Believe it to not, there is an airline passengers bill of rights. It provides protections to air travelers in the event of delays, cancellations or other unexpected situations.

It is the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure airlines are following it.

What You Need To Know

  • Long delays, surprising cancellations and pricey rebookings will now face harsher scrutiny under a new federal partnership

  • The U.S. DOT and attorneys general from 15 states — including New York — and three U.S. territories aim to ensure complaints against airlines are investigated

  • Attorneys general will investigate claims, and if they believe a violation was committed, they can fast-track the case to the DOT, which will decide if enforcement measures are necessary

A new partnership between the DOT and attorneys general from 15 states — including New York — and three U.S. territories aims to ensure complaints against airlines are investigated.

Under federal law, attorneys general are generally not allowed to go after airlines for violating consumer protection laws.

This latest initiative allows them to investigate claims, and if they believe a violation was committed, they can fast-track the case to the DOT, which will decide if enforcement measures are necessary.

“The support that is being offered by state attorneys general offices means that our capacity to protect airline passengers is expanding,” said Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation at a press conference Tuesday in Colorado.

The DOT reported it has issued more than $164 million in penalties against airlines in the last three years.

Through this partnership, DOT and state attorneys general will work together to investigate airline complaints for unfair or deceptive practices, ensure airlines cooperate with state investigations, create a fast-track action system to prioritize misconduct case referrals and share access to a consumer complaint database.

“It's very important for passengers to know that they are getting a fair deal and for the airlines to know that they will be held accountable if they don't fulfill their end of the bargain,” Buttigieg said.

According to the DOT, the hope is that one day states will be granted the authority to enforce consumer protection laws against airlines alongside the federal government.

Until Congress grants that power to the states, the partnership works to get states involved in the process to help the federal government penalize airlines for violations.