In this post, I’d like to talk a bit about how to go about filing a complaint with an airline, because it’s something that a lot of people are really bad at (respectfully). So let me share some tips about how I’d go about approaching a complaint to an airline, and most importantly, what not to do. Separately, I’ve written about how to complain to a hotel.
In this post:
Tips for effectively filing an airline complaint
Did you have a bad experience with an airline? Maybe your flight was delayed, or your bag was lost, or you received unhelpful service, or you have a general tip for an airline to improve? Below are my top recommendations for filing an airline complaint, in no particular order.
Perhaps the takeaway is just as much how you shouldn’t complain to an airline, rather than just about how you should…
Be brief, polite, and focused
If you’re writing a complaint letter to an airline, be brief, and stick to the core of your issue. I get forwarded a lot of complaints that people send to airlines, and it sometimes blows my mind what I see.
People write emotional novels to airlines. Your complaint to an airline doesn’t need to be 10 pages, and doesn’t need to mention every single way the airline has wronged you since it was founded.
Even if something very bad happened, keep it as short as you can, to a few paragraphs. The person who reads your complaint letter reads this stuff all day long, and I can assure you, the longer the note, the less likely it’s given proper attention. For that matter, that assumes it’s even being read at all — a lot of airline customer relations responses are written by AI nowadays.
Also, just be polite. The person working in customer relations at an airline didn’t personally wrong you, and you’re not more likely to get a favorable response by being rude. Personally I think it’s important to separate the person reading your complaint from the company as such, so I avoid using words like “you” when referring to the issues (“you lost my bag”).
Be realistic about what you’re asking for
The airline industry is a really tough business, and as much as airlines often drop the ball, they do a pretty impressive job when you consider the complexity of the operation. I say this because it’s important that people have realistic expectations when contacting airlines.
In terms of customer experience and making consumers whole, Frontier Airlines is not Four Seasons. I say this because often people will have complaints where they demand a refund for a delayed flight or unfriendly service, but that’s unlikely to happen. Also, airline contracts of carriage are incredibly one-sided.
With that in mind, I think it’s important to consider what you’re trying to accomplish with a complaint:
- If you simply want your feedback to be heard, then absolutely send an email with a compliment or complaint, or complete a post-flight survey; airlines do “file” this kind of feedback, and if enough people say the same thing, the airline will listen
- If there was a service related issue or a delay (that’s not covered by any government regulations), expect that you might get some bonus points or a voucher for a future ticket; airlines generally don’t refund tickets or provide cash compensation, unless they’re legally required to
- If it’s government mandated compensation you’re after (like EC261 in Europe), you might need to be persistent
Start by emailing airline customer relations
When you want an issue addressed by an airline, you should first take the traditional route of contacting customer relations. Most airlines offer customer relations via email, or via a form on their website. Briefly explain your issue and what you’re hoping for, and start there.
Definitely don’t have high expectations here, because as we’ve seen, some airlines have even automated the initial customer relations responses. However, I think it’s only fair to first give an airline a shot to respond to your issues.
If you’re not satisfied with the response, by all means respond to the email once, in hopes of something more in line with what you were hoping for.
The three ways to escalate an airline complaint
If you reach out to an airline but aren’t happy with the response you receive, there are three best ways to escalate it, as I see it.
The first method is to email the airline CEO, or another senior executive. It’s usually easy to figure out an airline CEO’s email address (it’s typically [email protected]). And no, while they’re unlikely to personally respond to you, these emails do often get handled by some sort of executive customer relations team, who may take complaints more seriously. I hate even recommending this, but the truth is that it’s one of the only ways to directly escalate something with an airline.
The second method is to file a complaint with the Department of Transportation (DOT), assuming it’s a flight on a domestic airline, or a flight to or from the United States. This isn’t going to get you some sort of an instant response, but it will force the airline to eventually respond directly to you, and the DOT will be CCed on the correspondence. You’ll want to save this for topics related to safety, complying with government regulations, false advertising, etc. (in other words, not to complain that Biscoffs were stale).
The third method is to reach out to some sort of media outlet. The media loves picking up airline stories, and the best way to get the attention of an airline is to make something go viral. Heck, you can even just post something on Twitter/X in hopes of it going viral, as media has certainly been democratized nowadays.
