the air travel ombudsman

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Complaints about travel

If you have a complaint about travel by air, land, or sea, find out where to share your complaint to get the problem resolved.

Complaints about an airline or TSA

The kind of complaint you have about an airline or an airport experience with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) determines where to go with your complaint.

• Airline service or discrimination - First, attempt to resolve your complaint with the airline. If the airline does not fix the problem, file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) . 
• Airline safety - Contact the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hotline .
• Airline security - Contact the TSA through their security issue web form.
• Airport experience with TSA - Contact the TSA through their complaint web form.

Learn about your consumer rights as an air traveler and how to avoid problems.

Vacation rental scams

Vacation rental scammers may try to take your money by offering a vacation property that does not exist or that they do not have the right to rent to you.

Learn from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about vacation rental scams , including:

• How they work
• How to avoid them

If you have encountered a vacation rental scam, report it to:

• The website where you saw the listing
• The credit card or other service you used if you paid the scammer
• Your local law enforcement

Complaints about a hotel or motel 

• Begin by sharing your complaint with the front desk, manager, or customer service line.
• If you feel your issue was not resolved, contact the regional manager or another senior executive if the hotel or motel is part of a chain.
• Depending on the type of complaint, if it is not resolved, you may also contact the local health department or the state consumer protection office .

Complaints about travel agents and travel agencies

Begin by complaining to a local travel agency’s manager. If you are using an online booking service, complain to their customer service department. If your complaint is not resolved, you can contact:

• The state consumer protection office where you live or where the travel company is located
• Your local Better Business Bureau

Complaints about cruises

• If you have a complaint while you are on a cruise, contact the ship’s guest services office.
• To complain before or after a cruise, contact the cruise line’s customer service department.

If the problem is not resolved, contact the Federal Maritime Commission by email at [email protected] or download, fill out, and mail or fax their cruise dispute services request form .

Car rental complaints

If you have a complaint about a rental vehicle, try contacting the rental agency’s customer service department first. If you cannot get your complaint resolved with the rental agency, contact:

• Your state consumer protection office
• The Federal Trade Commission

LAST UPDATED: December 7, 2023

Have a question?

Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They will get you the answer or let you know where to find it.

Travel Complaints and Travel Refunds

Never make a scene at the customer desk.

Mark Kahler

It isn't our favorite aspect of budget travel, but there are times when we must make a travel complaint.

The majority of interactions between traveler and agent go the way of what you see pictured here -- professional courtesy and efficiency.

But when things go poorly, travel complaints often have a sense of urgency attached: you need to get on the next plane out of town or you need that hotel room you were promised. Under stress, many of us raise our voices and quickly lose patience when we sense someone is less concerned about our problem than we would prefer.

No one is suggesting you become a "pushover" and allow the system to trample you. But make your points with a calm politeness rather than a shrill, demanding tone. Ask for a manager. Be clear about what you think would resolve the situation on the spot. If you need a free room or a refund, ask for it. Don't wait for it to be offered.

Remember that whatever an employee tells you does not need to be the last word. But if they can say truthfully that you were loud, rude or even threatening, you might face even more trouble. At the very least, human nature kicks in and the person on the other side of the counter decides there is no reason to help you.

Save Every Document, No Matter How Small

The picture above shows counterfeit rail tickets. If you want to prove you were ripped off, you'll need to show that ticket. But look how small they are -- easily lost in your luggage or among larger travel documents.

It is important to save all the paperwork from the transaction(s) in question. If someone at a complaint desk takes that documentation from you, get their name and job title, and ask if they can make a copy of whatever you're surrendering to them.

Another tip: save receipts from meals or lodging you had to purchase because of your travel problem. You'll need these things to document your losses. They not only show how much extra money spent, but also verify your time line. With all of your paperwork, you are ready to contact the company.

Don't Plead Your Case to the Wrong Department

When you're dealing with multinational companies or government consumer bureaus, it's easy to get lost. There is a natural tendency to unburden yourself of the sad story, but don't waste time and energy telling it to someone who can't help you.

Ask for the specific person(s) responsible for addressing customer complaints. Search for the contract of carriage in your ticket or make a few calls before you spill your troubles.

Resource: Airline phone and web site directory.

