CHICAGO, April 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation

Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday announced a partnership with

state attorneys general to fast-track investigations into

complaints against airlines and ticket agents as part of the

Biden administration's efforts to enhance consumer protections.

Currently, the authority to enforce passenger protections

lies solely with the federal government. And while state

attorneys general receive consumer complaints, airlines are not

legally required to respond to their inquiries.

Under the partnership, Buttigieg said the states will

investigate complaints against airlines and refer them to the

U.S. Department of Transportation for priority review and

enforcement action.

They will also report carriers for failure to respond to

requests for information. The DOT will give the states access to

its consumer complaint database.

"The truth is we need force multipliers to help meet the

need given the record-breaking air travel that we have seen,"

Buttigieg told reporters.

Complaints about U.S. airlines climbed sharply last year

even as flight cancellations dropped to a 10-year low, data from

the Transportation Department shows.

The Biden administration has been aggressively pushing

measures to expand consumer rights for airline passengers.

It has proposed rules to make passenger compensation and

amenities mandatory when airlines are responsible for flight

delays or cancellations. It has also pressed carriers to get rid

of junk fees, including those for seating families together.

Buttigieg has opened numerous investigations and imposed

fines for carrier misbehavior. Last year, the DOT imposed a $140

million fine on Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) for a December 2022

holiday meltdown that led to 16,900 flight cancellations and

stranded 2 million passengers.

The latest move comes as passenger traffic in the United

States is projected to reach an all-time high this year.

Buttigieg said the bipartisan agreement brings together

attorneys general from Republican and Democratic states.

It includes 18 states such as California, New York, Nevada

and Colorado that have some of the busiest U.S. airports. The

DOT said seven more states - Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota,

Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington - are interested in

joining the initiative.