DOT Delays Airline Delay-Cause Reporting Rule to February 1, 2027; October 19 Start Scrapped
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has delayed the effective date of its airline delay and cancellation cause-reporting rule from October 19, 2026 to February 1, 2027, according to a final rule published in the Federal Register on October 15 (FR Doc. 2026-21058).
The original rule, published September 3, 2026 under Section 511(b) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, requires reporting carriers to move ten specific types of events out of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) "Air Carrier" causal code — the category reserved for circumstances within a carrier's control — into a new reporting category created by Congress.
Airlines for America (A4A) asked DOT on September 21 to delay the start, saying the department needed time to update the BTS technical reporting directive and obtain approval for the revised information collection, and carriers and BTS needed time to update their systems. DOT agreed, saying applying the new categories from the start of a new calendar year would provide clearer information for consumers and industry.
Under the delay, the new reporting categories will apply to delays and cancellations of flights occurring on or after January 1, 2027, and airlines must file their January 2027 reports with BTS reflecting the new categories. The delay document was signed by Edward Strocko, acting director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国一机场的航班出发信息屏（资料图，CC BY-SA 4.0，via Wikimedia Commons）
