14 CFR Part 260: Refunds
Part 260 is the newest of the six and the one that changed the most for passengers. It makes refunds automatic rather than something you chase, requires them in cash to the original form of payment, and forbids an airline from making you take a voucher instead.
It also defines, for the first time in a federal regulation, what counts as a "significant change" to your itinerary, and the thresholds at which a delayed checked bag makes the bag fee refundable.
Why a passenger would open this part
If you only read one part, read this one. It is where most passenger money actually sits, and almost nobody knows the thresholds.
This summary is ours. The regulation’s own words are quoted below and linked in full.
What 14 CFR 260.2 says
“The consumer is scheduled to depart from the origination airport three hours or more for domestic itineraries and six hours or more for international itineraries earlier than the original scheduled departure time … The consumer is scheduled to arrive at the destination airport three or more hours for domestic itineraries or six or more hours for international itineraries after the original scheduled arrival time”Read 14 CFR 260.2 in full
The sections that matter to you
Of the 11sections in this part, these are the ones that bear on what a passenger gets. Which sections belong on this list is our judgement, not the regulation’s.
- § 260.2Definitions
- § 260.4Refunding fees for ancillary services that consumers paid for but that were not provided
- § 260.5Refunding fees for significantly delayed or lost bags
- § 260.6Refunding fare for flights cancelled or significantly delayed or changed by carriers
- § 260.7Affirmative acceptance of an offer of alternative compensation
- § 260.9Notification to consumers
- § 260.10Providing prompt refunds
The remaining 4 are definitional or administrative
- § 260.1Purpose
- § 260.3Applicability
- § 260.8Disclosing material restrictions, conditions, or limitations
- § 260.11Contract of Carriage provisions related to refunds
Every time this part changed
- Apr. 26, 2024 89 FR 32832The automatic-refund rule. Defines "significant change" for the first time.
- Aug. 12, 2024 89 FR 65536
Dates and citations are taken from the source note printed with the regulation. Entries with no description are ones the source note records without explaining, and we do not guess at what changed. All six parts side by side are on the rights timeline.
What this means in practice
Row30 provides data journalism and education, not legal advice. We are not a law firm and do not represent passengers in legal proceedings. For advice about your own situation, consult an attorney.