MSPeconomist

The press announcement refers to a requirement for disclosure of the total fare, but I believe that this should be extended to require disclosure of the fare calculation (for instance, so that a potential customer can identify tickets with broken fares that can make same day confirmed changes more difficult) and all fare classes and booking classes, segment by segment.

US Department of Transportation

In response to Chelski (1:12pm, #9):

If your bag is lost or damaged, you will have to submit a claim with the airline. The Department does not dictate specific business practices for filing claims. However, once the airline has all the information needed to determine if a refund is due, the refund must be provided within specified timeframes depending on method of payment (7 days for credit card purchases and 20 days for cash or check purchases).

We also advise passengers to check to see if their bag arrives open, unlocked or visibly damaged and to check right away to see if any of the contents are missing or damaged. Consumers should report any problems to the airline before leaving the airport and insist on having a report created. Passenger should also open their suitcases immediately when they get to where they are staying. Any damage to the contents or any pilferage should be immediately reported to the airline by telephone. Make a note of the date and time of the call, and the name and telephone number of the person you spoke with. Follow up as soon as possible with a certified letter to the airline.

US Department of Transportation

In response to GRALISTAIR (1:21pm, #14):

You are correct that the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration is responsible for the security screening process and it is our understanding that they are constantly working to improve the experience for passengers. We will forward your comment to TSA.

pWei

Thanks DOT.

1. Requiring the Reporting of Data on Flights Operated by Code-Share Partners
   How do we safeguard against airlines potentially gaming the data? For example, one way to do so might be to create many codeshares for flights likely to be on time, while avoiding such actions on flights unlikely to be on time.
   
2. Will data be required to be broken down to flights flown for the marketing carrier by each codeshare partner?
   
3. Baggage delivery data - Will data be required to be broken down by each codeshare partner?
   
4. Jetbridge crowding - Currently, the jetbridge can become quite crowded and congested, potentially with accumulating gate-checked luggage, pax waiting for their gate-checked luggage, wheelchairs and staff. At times, deplaning pax can barely make it through. Are there safety concerns about such a situation, particularly if there was an emergency, and what is being done to address this issue?
   

US Department of Transportation

In response to T8191 (1:21pm, #16):

The Department is not opposed to unbundling fares. The Department is focusing on transparency of fares and fees that have been unbundled. Of course, certain airlines such as Southwest continue to include checked baggage in the price of the fare.

Travellingsteph

YES! DOT, please address the lack of consumer rights for downgraded passengers. I recently had a terrible experience with American airlines. We were downgraded from business class to coach on an overnight international flight and were only given a "goodwill" $500 voucher. We've had to send many, many emails, tweets, and phone calls to get what is rightfully ours and that is the cost difference between the level of service we paid for (business class) and what we were forced to endure (coach). American says they don't reimburse passengers and that they deny our request. Airlines should not be allowed to decide, there needs to be a policy in place that protects the consumer. As soon as one is downgraded, the consumer should be reimbursed immediately. And that reimbursement should include cash and or miles used for the difference in fare at the time of purchase. Thank You!

In response to those that posted about emotional support animals -- I too think that most people game the system just to bring their pets. The airlines and the passengers both need to be protected. Passengers should have to show official paperwork that designates the need and/or official documentation that the animal is indeed a required service type animal with appropriate training needed to be surrounded by people and confined to a crate that fits under the seat in front of their owner for hours and hours and not be allowed to be let out without penalties to the passenger.

US Department of Transportation

In response to Stez (1:27pm, #21):

The Department recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act, which has made air travel for persons with disabilities more accessible. The Department is actively working on this issue [accessibility of inflight entertainment (IFE) and accessibility requirements for other in-flight communications] as a part of an on-going negotiated rulemaking. The negotiated rulemaking includes representatives from DOT, airlines, cross-disability advocacy groups, professional associations of flight attendants, advocacy groups for blind and visually impaired individuals, experts of IFE products, systems and services and others. The Department is hopeful that these productive discussions will result in more accessible in-flight entertainment for persons with disabilities. See https://www.transportation.gov/acces...sory-committee .

qxk970517

Hi I just want to ask if you could be able to make all SENTRI members be available to use TSA Precheck lane at airport? I'm a foreign citizen who get the SENTRI but it seems useless except I went to Mexico via land. Thanks.

obscure2k

Thanks for participating.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

US Department of Transportation

In response to Cloudship (1:25pm, #19):

We believe that consumers have concerns in many of the areas that you mention – e.g., undisclosed bias on websites; transparency of fees for ancillary services such as baggage, seat availability, changeability at time of purchase; lack of transparency when trying to select airline that best suits their needs. The Department’s new actions address a number of these issues. For example, in connection with biased displays. the Department now requires that any biasing by ticket agents or airlines based on the identity of an airline be disclosed. In other words, if an airline or ticket agent ranks the flights of an individual airline higher or lower in search results because of incentive payments or other business reasons, that bias must be disclosed. Undisclosed bias distorts the air travel market and harms consumers that are not aware of the biasing. Consumers rely on that flight search tool for neutral, complete and correct information, and undisclosed display bias in flight searches may result in their not looking on different websites or not taking additional steps on the website to find flight options that better meet their preferences.

In connection with transparency of unbundled fees for optional services, the Department has also sent to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review a rulemaking that would address whether airlines should be required to share fee information for certain services such as checked baggage with ticket agents, so that these prices are displayed by airlines and ticket agents to consumers along with the fare. DOT will also determine which fees will have to be included, potentially including baggage fees, seat assignment fees, and change and cancellation fees.

It is also worth noting that as part of the second comprehensive aviation rulemaking issued under President Obama’s Administration, DOT issued its full fare advertising rule which requires that airfare advertisements contain the full price to be paid for air travel by the consumer. Further as a corollary to the requirement that advertisements state the full price to be paid by the consumer, a seller of air transportation must have a reasonable number of seats available at the advertised price when a fare is advertised and that there must be seats available each time an advertisement is run and that during the overall period within which the fare is offered, there is no lengthy period of time when no seats are available.

Finally, in connection with baggage, carriers are required to compensate passengers for out of pocket expenses that result from lost or delayed baggage.

MatthewLAX

Should carriers be allowed to modify FFPs without notice? Do sudden devaluations not represent a "bait and switch", i.e. a deceptive business practice? Does the DOT agree with the majority ruling in the Northwest v. Ginsberg decision?

motytrah

Does the DOT rule effect the industry practice of marketing Premium Fares (J, F) that are are actually Coach (Y) fares that are upgraded at time of purchase? These fares are fine until there are irregular operations, at which case it's not unusual for airlines to treat them as coach for the purposes of rebooking when premium space is sparse.

US Department of Transportation

In response to qxk970517 (2:57pm, #53):

The Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration is responsible for the security screening process. We will forward your comment to TSA.

MSPeconomist

Should carriers be permitted to market direct flights that look like nonstops and therefore tend to appear as more desirable in search results?

Exiled in Express

I would like to see regulation requiring fuel surcharges and similar to be baked into the ticket price. The consumer gets closer to a true award tickets and DOT gets a bump in the aviation fund as this often hefty amount is now subject to the 7.5% tax.