Wisconsin, US DOT create Airline Passenger Protection Partnership

FOX6 News Digital Team
<div>JetBlue Airbus A321neo aircraft flying, landing and taxiing at Polderbaan runway in Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport AMS EHAM in the Netherlands. The narrow body airplane is utilized in transatlantic flights with increased fuel efficiency and range comparing to the predecessors A321ceo. The A321 NEO passenger plane arrived as flight B632 from Boston and departed to New York JFK in the USA. The single aisle airliner has the tail number registration N4048J, is named " Allow Me To Mintroduce Myself " and is powered by 2x PW jet engines. Jet Blue Airways Corporation is a major United States low-cost airline with a fleet of 291 aircraft serving 114 destinations. March 30, 2024 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</div>

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced on Tuesday, April 16 a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). That partnership is designed to review and resolve consumer complaints against airlines and ticket agents.

A news release says the agreement streamlines how the attorney general and U.S. DOT will work together to review consumer complaints and identify violations of federal aviation consumer protection requirements.

The new process for addressing consumer complaints against air travel companies, outlined in a memorandum of understanding between the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office, DATCP and the U.S. DOT, reinforces state and federal commitments to protect the rights of the travelers. Wisconsin is one of 25 states or territories that either signed an MOU with the U.S. DOT or expressed an interest in executing such an agreement.

Federal law places the central responsibility for protecting airline consumers with the U.S. DOT. Under this historic agreement, the attorney general’s office will be authorized to investigate consumer complaints against air carriers, ticket agents and other air travel companies supervised by the U.S. DOT. The attorney general’s office and DATCP will work with consumers and companies to resolve complaints, and if necessary, will refer complaints to the U.S. DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP). The OACP will prioritize their review, include attorney general’s office staff on letters of inquiry to those companies based on those referrals and consult with the attorney general’s office before determining next steps.

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The U.S. DOT will also provide technical assistance and training to staff in the attorney general’s office and will meet at least once a year with the attorney general’s office to assess ongoing efforts and to update Wisconsin on any actions taken in response to state-referred complaints.

The MOU will last for two years, and Wisconsin and the U.S. DOT may agree to extend it at two-year intervals after the agreement ends.

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