Air Consumer

The Department issued a notice on August 8, 2002, providing guidance for airlines and the traveling public regarding the obligation of airlines under section 145 of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (“Act”) to transport passengers of airlines that have ceased operations due to insolvency or bankruptcy.  (P.L. 107-71, 115 Stat. 645 (November 19, 2001))  That notice, which was issued after Vanguard Airlines’ July 2002 cessation of service, was intended to provide immediate guidance in response to numerous complaints from ticketed passengers and inquiries from airlines.  On November 6, 2002, National Airlines ceased operations.  The purpose of this notice is to remind carriers that the provisions of section 145 also apply to National Airlines’ cessation of service.

On November 14, 2002, the Department of Transportation issued a notice providing guidance for airlines and the traveling public regarding the obligation of airlines under section 145 of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, P.L. 107-71, 115 Stat. 645 (November 19, 2001) (“Act”), to transport passengers of airlines that have ceased operations due to insolvency or bankruptcy.  That notice, issued after National Airlines’ November 6, 2002, cessation of operations, followed a similar notice issued August 8, 2002, after Vanguard Airlines’ July 2002 cessation of service.  Both notices were intended to provide immediate guidance in response to numerous complaints from ticketed passengers and inquiries from airlines.  In addition, the November 14 notice also requested comments from airlines and the traveling public about the cost to carriers of transporting passengers of carriers that had ceased operations.  The purpose of this notice is to respond to those comments. 

The Department is issuing a
statement of compliance policy that
states that the ticket notices required by
various DOT rules must be given (or be
made readily available) to ‘‘ticketless’’
airline passengers no later than the time
that they check in at the airport for the
first flight in their itinerary.

The following letter was sent on February 1, 2011, to the association which represents the major global distribution systems operating in the United States and to several global distribution systems and online travel agents.

This letter was sent on March 4, 2011, to the association which represents the major global distribution systems operating in the United States.

The Department of Transportation is proposing to amend its existing airline smoking rule to explicitly ban the use of electronic cigarettes on all aircraft in scheduled passenger interstate, intrastate and foreign air transportation. The Department is taking this action because of the increased promotion of electronic cigarettes and the potential health and passenger comfort concerns that they pose in an aircraft. The Department is
also considering whether to extend the ban on smoking (including electronic cigarettes) to charter flights of air carriers (i.e. U.S. carriers) and foreign air carriers with aircraft that have a designed seating capacity of 19 or more passenger seats.

Excerpted from answers to Questions for the Record provided by Susan Kurland, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation, following a June 17, 2010, hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recommended that the Secretary of Transportation establish a national task force of airlines, airports, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to coordinate and develop contingency plans to deal with lengthy ground delays, such as working with airlines and airports to share facilities and make gates available in an emergency. To
implement this recommendation, on January 3, 2008, the Secretary of Transportation, consistent with the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, established the National Task Force to Develop Model Contingency Plans to Deal with Lengthy On-Board Ground Delays (Task Force).

List of Carriers that Operated Aircraft with 30 or More Seats (Jan - Nov 2011)

The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 requires covered U.S. carriers
and U.S. airports to submit to the Secretary of Transportation for review and approval tarmac
delay contingency plans on or before May 14, 2012. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s
Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings (Enforcement Office) will be establishing an
electronic submission system to enable covered airlines and airports to submit the required plans
through the World Wide Web. The Enforcement Office plans to issue another notice within 45
days that will provide information on how covered carriers and airports can submit these
required plans. Submissions of the plans should not be made prior to that date to ensure proper
review and recording.