Take Detailed Notes

At first glance, this seems like painfully obvious advice. But logic fails us when we're in a difficult situation and perhaps holding back anger or battling fatigue.

You'll need details when you make a formal complaint. Save every correspondence with the company, and take notes while on the phone. Ask the name of each person with whom you speak, and keep a log of your contacts by date and time, including what they promised you or how they treated you. Use the same firm but friendly resolve that you attempted at the ticket counter. Continue as long as there appears to be a possibility of resolution.

As with a travel journal, it pays to write down the details right away, as many are quickly forgotten within a few hours.

Travel Complaints against Airlines

An airline ticket is really a contract between you and the company that they will transport you to a certain place at a certain time. The more formal name is "contracts of carriage." You won't be surprised that much of this information is in very fine print, but pull out some magnification and read it. It is important to know what the airline has promised (or failed to promise) before you go forward with a formal complaint.

If you don't have a ticket handy, go online to the airline's web site. For example, Delta Airlines contract of carriage information is plainly displayed. It's a simple matter of performing a search for it.

Exhaust Internal Appeals Before Going to an Outside Agency

When an airline experiences system-wide problems, you can bet there are hundreds of consumers in your predicament. There is bound to be an internal appeals process in place that will deal with your concerns, or at least attempt to do so.

But there are times when you are butting your head against a stone wall. No one you've contacted will help resolve your problem, despite repeated attempts.

Complaint bureaus and consumer services operate mainly for victims who have done the work and run into that wall. Now is the time to take your documentation and seek the help of a third party. But don't expect an outside agency to help you until you've done everything reasonable to help yourself.

Consumer Protection from the U.S. Government

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) maintains an Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division . Within it, you can file complaints about safety and security, airline service, as well as disability and discrimination concerns. Outside the U.S., many other countries maintain similar operations that will vary in name but operate under the umbrella of consumer protection.

Discrimination and safety issues will get a lot more attention here than poor service, but the government keeps tabs on complaints, and it never hurts to let the offending company know that, if necessary, you're prepared to notify the appropriate consumer agency.

Note that there are procedures for airline ticket refunds and baggage issues .

Small Claims Court

The USDOT offers an outline of steps that might be required if you need to go to small claims court.

These courts are operated by state and local governments. As the name implies, this is recommended only for relatively small claims. In these situations, you are your own attorney. Unless you're trained in the law, don't go into this kind of court if the outcome is crucial.

Learn from the Bad Experiences of Other Travelers

Unfortunately, some airlines and travel companies have recurring problems with consumers. Consult their track records before you consider doing business again.

This holds true for all transactions, but especially larger expenditures necessary for bigger trips. Consult the Better Business Bureau or respected studies of consumer satisfaction: J.D. Power and Associates issues annual ratings for hotels and airlines; The American Customer Satisfaction Index compiled at the University of Michigan provides quarterly report cards.

Don't be Discouraged

When wrapped in red tape, it's easy to feel isolated.

Don't allow yourself to be worn down or discouraged. Remember that your perseverance might help someone else avoid a similar problem.

Of greatest importance, however, is the need to pay as little as possible in time and money for your travel. If you think someone has wasted your resources, call them on it.

More resources:

Airline Escape Clauses

Air Travel Resources

Yapta: Refunds for Overpaying on Airfares

What to Do When Your Flight Is Diverted

What Are North American Airlines' Policies on Bereavement Fares?

The 14 Best Backpack Brands of 2024

Flight Insurance That Protects Against Delays and Cancellations

Paper vs. Electronic Plane Tickets

Loss of Use Car Rental Insurance

8 Air Travel Rights You Didn’t Know You Have

How to Request a Wheelchair or Cart at the Airport

Budget Airline Baggage Fees

Airline-by-Airline Guide to Seatbelt Length

Saving Money on Your Summer Vacation

Getting Around Madrid: Guide to Public Transportation

Bad Airline Experience? These Companies Can Help

Getting Around Paris: Guide to Public Transportation

What Are Your Rights If Your Flight Is Canceled?

Tips for Being a Smart Universal Studios Hollywood Visitor

An official website of the United States government Here's how you know

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Report Travel Problems, Concerns & Complaints

Here you will find information for travelers to report problems and concerns, including how to file airline passenger complaints.

