When Good Airlines Do Bad Things

So the airline representative responded to your complaint with all the verve, empathy, and interest of a teen working at the mall--preoccupied stare, punctuated eye-rolling and gum-snapping notwithstanding. Better try Plan B: talk to Uncle Sam; he’ll listen (and in this case take notes).

If you don't get anywhere with the airline, you can turn to the Department of Transportation (DOT), where each month it publishes statistics based on consumer feedback and airline performance. The DOT then ranks airlines from best to worst—a list the airlines say they take very seriously.

If you have Complaints About Air Travel for issues such as canceled or delayed flights, on-time baggage delivery, and ticket refunds, comments should be directed to the Department’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division  . You can also view the annual Air Travel Consumer Reports for specific airline rankings.