How to File a DOT Complaint Against an Airline (Quick Answer)

To file a DOT complaint against an airline, go to transportation.gov/airconsumer, select your issue type, describe the incident with dates and flight numbers, and submit. DOT uses complaint volume to determine enforcement priorities against airlines.

Filing a complaint is free, takes under 5 minutes, and requires no lawyer. The complaint creates a formal record with DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division and triggers a mandatory airline response. Airlines that accumulate high complaint volumes face fines and audit attention from DOT regulators.

1. 1

   Go to transportation.gov/airconsumer.

2. 2

   Select Refund or the relevant issue category from the complaint form.

3. 3

   Enter your flight number, date, and airline name.

4. 4

   Describe what happened and what refund or compensation you requested.

5. 5

   Attach any evidence: cancellation notice, refund denial email, ticket receipt.

6. 6

   Submit and save your confirmation number for your records.

Most complaints fail to move airlines because they lack specificity. Include all of these for the strongest possible complaint.

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  Flight number and date of travel.

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  Ticket price and original payment method.

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  Exactly what you requested from the airline and when.

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  What the airline offered instead (voucher, partial credit, denial).

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  Any written denial or non-response from the airline.

DOT complaints are public record and directly influence enforcement actions. Airlines with high complaint volumes face fines and audits. Filing a complaint creates legal leverage even before DOT formally acts.

For a deep-dive on writing a DOT complaint that actually gets results, including specific regulatory language and parallel filing strategies, read the DOT complaint guide. For the full escalation sequence, see the flight compensation pillar. For your US DOT rights overview, see the rights page.