U.S. Airlines Pick Up Steam, but Customer Service Slumps

U.S. airlines are pulling out of their financial tailspin but most are not paying close enough attention to customer service, especially when it comes to providing useful information on delays and cancellations, a government watchdog reported last week.

Additionally, the U.S. Transportation Department is doing a better job of overseeing consumer protection issues, including civil rights complaints. But the agency almost always forgives fines or other penalties if the airline agrees to correct the problem, and there is little or no follow-up.

The Transportation Department in response acknowledged room for improvement and said it will use a new electronic system to monitor its enforcement cases. It also said it was “developing rules to ensure consumers are properly compensated if they are unfairly denied boarding.

”The update on consumer protection and the industry’s 2001 pledge –at the insistence of Congress- to improve customer service comes as an estimated 22 million people board flights during the holiday season.

Most complaints involve flight delays or cancellations, the report said. There were 2.2 million flights that were delayed or canceled in 2005, the latest figures show.

Airlines are supposed to provide helpful flight information but the report found that gate agents for 13 of 15 airlines at 17 airports did not make timely announcements more than 40 percent of the time.

The report also found that airline information on frequent-flier benefits is of marginal value. Redemption information can be hard to find and is not broadly comparable.