Attorney General William Tong led a bipartisan coalition of 41 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to strengthen consumer protections for airline passengers, criticizing a proposed rule as insufficient. The coalition called for mandatory refunds for cancellations, compensation for delays, and prohibitions on practices like upselling after cancellations, amid over 260 complaints received by Connecticut AG's office.
In-house legal teams should review customer-facing agreements with airlines, including contracts of carriage, terms of service, and refund policies. Focus on clauses governing refunds for cancellations or significant schedule changes, compensation for delays, terms for travel vouchers/credits (especially expiration), and prohibitions on post-cancellation upselling. Updates may be needed to align with potential DOT rules requiring automatic refunds, non-expiring vouchers for disease-related cancellations, and clearer definitions of 'significant change' to ensure compliance and mitigate enforcement risk.
Entity
Airlines
Also known as: Airline Industry
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2022-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-calls-for-stronger-consumer-protections-against-airline-abuses
usdot nprm final 34 ags corrected.pdf?rev=78558ab5565245ff90
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2022/usdot-nprm--final-34-ags-corrected.pdf?rev=78558ab5565245ff900efb273f0fa641&hash=F03394C8FDB0970770A1717E37BFBD8A
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
$2.0M
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of four other states and the FTC sued Zillow and Redfin after Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down its multifamily rental advertising business and transfer clients to Zillow. The settlement requires the companies to restore competition, with Redfin rebuilding its apartment advertising business, and pay $2 million to the coalition.
Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to the Connecticut Insurance Department urging rejection of double-digit rate increases sought by Anthem, ConnectiCare, and UnitedHealthcare for individual and small group health insurance plans covering about 220,000 people. The letter argues the rates exceed inflationary measures and criticizes the carriers for failing to control costs and for poor claims system management, particularly ConnectiCare's transition to Molina Healthcare.
$275K
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $275,000 settlement with TaxAct, an online tax preparation company, over allegations that between January 2018 and December 2022, TaxAct improperly disclosed detailed customer financial information to Meta and Google through third-party tracking technologies without notifying taxpayers. The settlement requires TaxAct to pay $275,000 and implement new third-party tracking compliance measures, including a review committee, written policies, a tag monitoring system, and two independent third-party audits.
$4.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and the Federal Trade Commission announced a $4 million settlement with Manchester City Nissan (Chase Nissan LLC) resolving allegations that the dealership double-charged for 'certified pre-owned' vehicles and collected unauthorized junk fees. The settlement requires payment for consumer redress, prohibits misrepresentations, mandates clear disclosure of the maximum total price, and requires express informed consent for all charges.
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and DHS to block demands for the personal information of 17 million CDL drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data transfer.
Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 10 attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging a new OCC rule that preempts state laws requiring national banks to pay interest on homeowners' mortgage escrow accounts. The lawsuit argues the OCC ignored federal court decisions and bypassed safeguards, and seeks to block the rule.