Inspectors Denied Access To 'Denied Boarding Statement'

The Department of Transportation conducted compliance inspections at Washington National and Baltimore Washington airports recently and caught some Northwest Airlines employees a bit off guard.

The DOT's Enforcement Office levied a fine of $40,000 against NWA because its gate and ticket counter agents failed to provide, upon request, a written explanation of its denied boarding policies, according to Travel Weekly.

DOT rules state carriers must provide a written "denied boarding statement" to passengers who are denied boarding or for any reason or to anyone who simply requests it. The document has to explain "the terms, conditions and limitations of denied boarding compensation, and describing the carriers' boarding priority rules and criteria."

Inspectors said they believe the regulation violations that were caught this time are "indicative of a general pattern of noncompliance by Northwest that must be remedied," and said it hopes the fine "will provide a strong incentive to all air carriers to comply with the department's denied boarding policy disclosure requirements."

According to the DOT, NWA assured the DOT it is firmly committed to ensuring its passengers are properly advised and compensated. It also said it has a program in place to train employees in regulation compliance.

FMI: www.dot.gov, www.nwa.com