Attorney General Phil Weiser urges Congress to hold airlines accountable

Bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general call for authority to enforce airline regulations

Aug. 31, 2022 – Attorney General Phil Weiser is urging Congress to authorize state attorneys general to enforce state and federal consumer protection laws governing the airline industry. Weiser led a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general in sending a letter this week to Congress underlining U.S. Department of Transportation’s lack of action in response to consumer complaints about the airline industry.

“Customers booking airline tickets should enjoy a reasonable expectation of being treated fairly, respectfully, and consistently by airlines,” said Weiser. “Unfortunately, we have heard consistent complaints about certain airlines failing to do so and leaving consumers in the lurch. Attorneys general are well positioned to protect consumers and bring responsible enforcement to this industry. Congress should give us the authority to do so.”

In the letter to Congress, the attorneys general note that while federal law places the central responsibility for protecting airline customers on the U.S. Department of Transportation, over the course of multiple administrations, little has been done to hold the airline industry accountable in the face of mounting consumer complaints.

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office, for example, received more consumers complaints about Frontier Airlines (more than 600) than any other company in 2020, which prompted Weiser to urge the Department of Transportation to investigate Frontier.

The letter acknowledges the Department of Transportation’s current rulemaking efforts around airline consumer protection, but encourages the agency to increase its cooperation and reliance on state attorneys general in such processes.

Joining Weiser are the attorneys general of Arizona, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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