Bottom line
Dealing with airline customer relations can no doubt be a frustrating experience. If you are going to reach out to an airline, I’d always recommend keeping your complaint brief, non-emotional, and friendly, because being rude and long-winded isn’t going to get you any further.
I don’t want to suggest that there’s some amazing secret to getting your airline complaint heard every time, but in general, the most useful thing to be aware of is what your options are for escalating an issue.
What’s your take on the best way to file a complaint with an airline?
Ben the timing of this was impeccable. on Sunday the 14th I had a maintenance indefinite delay (eventual cancellation), rebook and downgrade to C+ on another DL flight which eventually diverted midair due to fumes in the cabin. DL couldn't get me home without an overnight stay, and couldn't rebook me on the nonstop AA flight from DFW. So I bought the AA ticket myself at advice of the DL agents. When submitting the expense...
Ben the timing of this was impeccable. on Sunday the 14th I had a maintenance indefinite delay (eventual cancellation), rebook and downgrade to C+ on another DL flight which eventually diverted midair due to fumes in the cabin. DL couldn't get me home without an overnight stay, and couldn't rebook me on the nonstop AA flight from DFW. So I bought the AA ticket myself at advice of the DL agents. When submitting the expense request for the AA flight DL denied it and further CS escalation didn't help. At the advice of this article I emailed Ed Bastian's email last night. This morning I received a call from the nicest Executive customer assistance agent telling me she was sending an ACH email my way.
"If it’s government mandated compensation you’re after (like EC261 in Europe), you might need to be persistent."
Persistence is a poor word choice. Although the airlines have a direct pipeline to legislation, you(collectively) must be the one to compel Congress to act. This is not a GOP or DEM thing. All members of Congress want freebies.
Waste of time and energy
That’s certainly what these corporations want you to think… ‘just give up’ … ‘let it go’ … ‘who cares’ … ‘give us more money’ … ‘we promise we won’t hurt you this time’… like an abusive relationship.
My rule of thumb is: If it cannot be solved in-the-moment, in-person, politely, efficiently, then, once home, begin the long process of internal complaint directly with the airline, when that inevitably fails, skip emailing the CEO, begin a credit card dispute, and appeal until you successfully receive a chargeback, and simultaneously submit a DOT complaint; when that fails, if it's really important to you, as the DOT suggests, 'Tell it to the Judge,' go to...
My rule of thumb is: If it cannot be solved in-the-moment, in-person, politely, efficiently, then, once home, begin the long process of internal complaint directly with the airline, when that inevitably fails, skip emailing the CEO, begin a credit card dispute, and appeal until you successfully receive a chargeback, and simultaneously submit a DOT complaint; when that fails, if it's really important to you, as the DOT suggests, 'Tell it to the Judge,' go to small claims court, which sucks, but it can produce results. Of course, a bigger fix would be meaningful air passenger rights legislation that protects consumers better than all this.
Anyone ever here ever pursue Montreal Convention Article 19 claims against a foreign carrier in US court?
Registered letters to the Secretary of Transportation and President of the U.S.
C'mon, man. As if the President of the United States has nothing better to do than read a grievance about a delayed flight or a rude gate agent. Besides which you're probably more likely to get a response if you tweet at him.
WRONG!!!!!
I don't care. I'm the customer and demand full respect. If someone thinks I am a "jerk" then fine. Because I know they are nothing but inconsequential dogs.
Stick it to 'em, Karen!
Email an airline CEO lol. Do you know how valuable their time is ? One hour of their time is worth more than your annual salary.
They made be paid millions, but no way are any of them actually worth what they take home.
That's up to the stockholders to decide, Ronnie.
They have numerous Admins.....
I’ve twice delt ekth a company for errors. One was a lost PC video card during Covid and with Air France when two business class tickets “disappeared” when the flight was rebooked and me and my wife were no longer ticketed.
In both instances I worked with customer support and both times were basically told sorry nothing we can do.
In both instances I typed, signed, and mailed physical letters to the CEO...