• FAA Public Inquiry Line
• Security Claims
• Airline Service Issues

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Disputes we can and can't help with

Find out the types of disputes we can, and can’t help with.

Disputes we can and can’t help with

We are here to help customers of ABTA members, so you will need to check that your problem relates to a current  ABTA member . If your travel company is not a member, we will not be able to help with your dispute. 

If you have a dispute and you booked with a current ABTA member then we can offer information and potential solutions. This service is approved by Government as a Consumer ADR body under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015.

Please note that airlines are not Members of ABTA. If you booked your flight directly with an airline, you will need to contact the airline if you are having any issues with receiving a refund.

What can ABTA help me with? 

• We can help you if you have a booking with a travel company that is a current member of ABTA.
• We can offer you an ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) scheme if you have a dispute with a current ABTA member. This has two stages: informal resolution, and more formal arbitration. We can guide you through our processes. 
• For more information on the ADR scheme please visit the resolving disputes page .
• We can provide information on any current Foreign Office advice.
• We can advise on whether your travel company is acting in line with our Code of Conduct . This covers issues such as changes to bookings, information and travel documents you should receive, cancellations, how ABTA members should deal with complaints and more. We can guide our members in following our code, and if we believe a breach of the code may have taken place we will look into it. 

What can’t ABTA help me with?

• ABTA isn’t an ombudsman or a Government body, and we can’t award compensation, or require our members to offer compensation in disputes.
• We can't offer free legal advice to customers. We’re not a legal body; we regulate through and advise on our Code of Conduct.
• We can’t assist you if your booking is not with a travel company that is a current member of ABTA.
• We can’t assist you if you have raised a chargeback with a bank or credit card company and it is still active. 
• We can’t assist you if your dispute is older than 18 months from the return journey or the intended return date.

Also in this section

Before and after travel Resolving disputes Register a dispute I have a problem raising a dispute I have a problem after registering a dispute

Air Canada ordered to pay couple $2,000 in compensation. Instead, it's taking them to court

Experts say legislative changes could see more air passenger complaints in court.

Air Canada serves couple court papers instead of paying compensation

Social sharing.

Close to four years after they filed a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), Andrew and Anna Dyczkowski finally got a resolution — in their favour.

In November 2023, a CTA officer determined their 24-hour flight delay from Vancouver to Costa Rica in 2020 was Air Canada's fault. The airline was ordered to compensate the couple $1,000 each, as per federal regulations. 

"We were kind of happy that the system works," said Andrew Dyczkowski who lives with his wife, Anna, just outside Kelowna, B.C.

But instead of getting cash, the couple was served with court documents in January. Turns out, Air Canada is taking them to Federal Court in an attempt to overturn the decision of the CTA officer. The agency is not named in the case. 

Feeling stuck, the couple, who work in the construction industry, got a lawyer. 

"We're kind of numb," said Dyczkowski, who believes the legal dispute should be between Air Canada and the CTA — not passengers. 

"Leave us little folks alone. Like, we really don't want to be in this business of courts, or hundreds of pages of legal documents," he said. "Something is really wrong in the system."

The CTA, Canada's transport regulator, is tasked with settling disputes between airlines and customers. Both parties have always had the right to legally challenge CTA decisions but it rarely happens.

Tens of thousands of air passenger complaints have poured into the CTA over the past couple of years .

During that period, airlines appealed just six agency decisions involving compensation, according to the CTA. 

• Have you had to deal with the CTA for an air travel complaint? What was your experience like? Let us know in an email to  [email protected] .

However, new federal government measures  broaden the type of CTA decisions that can be contested in court. Some legal experts suspect airlines will take advantage and drag more unsuspecting passengers into legal disputes. 

"It's really unfortunate; there's going to be a lot more of these [cases], I think," said John Lawford, a lawyer and executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

Airlines are going "to try to further gum up the process and make the complaints process look bad, even worse than it already does."

New measures explained

Opening the door to more legal disputes wasn't the intent of the new measures, adopted in late September 2023. They were designed to speed up the backlogged complaints process by allowing the CTA to hire complaints resolution officers who can issue decisions on behalf of the agency. 

