The six parts that decide what you are owed.
US passenger rights are not one law. They are six parts of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, written at different times for different reasons, and the useful ones are not the ones people quote.
Each page below says what the part actually does, which of its sections a passenger would ever need, what the key section says in its own words, and every time it has been amended.
The parts
Part 250 — Oversales
This is the one part of US passenger-rights law that sets a guaranteed cash payment. Nothing else in Title 14 does.
6 sections4 matter to passengers6 amendmentslast changed Oct. 24, 2024Part 253 — Notice of terms of contract of carriage
The contract of carriage is where airlines put the limits people are most surprised by. Part 253 is the reason they cannot bind you to terms you were never told about.
10 sections5 matter to passengers1 amendmentlast changed Nov. 19, 1982Part 254 — Domestic baggage liability
It is the number people quote when a bag is lost, and it is almost always quoted wrong, as though it were a payout.
5 sections2 matter to passengers6 amendmentslast changed Oct. 24, 2024Part 259 — Enhanced protections for airline passengers
This is the part with the clearest hard deadlines in the whole set, and the only one that obliges an airline to answer you in writing.
8 sections5 matter to passengers1 amendmentlast changed May 3, 2021Part 260 — Refunds
If you only read one part, read this one. It is where most passenger money actually sits, and almost nobody knows the thresholds.
11 sections7 matter to passengers2 amendmentslast changed Aug. 12, 2024Part 399 — Statements of general policy, including unfair and deceptive practices
This is the part behind the price you see, and behind most DOT fines. It was amended on 2 July 2026, making it the most recently changed part of the six.
4 sections4 matter to passengers3 amendmentslast changed Jul. 2, 2026
What this library is, and is not
The regulations themselves are published by the government and we link every one of them. What we add is the part that is missing there: what each part is for, which sections a passenger would ever open, the amendment history as a dated timeline rather than a citation string, and our own data on how often the underlying problem actually happens.
Every quotation is verbatim from the regulation and linked to its source. The plain-English summaries and the judgement about which sections matter are ours, and are labelled that way on each page.
Looking for the answer to a situation rather than the rule? Start with what happened to you. Want to know what changed and when? The rights timeline.
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.