Aircomplane.com™

Aviation Consumer Protection Website at the Department of Transportation is Down...

For those of you who have been trying to access the July 2007 report from the Department of Transportation as included on Aircomplane.com's previous posting, there may be nothing wrong with your computer. The entire The Aviation Consumer Protection website at the Department of Transportation appears to be down http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov as of this posting. When and if back up, here's the link to the report: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/atcr07.htm. Clever ducks...or not.

The Herd Getting Heard

It is with some satisfaction that your Aircomplane.com Spite Crew read Marilyn Adams’ USAToday article on record breaking number of travelers’ complaints filed with the U.S. Government Department of Transportation. The article, entitled “Fliers’ Complaints Hit 7-Year High” is available here . The actual report from the Department of Transportation is here. http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/atcr07.htm

It details how the DOT received 1,455 complaints in July, 2007 – the highest level in the last seven years. Areas of complaint include canceled flights and lost luggage. Ya think?

We have one word for all of you frustrated fliers who took the time to complain…Congratulations! The herd is being heard, and we must continue to do so.

 If we at Aircomplane.com let our ego get to us, we’d like to think that having the DOT complaint form prominently featured in the upper right hand corner of our blog had something to do with it. We hope so, but we’re just glad it’s happening. If you haven’t printed out the form and taken it with you when you fly, do. It gives you the information you need to gather to file a complaint and serves as a guide for when you encounter delays, lost luggage, and impossible fright attendants. It’s also here. http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

 Please, insist that you be treated like the paying customers you are: with respect, with dignity, and as a customer. And take the lead from the 1,455 passengers in July who insisted on having their problems documented.

Be one of the herd getting heard – and maybe they’ll stop treating us like farm animals and more like the people who employ them.

We're from the government, and we're here to help you.

We at Aircomplane.com™ have received very positive feedback to the information we provide on access to government agencies, direct access to complaint forms, and reports on airline service that basically fly in the face of "We're doing the best that we can." Please note that we have permanently posted that information into the blog body off to the right. As any blogger or webmaster will tell you, that is prime real estate on any website. We consider it a valuable tool, and we encourage you to use it. This is from a previous posting:

Here is the Department of Transportation's Complaint Form - Keep a copy with you when you travel. 

Remember, The Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) operates a complaint handling system for consumers who experience air travel service problems. Here is a link to the form:

 http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

 

Take names, dates, times, and circumstances, and use it! We realize that many airline employees are well-trained, professional, capable, and REMEMBER WHO THE CUSTOMER IS. They work hard to provide you with the service you’ve paid for and are entitled to.  But for the ones who SEEM TO FORGET, and their negligence or inability or desire to effectively do their job results in “air travel service problems” for you, you will be helping all airline travelers in the future by reporting your experiences and identifying them: Print a copy and keep it with you whenever you travel. 

Remember, The Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) operates a complaint handling system for consumers who experience air travel service problems. Here is a link to the form:

 http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

 

Take names, dates, times, and circumstances, and use it! We realize that many airline employees are well-trained, professional, capable, and REMEMBER WHO THE CUSTOMER IS. They work hard to provide you with the service you’ve paid for and are entitled to.  But for the ones who SEEM TO FORGET, and their negligence or inability or desire to effectively do their job results in “air travel service problems” for you, you will be helping all airline travelers in the future by reporting your experiences and identifying them: Print a copy and keep it with you whenever you travel. 

Here is the Department of Transportation's Complaint Form - Keep a copy with you when you travel.

Remember, The Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) operates a complaint handling system for consumers who experience air travel service problems: Here is a link to the form: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

Take names, dates, times, and circumstances, and use it! We realize that many airline employees are well-trained, professional, capable, and REMEMBER WHO THE CUSTOMER IS. They work hard to provide you with the service you’ve paid for and are entitled to.  But for the ones who SEEM TO FORGET, and their negligence or inability or desire to effectively do their job results in “air travel service problems” for you, you will be helping all airline travelers in the future by reporting your experiences and identifying them: Print a copy and keep it with you whenever you travel. 

http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

The Air Travel Consumer Report gives consumers information on airline service quality -- and it's right here!!

The next time a rude, sanctimonious, airline representative on a power trip tells you "we're doing our best" (and you know they're not), be prepared with some facts about their industry's performance. “The Air Travel Consumer Report is a monthly product of the Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings (OAEP).  The report is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by the airlines.”

http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/atcr06.htm

 

Keep a copy in your luggage, passport, or briefcase.

 

You can download the most recent report here:

November 2006 Report
PDF Version

U.S. Department of Transportation Report - Airline Service Needs Improving. Ya think?

Happy Thanksgiving….we hope. Thanks for stopping by and visiting Aircomplane.com™. Here is some information and help for the millions of you out there this week…

First, we wanted to let Aircomplane.com™ readers know that “The Air Travel Consumer Report is a monthly product of the Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings (OAEP).  The report is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by the airlines. This page was last updated on November 2, 2006, and the most recent data is from September 2006: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/atcr06.htm

How did the airlines do? Here's a hint...these are some of the headlines and news article links on the report. Judge for yourself:

DOT: Airline Service Needs Improving (Houston Chronicle)
US: Airlines falling down on job of customer service (USA Today)
Airlines rally, but customer service falls (Reuters)
US Airlines Need to Improve Customer Service, Audit Finds (Bloomberg)
 

You can download the report here:

November 2006 Report
PDF Version   |   MS Word Version

Here are some of the topics covered:

~ Flight Delays: September 2006 / 12 Months Ending September 2006
~ Mishandled Baggage: September 2006 / January-September
~ Oversales: 3rd Quarter 2006 / January-September 2006
~ Consumer Complaints: September 2006 / January-September
~ Customer Service Reports to the Dept. of Homeland Security: September 2006
~ Airline Animal Incident Reports: September 2006

Keep blogging here at Aircomplane.com, but here’s the DOT’s complaint form.  Use it!  http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

You are the reason we launched Aircomplane.com™. Stay informed. And when that arrogant, condescending gate agent tells you “they are doing everything they can,” quote them something from this report. They’re just not… Yet.