A new complaint form will allow Pa. travelers to call out airlines for delays and cancellations

A new complaint form for flyers in Pennsylvania experiencing such difficulties with airline travel as delays or cancellations aims to empower travelers to voice their frustrations, Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Wednesday.

Here’s what you need to know about the new complaint form:

Available on the Attorney General’s Office’s website, the form is a response to increased consumer complaints regarding air travel nationwide and an ongoing initiative to “hold airlines and agents accountable when they mistreat consumers,” Henry said in a news release. It comes after Henry and the U.S. Department of Transportation signed a memorandum of understanding that pledged to work together to “identify violations of federal aviation consumer protection requirements,” according to a separate news release.

The state Attorney General’s Office will work with companies to offer solutions and refer necessary complaints to the Transportation Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection that will prioritize their review. Both offices will meet regularly to discuss submitted complaints. The memorandum will last for two years, with an option to extend it, they said.

The new Pennsylvania complaint form also comes after 90 flights were canceled and 155 were delayed in July at Philadelphia International Airport due to the international technology outage.

Separately, the Transportation Department is expected to launch a modernized system for handling air travel service complaints later this year, the news release said. No additional details were provided about that program.

Pennsylvania residents or anyone who experiences airline problems in Pennsylvania can file complaints whether they purchased tickets directly, through an agent, or through a third party.

Airline issues range from, but are not limited to, flight delays, boarding issues, or baggage fees.

The form requires airline and ticket information such as ticket number, flight itinerary, flight date, ticket date purchase, ticket price, and form of payment. It also requires a detailed description of the issue the traveler dealt with, in addition to the traveler’s home address and contact information.

It is unclear how long it will take for complaints to be reviewed and resolved or if a complaint is actively being processed.

It is also not clear how the complaint form will differ from the modernized system planned by the Transportation Department later this year.