Originally Posted by
Often1
Just a reminder, that the complaints themselves do almost nothing for the individual. They may result in fines and other sanctions against the carrier, but not for individual cases.
This is true. However, there are two benefits of doing it this way:
- When I filed my USDOT complaint, USDOT submitted a request to the airline on my behalf, requesting a refund. I was copied on the correspondence. It is still pending (while credit card chargeback has become permanent).
- Further, USDOT can slap airlines with fines and penalties, depending on the number of complaints. The airlines cannot screw passengers by violating their own contracts of carriage (imagine if we violated contract of carriage).