But a byproduct of the change is that airlines can no longer challenge the decisions in the Federal Court of Appeal. Instead, carriers now must request a judicial review in Federal Court, which has a lower bar for the kinds of cases that can be contested.

"The airlines will be able to attack these CTA decisions on more grounds than they could have before," said Mark Mancini, an assistant law professor at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. "It's a much easier process for the airlines."

Even so, Air Canada disagrees with the notion that carriers will now flood the courts with cases. In an email to CBC News, spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said legal challenges "are complex and costly," and only pursued for "serious questions of fact or law." 

He added that since the new CTA measures took effect, the airline has only contested the one case involving the Dyczkowskis.

Why did Air Canada launch the case?

Under federal rules, airlines pay up to $1,000 compensation per passenger if a flight cancellation or delay was within their control.

In court documents for the Dyczkowski case, Air Canada argues that bad weather — which was outside its control — was the main reason for the delay.

The CTA officer who ruled on the case disagreed. Air Canada claims the officer "failed to properly evaluate the evidence."

Air Canada's Fitzpatrick says launching the case was the only way the airline could get clarity on the new CTA officers' obligations when assessing evidence. He added that the Dyczkowskis won't be on the hook for legal fees if the airline is victorious. 

Proposed changes to air passenger protections as complaints soar

Fitzpatrick said Air Canada didn't target the CTA because that's how Canada's judicial system works.  

"The original case was between the passenger and Air Canada, therefore the review of the decision is between the same parties," he said.

The CTA has asked the court for permission to participate in the case but Air Canada is fighting the request.

The Dyczkowskis' lawyer, Peter Choe, who is working pro bono, told CBC News a hearing will likely be scheduled in the fall.

The CTA responds

The CTA told CBC News that, so far, the new system is working well, with scores of newly hired officers tackling its backlog of more than 72,000 passenger complaints. 

"We're processing them faster," said spokesperson Tom Oommen in an interview. 

When asked about concerns that airlines may try to overturn more decisions in court, Oommen said it's too early to tell.

"That's not something we have a clear line of sight on for the moment," he said. "If we need to adjust, then certainly that's advice we would bring to the government."

But consumer advocate Lawford argues a wait-and-see approach is unfair to passengers.

"They shouldn't be using customers as guinea pigs to test their system," he said. Lawford suggests the CTA should change its format to an ombudsman-type service where disputes are resolved with no legal recourse.

"The airline regulations should be free. They should be simple to understand. And it shouldn't involve court ever for consumers."

The CTA's Oommen says that if a passenger is named in a judicial review case, they aren't required to participate. 

He said even if the passenger is a no-show, the judge will still review all relevant documents to determine if the CTA officer made the right decision.

Although he doesn't want to go to court, Dyczkowski says if he didn't, "that means that the judgment can be issued against you, without you having a chance to say anything."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Business reporter

Based in Toronto, Sophia Harris covers consumer and business for CBC News web, radio and TV. She previously worked as a CBC videojournalist in the Maritimes where she won an Atlantic Journalism Award for her work. Contact: [email protected]

• @sophiaharrisCBC

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• Fact Sheets

Fact Sheet: Presidential Proclamation to Suspend and Limit Entry and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule to Restrict Asylum During High Encounters at the Southern Border

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration took decisive new action to strengthen border security, announcing a series of measures that restrict asylum eligibility, and significantly increase the consequences for those who enter without authorization across the southern border. These extraordinary steps, which will be in effect during times when high levels of encounters exceed our ability to deliver timely consequences, will make noncitizens who enter across the southern border ineligible for asylum with certain exceptions, raise the standard that is used to screen for certain protection claims, and speed up our ability to quickly remove those who do not qualify for protection.

These actions follow a series of steps that the Administration has taken over the past three years as it prepared for the end of the Title 42 public health Order, and since it was lifted last year, including surging personnel, infrastructure, and technology to the border, issuing the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Rule, and referring record numbers of noncitizens into expedited removal. Over the past year, we have removed or returned more than three quarters of a million people, more than in any fiscal year since 2010. Despite these efforts, our outdated and broken immigration and asylum system, coupled with a lack of sufficient funding, make it impossible to quickly impose consequences on all noncitizens who cross irregularly and without a legal basis to remain in the United States.

