I just got appointed to this new committee on consumer protections. I hope it makes a difference.
Charlie

Consumer Travel Alliance Director Charlie Leocha
Named to DOT Advisory Committee on Consumer Protections

Charlie Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance (CTA), has been appointed by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood as the public interest representative to the Department of Transportation (DOT) Advisory Committee on Consumer Protections.

This committee was created as a result of the recently passed Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill and will advise the Secretary on aviation consumer protection issues and customer service issues.

Leocha is one of four people appointed to the Advisory Committee on Consumer Protections. The other committee members are Lisa Madigan, Illinois attorney general, who will chair the committee; David A. Berg, senior vice president at Airlines for America; and Deborah Ale-Flint, director of aviation at Oakland International Airport.

This marks the first time a consumer advocate has been named to such a high-level position at the Transportation Department. The appointment will provide an unprecedented opportunity for passengers’ voices to be heard and to formulate new consumer protections and education programs collaboratively with the air transportation industry.

“I am honored to serve on this committee,” said Leocha. “With the close cooperation of consumer groups representing both leisure travelers and business travelers, a stronger and more unified voice will now be heard from airline passengers.”

The CTA strongly believes in serving the broad interests of the traveling public by finding a way to move consumer protections forward through education, coalition-building and mutual consent.

“We look forward to working with the entire community of consumer groups in Washington to help improve the air travel experience,” added Leocha.

The Advisory Committee on Consumer Protections is charged with evaluating existing aviation consumer protection programs and providing recommendations for the improvements, and offering recommendations for establishing additional aviation consumer protection programs, if needed.

About the Consumer Travel Alliance

The Consumer Travel Alliance (CTA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, founded in 2009, that works to provide consumers an articulate and reasoned voice in decisions that affect consumers across the entire travel industry. CTA’s staff gathers facts, analyzes issues, and disseminates that information to the public, the travel industry, regulators and policy makers. CTA was founded by longtime travel journalists Charles Leocha and Christopher Elliott. Leocha is a former MSNBC travel expert, author of Travel Rights and a series of travel guidebooks. Elliott is currently the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler and CTA. He is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals, and a columnist for Tribune Media Services and the Washington Post. For more information, visit consumertravelalliance.org.