Airline Refunds and Other Consumer Protections
Built by the Tribune's code from the Federal Register. No AI wrote this page. Published in the Federal Register July 7, 2026. Document 2026-13675. Updated Nov. 8, 2026.
- What it does
The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department or DOT) is extending its current enforcement discretion, announced on December 5, 2025, regarding specific refund regulations. Under current regulations, a flight assigned a different flight number than was active at the time of ticket purchase is considered a "cancelled flight," making the consumer eligible for a prompt refund and related notifications. The Department is extending its discretion to not enforce these requirements for renumbered flights, provided that the passenger is rebooked on a flight with a new number and the flight operates without any "significant change or delay" as defined in its regulations. This extension provides the Department with the necessary time to complete the pending rulemaking addressing the definition of a flight cancellation.
The Transportation Department's summary, as published in the Federal Register.
- What changed in the regulation
2 parts of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations:
- Compared with
The Transportation Department has published 10 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 9 in all of 2025.
Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.
- Before this
1 earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 2105-AF04, 2105-AF36 since Jan. 1, 2025.
- What happens next and when
As of July 7, 2026, the Department is extending the pause on the enforcement of airline refunds requirements regarding cancelled flights under 14 CFR parts 260 and 399 for flights that are merely renumbered. This enforcement discretion is extended for 1-year from the date of this publication, expiring on July 7, 2027.
The agency's dates, word for word.
The record as published
| Document number | 2026-13675 |
|---|---|
| Action | Notification of enforcement discretion. |
| Agencies | Transportation Department |
| Published | July 7, 2026 |
| Regulation identifier (RIN) | 2105-AF04, 2105-AF36 |
| Docket | DOT-OST-2025-2285 |
| Significant (marked in the Federal Register) | Yes |
Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register