Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

Rule 240 mandated that an

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines for ...

with a delayed or canceled flight had to transfer passengers to another carrier if the second carrier could get passengers to the destination more quickly than the original airline.

Description

The original rule, referring to a federal requirement before

airline deregulation Airline deregulation is the process of removing government-imposed entry and price restrictions on airlines affecting, in particular, the carriers permitted to serve specific routes. In the United States, the term usually applies to the Airline Der ...

in 1978, is long-obsolete;Frequently Asked Questions
Air Traffic Control System Command Center, Federal Aviation Administration. ''The term "Rule 240" refers to a rule that existed before airline deregulation. There is no longer an actual Rule 240.'' however, the major US airlines have filed " conditions of carriage" with the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

guaranteeing their similar provisions. These provisions vary from airline to airline, and generally apply only to delays that are absolutely the airline's fault, such as mechanical delays, and not to "

force majeure In contract law, (from Law French: 'overwhelming force', ) is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such ...

" events such as

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...

, strikes, or " acts of God". The European equivalent is

Flight Compensation Regulation 261/2004 The Flight Compensation Regulation 2004''(EC) No 261/2004is a regulation in EU law establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, flight cancellations, or long delays of flights. It require ...

References

External links

Smarter Travel.com article "Goodbye, travel protections: Why 'Rule 240' is headed for oblivion".

PeterGreenberg.com article "Setting the Record Straight on Rule 240"

How To Claim Flight Delay Compensation?

Compensation for Flight Delays
United States federal transportation legislation Aviation in the United States Aviation law {{Aviation-stub