When your rights changed.
Passenger rights are not fixed, and the changes are not announced to passengers. They appear as amendments in the Federal Register and then sit in a source note at the bottom of a regulation nobody reads.
Below is every amendment to the rules we track, merged across parts and put in date order: 19 changes across 6 sections, 8 of which moved a number you would care about.
What is being tracked
- 14 CFR Part 250 — Oversales and denied boarding
- 14 CFR Part 253 — Notice of contract terms
- 14 CFR Part 254 — Domestic baggage liability
- 14 CFR Part 259 — Customer service and tarmac delays
- 14 CFR Part 260 — Refunds
- 14 CFR Part 399 — Fare advertising and deceptive practices
All six have a page in the rule library.
2026
- Jul. 214 CFR 399.8491 FR 40371changed a numberFare advertising and deceptive practices
The most recent change to any of the six parts we track, and the newest thing on this page.
2024
- Oct. 2414 CFR 250.589 FR 84818changed a numberOversales and denied boarding
The inflation adjustment that set the denied-boarding ceilings at their current $1,075 and $2,150.
- Oct. 2414 CFR 254.489 FR 84819changed a numberDomestic baggage liability
The same adjustment raised the domestic baggage liability limit to its current $4,700 per passenger.
- Aug. 1214 CFR 260.289 FR 65536Refunds
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
- Apr. 3014 CFR 399.8489 FR 34674Fare advertising and deceptive practices
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
- Apr. 2614 CFR 260.289 FR 32832changed a numberRefunds
The automatic-refund rule. For the first time a federal regulation defines what counts as a "significant change" to your itinerary: three hours domestic, six hours international. It also sets the thresholds at which a delayed checked bag makes the bag fee refundable.
2021
- Aug. 214 CFR 250.586 FR 41381Oversales and denied boarding
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
- May 314 CFR 259.486 FR 23270changed a numberCustomer service and tarmac delays
The tarmac-delay contingency plan requirements as they stand today: a chance to deplane before three hours domestic and four hours international, with food and water no later than two hours in.
- Jan. 1314 CFR 250.586 FR 2538Oversales and denied boarding
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
- Jan. 1314 CFR 254.486 FR 2539Domestic baggage liability
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
2016
- Nov. 314 CFR 250.581 FR 76827Oversales and denied boarding
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
2015
- May 2714 CFR 250.580 FR 30147Oversales and denied boarding
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
- May 2714 CFR 254.480 FR 30147Domestic baggage liability
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
2013
- Mar. 814 CFR 254.478 FR 14914Domestic baggage liability
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
2011
- Apr. 2514 CFR 250.576 FR 23162changed a numberOversales and denied boarding
The current denied-boarding compensation structure takes effect: a two-tier payment set as a multiple of the fare, capped by a dollar ceiling.
- Apr. 2514 CFR 399.8476 FR 23166changed a numberFare advertising and deceptive practices
The full-fare advertising rule takes effect: the total price a customer will pay must be the most prominent figure in an advertisement.
2008
- Nov. 2114 CFR 254.473 FR 70592Domestic baggage liability
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
2007
- Jan. 2914 CFR 254.472 FR 3943Domestic baggage liability
The source note records this amendment without describing it. We have not summarised what changed, because we would be guessing.
1982
- Nov. 1914 CFR Part 25347 FR 52134changed a numberNotice of contract terms
The contract-of-carriage notice rules are adopted. This is the oldest of the parts we track, and the reason an airline cannot bind you to terms it never told you about.
How this page is built
Every date and Federal Register citation here is taken from the source note printed with the regulation itself. Nothing is paraphrased from memory, and where the source note does not say what an amendment did, this page does not either. The plain-English descriptions are ours, and they only appear where the regulation’s own text supports them.
The rules themselves are in the rule library, and the answer for your situation is on the passenger rights pages. Our sourcing standards are on the editorial guidelines page, and any correction goes in the public log.
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.