Data / Federal rules / 2026-18040
Cause of Airline Delay and Cancellation Categories Under Section 511(b) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024
The Transportation Department published this final rule in the Federal Register on September 3, 2026. It took effect on October 19, 2026.
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What the agency says
The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department or DOT) is amending its regulations governing how air carriers report the causes of flight cancellations and delays. This action implements Section 511(b) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which mandates that ten specific types of events be excluded from the "Air Carrier" causal reporting code. That code is reserved for circumstances that are within the carrier's control. This final rule creates a new reporting category to capture these ten specific events, ensuring that the data reported to the Department and shared with the traveling public accurately reflects the statutory distinction between carrier-controllable events and the specific exclusions identified by Congress.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-18040
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Transportation Department
- Published
- September 3, 2026
- Takes effect
- October 19, 2026
- Dates
- This final rule becomes effective on October 19, 2026.
- Docket
- Docket No. DOT-OST-2026-1257
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 2105-AF29
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 14 CFR 234
- Topics
- Air carriers; Air rates and fares; Consumer protection; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
- Significant
- Yes, under Executive Order 12866
- Pages
- 6
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Everything from the Transportation Department · Rules on air carriers · Rules on air rates and fares · Rules on consumer protection · Published in September 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-24. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.