The Administration has repeatedly called on Congress to provide the resources and legal authorities needed to secure our border. The measures announced today will better enable the Department to quickly remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States, strengthening enforcement and change the calculus for those considering crossing our border irregularly. However, they are no substitute for Congressional action. We continue to call on Congress to provide the new tools and resources we have asked for to support the men and women on the frontlines.

President Biden issued a Presidential Proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of noncitizens across the southern border. The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General also jointly issued an interim final rule that, consistent with the Proclamation, generally restricts asylum eligibility for those who irregularly enter across the southern border – including the Southwest land and the southern coastal borders. The rule also limits fear screenings to those who manifest a fear or express a desire to file for protection and heightens the screening standard for statutory withholding and claims under the Convention Against Torture. Taken together, these measures will significantly increase the speed and scope of consequences for those who cross our borders irregularly or who attempt to present themselves at Ports of Entry without authorization, allowing the Departments to more quickly remove individuals who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States. The restriction on asylum eligibility will be discontinued when encounters fall below certain levels but will come back into effect if encounters rise again.

The rule makes three key changes to current processing under Title 8 immigration authorities during periods of high border encounters:

• First, noncitizens who cross the southern border unlawfully or without authorization will generally be ineligible for asylum, absent exceptionally compelling circumstances and unless they are excepted by the Proclamation.
• Second, noncitizens who cross the southern border and are processed for expedited removal while the limitation is in effect will only be referred for a credible fear screening with an Asylum Officer if they manifest or express a fear of return to their country or country of removal, a fear of persecution or torture, or an intention to apply for asylum.  
• Third, the U.S. will continue to adhere to its international obligations and commitments by screening individuals who manifest a fear as noted above and do not qualify for an exception to the Rule for withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture protections at a reasonable probability of persecution or torture standard – a new, substantially higher standard than is currently applied under the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule.  

Like the Proclamation, the rule provides for an end to these enhanced measures following a sustained reduction in southern border encounters. Specifically, these measures are in effect until 14 calendar days after there has been a 7-consecutive-calendar-day average of less than 1,500 encounters between the ports of entry. The measures would again go into effect, or continue, as appropriate, when there has been a 7-consecutive-calendar-day average of 2,500 encounters or more.

During periods of high encounters, the Proclamation will apply across the southern border. Lawful permanent residents, unaccompanied children, victims of a severe form of trafficking, and other noncitizens with a valid visa or other lawful permission to enter the United States are excepted from the Proclamation.

In addition, the suspension and limitation on entry and rule will not apply to noncitizens who use a Secretary-approved process—such as the CBP One mobile app—to enter the United States at a port of entry in a safe and orderly manner or pursue another lawful pathway.

Noncitizens who cross the southern border and who are not excepted from the Proclamation will be ineligible for asylum unless exceptionally compelling circumstances exist, including if the noncitizen demonstrates that they or a member of their family with whom they are traveling:

• faced an acute medical emergency;
• faced an imminent and extreme threat to life or safety, such as an imminent threat of rape, kidnapping, torture, or murder; or
• satisfied the definition of “victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons” currently provided in 8 CFR 214.11.

Consequences

Noncitizens who are subject to the rule’s limitation on asylum eligibility and who manifest or express a fear of return to their country or country of removal, express a fear of persecution or torture or an intention to apply for asylum, but do not establish a reasonable probability of persecution or torture in the country of removal will be promptly removed.

Those ordered removed will be subject to at least a five-year bar to reentry and potential criminal prosecution.

The Proclamation and rule will significantly enhance the security of our border by increasing the Departments’ ability to impose swift consequences for individuals who cross the southern border irregularly and do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States.  Together, the Proclamation and rule make critical changes to how the Departments operate during times when encounters are at historically high levels—levels that, in the absence of these changes, undermine the government’s ability to process individuals through the expedited removal process. These changes will enable the Departments to quickly return those without a lawful basis to stay in the United States and thereby free up the asylum system for those with legitimate claims.

These extraordinary measures are a stop gap. Even with these measures in place, the Departments continue to lack the authorities and resources needed to adequately support the men and women on the frontlines. The Administration again calls on Congress to take up and pass the bipartisan reforms proposed in the Senate, which provide the new authorities, personnel, and resources that are needed to address the historic global migration that is impacting countries throughout the world, including our own. Until Congress does its part, we will continue to take any actions needed under current law and within existing resources to secure the border.

