How to file a DOT complaint against an airline

When should you file a DOT complaint instead of contacting the airline?

DOT's advice is to give the airline the first chance. Airlines keep trouble-shooters at airports, usually called Customer Service Representatives, who can take care of many problems on the spot: they may arrange meals and hotel rooms for stranded passengers, write checks if a passenger is bumped from a flight, help with baggage issues and settle other routine claims or complaints. [1] If a problem cannot be resolved at the airport, the next step is a complaint to the airline itself; DOT requires airlines to acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them and to send a written response addressing the complaint within 60 days. [1]

DOT also requires airlines that fly to, from or within the United States to state on their websites how and where complaints can be submitted, and many provide a form for that purpose; DOT says it is often best to email or write to the airline's consumer office at its corporate headquarters. [1] Airlines are required to let consumers know how to complain to them. [1]

A DOT complaint is the next stage, for when the airline does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction. [1] You may also file with DOT if you feel you experienced unlawful discriminatory treatment in air travel by airline employees or the airline's contractors on the basis of disability, or on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation), religion or ancestry. [1]

How do you file a complaint with the US DOT?

DOT publishes the route inside its Aviation Consumer Protection section, which includes a File a Consumer Complaint page; a complaint can also be sent by letter to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. [1] A mailed complaint should include your full address, email address and phone number, together with complete and accurate information about your trip and the problem you had or are having. [1]

The office's postal address is Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590. [1]

Safety and security concerns take a different path, because aviation safety and security complaints are not handled by DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division. [1] Airline safety matters, such as airline and airplane safety, emergency exit seating, low-flying aircraft and pilot licensing, go to the Federal Aviation Administration, and aviation security matters, such as passenger screening, the "no-fly" list and the baggage screening process, go to the Transportation Security Administration, which takes calls on 1-866-289-9673. [1]

What happens after you file a DOT complaint?

Disability and discrimination complaints. DOT forwards the complaint to the airline, and the airline is required to respond to the passenger and to DOT. [1] Once the airline's response arrives, DOT reviews the complaint and the response to determine whether a violation occurred, then mails the passenger an analysis with DOT's findings; because of the volume of cases and the thoroughness of the process, a case may take some time to process fully. [1]

All other complaints. DOT directs the identified airline and/or ticket agent to respond directly to the passenger, and requires a copy of that response to be provided to DOT. [1] Except for civil rights complaints, DOT does not investigate every air travel service complaint it receives because of volume, and instead conducts targeted or sample reviews to determine airlines' and travel agencies' compliance with aviation consumer protection requirements. [1]

Publication and effect. Every month DOT publishes its Air Travel Consumer Report, which shows the number of complaints received about each airline and the problems people are having, so that consumers and air travel companies can compare the complaint records of individual airlines and tour operators; the report also carries airline statistics on delays, cancellations, bumping and mishandled baggage. [1] Complaints help DOT spot problem areas and trends, can lead to enforcement action against an airline when a serious violation of the law has occurred, and may be the basis for rulemaking. [1]

What a DOT complaint does not do

• It is not a guaranteed investigation. Except for civil rights complaints, DOT reviews complaints by targeted or sample review rather than investigating each one. [1]
• It is not the safety or security channel. Safety issues belong with the Federal Aviation Administration and security issues with the Transportation Security Administration, not with DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division. [1]
• It is not a refund request. Each airline has its own contract of carriage, and those rules include refund procedures and differ between carriers. [4] If a refund is due and hard to obtain, a passenger can report the matter in writing to the credit card company; a letter sent within 60 days of the first monthly statement showing the airline charge should result in a credit even if the airline does not pay. [4]
• It does not by itself create compensation. For domestic itineraries, airlines are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled, and compensation is required by law only when a passenger is bumped from an oversold flight. [4]
• Legal routes sit outside it. On international itineraries a passenger may be able to recover reimbursement under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention for expenses resulting from a delayed or canceled flight by filing a claim with the airline, and may go to court if the claim is denied. [4] A passenger bumped involuntarily may also decline the offered check and take the airline to court to seek more. [4]

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to complain to the airline before filing with DOT?

DOT says you should give the airline a chance to resolve the problem, and suggests filing with DOT if you feel the airline did not resolve it to your satisfaction. [1] Alleged unlawful discrimination in air travel can also be reported to DOT. [1]

How long does an airline have to answer a consumer complaint?

DOT requires airlines to acknowledge a consumer complaint within 30 days of receiving it and to send a written response addressing it within 60 days. [1]

How do I send a DOT complaint by mail?

Write to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590, including your full address, email address and phone number plus complete and accurate details of the trip and the problem. [1]

Does DOT handle airline safety or security complaints?

No. Aviation safety and security complaints are not handled by DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division; safety matters go to the Federal Aviation Administration and security matters to the Transportation Security Administration. [1]

Related pages

Work through the airline stage first with the delayed or damaged baggage claim checklist and the missed connection action plan. For the money side of a disrupted trip, see the US flight cancellation refund guide and the US involuntary denied boarding guide. Background terms are in the frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers consumer complaints made to the U.S. Department of Transportation about airlines and ticket agents; legal claims, small claims court and non-US enforcement bodies are not covered.

1. File a Consumer Complaint, Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, checked 18 October 2026
2. Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, checked 18 October 2026
3. Fly Rights: A Consumer Guide to Air Travel, U.S. Department of Transportation, checked 18 October 2026