints and animal injuries and deaths. Other features are travel tips and a list of contact information for each airline's customer relations manager.