• Border Security
• Immigration
• Biden-Harris Administration
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Department of Justice (DOJ)

Air Canada flight with 389 passengers forced to land back at Toronto airport after takeoff

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A routine Air Canada flight from Toronto to Paris was forced to return to Pearson Airport on Wednesday evening after the aircraft began experiencing engine issues just a few minutes after takeoff. 

According to flight tracking data website Flight Aware , the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200LR (twin-jet), was performing flight AC872 and took off from Pearson Airport at 8:46 p.m. 

Shortly after departure, the flight crew reported an engine issue, which cut the flight's journey short and ultimately forced it back to Pearson Airport. 

Flight radar shows the aircraft looping above Toronto before heading back to the airport. Air Canada says the aircraft was immediately inspected by airport response vehicles after landing. 

The aircraft was forced to return back to Toronto less than two hours after takeoff. Photo: Flight Aware . 

Thankfully, the aircraft was able to taxi back to the gate on its own, and despite there being 389 passengers onboard, no injuries were reported. 

As a result of the issue, the airline says the aircraft will be taken out of service for thorough evaluation. Affected passengers were rescheduled on a flight that took off early Thursday morning at 1:32 a.m. and landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport at 2:38 p.m. local time. 

This isn't the first time an Air Canada flight was forced to return to Pearson Airport shortly after takeoff in recent weeks.

Air Canada flight lands back at Toronto airport after mid-flight engine issue https://t.co/oMQYkjCvNL — blogTO (@blogTO) May 29, 2024

On May 27, a flight bound for New Delhi, India — also coincidentally serviced by a Boeing 777-200LR (twin-jet) — was forced to land back in Toronto less than two hours after takeoff due to engine issues. 

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BARK Air for dogs sued days after first flight

• Westchester County is suing BARK Air, which bills itself as the first "air travel experience" designed for dogs.
• The county alleges that BARK Air is operating out of the Westchester County Airport's private jet area contrary to county law.

BARK Air uses a Gulfstream Aerospace GV jet, which has room for 14 seats.

Just days after six canines aboard BARK Air — which bills itself as the first "air travel experience" designed for dogs — took the charter company's inaugural flight out of Westchester County , the county sued BARK in federal court, alleging violations of Westchester's airport-use restrictions.

Attorneys for Westchester County, New York, say that BARK Air is operating out of the Westchester County Airport's private jet area contrary to county law, which prohibits commercial and chartered aircraft with more than nine seats from using the private jet terminal.

Learn more:   Best travel insurance

What is BARK Air being sued for?

Westchester County is seeking an injunction against BARK, which would prohibit it from operating in the private jet area. The only other option would be for BARK to operate out of the passenger terminal. But space at the terminal is severely limited, given the county's imposition of a passenger cap and voluntary night-time flight restrictions.

However, a spokesperson for BARK Air said its furry customers should still be able to embark on upcoming travel. While the company "doesn't comment on litigation," according to the spokesperson, "we don't believe this will impact our operations."

Named alongside BARK in Westchester's lawsuit is Talon Air, which is a private jet company partnering with BARK to offer the canine aviation service. Though the company was later sold, Talon Air was initially founded by Democratic mega-donor Adam Katz, who has donated tens of thousands of dollars to County Executive George Latimer's political coffers.

Three other airlines have separately sued Westchester in federal court, claiming that the county's airport-use restrictions on charter flights violate federal law. However, a judge has yet to rule on their claims.

Westchester County has made clear its frustration with public charter services. In a regulatory filing submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration, it said that the latest iteration of public charters "closely resembles" services offered by large, commercial airlines.

Public charter companies "are attempting to force airports such as (Westchester) HPN to allow them to fly" from the private jet terminal "and thereby gain a competitive advantage" over commercial airlines, the county said in its filing.

"Accordingly, the two should be held to the same safety and security standards, and airport sponsors should continue to treat the two equally," the county added.

Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can send him an email at  [email protected] . Reach him securely:  [email protected] .

The Key Points at the top of this article were created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and reviewed by a journalist before publication. No other parts of the article were generated using AI. Learn more .