I’ve twice delt ekth a company for errors. One was a lost PC video card during Covid and with Air France when two business class tickets “disappeared” when the flight was rebooked and me and my wife were no longer ticketed.
In both instances I worked with customer support and both times were basically told sorry nothing we can do.
In both instances I typed, signed, and mailed physical letters to the CEO of the respective companies (Newegg and AF) nothing what happened, that everyone I spoke to were polite and professional but were unable to help me beyond a refund, and all I was requesting was restoration of what I had paid for.
Both letters worked. A few weeks after sending the letter to Newegg I was contacted by a manager who arranged for a video card. A few weeks after sending the letter to AF our flight suddenly reappeared; no explanation or response, but our trip was back on.
So never underestimate the effectiveness of a polite, concise, and respectful physical letter.
Who cares.
Who fakes Eskimo
"I’ve twice delt ekth a company for errors."
I hope the letters you typed up, signed and physically sent to CEOs didn't have too many typos like your opening sentence (above) !
Yeah - better proof reading and writing my letter on a PC and not my phone with my thumbs is the order of the day for official business.
I've flown over 3 million miles with one airline since 2001 and have been on an elite status 20 of those years, often in this case EXP. Other than needing to email in to get cash upgrades credited, an ongoing issue with AA seemingly not able to do so on a consistent basis, I've written a total of one compliant email. And that was years ago at LGA where a gate agent frustrated over a...
I've flown over 3 million miles with one airline since 2001 and have been on an elite status 20 of those years, often in this case EXP. Other than needing to email in to get cash upgrades credited, an ongoing issue with AA seemingly not able to do so on a consistent basis, I've written a total of one compliant email. And that was years ago at LGA where a gate agent frustrated over a flight not able to depart unleash a tyrant of f bombs on the first class cabin.
Most of the time you have to number chalk it up to the modern joys of flying and number two realize it won't change a thing. A lazy flight attendant won't be fired.
Speaking as someone who has been the executive to whom non-routine cases were escalated, there are three things I looked out for in a complaint.
* Did the incident actually happen as narrated? Any inconsistency loses immediate credibility for the rest of the story. Stick to the facts and keep it brief.
* Is the request for compensation reasonable? Ask for too much or make too many threats, and you get sent to the...
Speaking as someone who has been the executive to whom non-routine cases were escalated, there are three things I looked out for in a complaint.
* Did the incident actually happen as narrated? Any inconsistency loses immediate credibility for the rest of the story. Stick to the facts and keep it brief.
* Is the request for compensation reasonable? Ask for too much or make too many threats, and you get sent to the black hole that is legal.
* Are you a client worth keeping? Regular traveler, business class fare, etc.. more likely to get a favourable resolution than first timer on a discount ticket.
Asking for compensation is a big no-no . Never ask for compensation . Better to cancel the credit card charge , and then explain the reason because the airline did not deliver the transportation part of the contract .
I disagree that asking for compensation is a no-no. I was responsible for complaints for my area and department at a previous job in the transportation sector and I’d say 90% of the time if the customer requested something specific that’s what they would get. If the customer’s complaint was valid and they didn’t ask for anything in particular, when I would call customer relations internally to close it out it would be a quick...
I disagree that asking for compensation is a no-no. I was responsible for complaints for my area and department at a previous job in the transportation sector and I’d say 90% of the time if the customer requested something specific that’s what they would get. If the customer’s complaint was valid and they didn’t ask for anything in particular, when I would call customer relations internally to close it out it would be a quick conversation of us trying to place a value on your inconvenience and we don’t really know what that value is. Meanwhile if you say “I missed the last bus and it cost me $60 to uber home” bam we would just issue a $75 future travel voucher, easy peasy. It’s all about what Ben said in the article - be concise, reasonable, and stick to the facts.
You need to invite Sebastian as a special guest.
The masterclass extortion.
Yeah, but i've learned some good reasonable tricks from him ngl
If I had a real complaint, I'd probably find the right VP on LinkedIn and send them a note. VP / SVP level is where actual operational power is concentrated...
Run the complaint email through an AI to keep things concise and professional.
I don't think AI cares about "you" versus "Airline" did X. The real question is how to get your complaint read by a real person, not AI.