Airline complaints increase

They were headed to Texas to celebrate, but instead found Texas-sized frustration.

“My husband and I flew on Continental Airlines from New York to Houston to attend our daughter’s graduation,” recalls A.S. Unterweiser.

“Due to long lines at the airline’s check-in counter and incorrect information provided by airline personnel, we wound up missing our flight,” she says. “We were placed on a standby list for the next flight to Houston and showed up at the appropriate gate on time.”

But then their troubles got even more confounding.

“The gate attendant was rude and unhelpful,” Unterweiser says. “When we asked for the gate attendant’s name, she hid her badge and responded, ‘It’s the one my father gave me.’ “

They were allowed on the flight, but couldn’t sit together and grew more frustrated when the plane lingered on the tarmac.

Thoroughly dissatisfied, Unterweiser sent a complaint letter to customer service and to the airline’s president.

“Two months later,” she says, “we received a form letter, some mixed nuts and a box of golf balls.”

For the record, Unterweiser says she and her husband enjoyed the nuts, but neither plays golf.

More often than ever, airline passengers have complaints – delayed or canceled flights, missed connections, rude airline employees, long wait times when calling an airline, lousy food, lost or pilfered luggage, problems at security checkpoints or difficulties dealing with fellow passengers.

During the first half of 2007, complaints against airlines increased by a whopping 47.2 percent, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Two common complaints involve delayed or canceled flights. Between January and June, the government reported that out of more than 3.6 million airline flights, nearly 25 percent were delayed and 2.5 percent were canceled.

If the airline itself is responsible for your delay – it’s not because of weather, security or other events it can’t control – you are probably entitled to compensation. If the flight is delayed by several hours, request meal vouchers at the ticket counter. After several hours, request to be transferred to a flight operated by another airline.

If you get stuck in another city overnight due to an airline-caused delay, you’re entitled to meals and a hotel room. In addition to being placed on the next available flight, you might also negotiate for an upgrade, although those can be hard to get when there’s a crush of displaced passengers.

Getting bumped off an oversold flight is another common problem. In this situation, you’re likely entitled to compensation in the form of travel vouchers or free tickets, meal vouchers and a hotel room, depending on how long you’re delayed. Whatever happens, it’s always best to keep your cool. Giving in to air-rage urges will diminish your credibility. Plus, threatening an airline employee in any way can result in criminal charges.

If the airline does not respond to your complaint or offer a reasonable solution, you can file a formal complaint with the Transportation Department’s aviation consumer protection division on the Web or at (800) 255-1111, or the Federal Aviation Administration at (800) 322-7873.

Passengers who experience a problem with airport security or have their belongings damaged or stolen should file a complaint with the Transportation Security Administration on the Web or by phone at (866) 289-9673.