Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee; Notice of Public Meeting

Issuing agencies

Abstract

This Notice announces a two-day public meeting of the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC) to be held virtually.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 167 (Monday, August 31, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 167 (Monday, August 31, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55978-55979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17721]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2018-0190]


Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee; Notice of Public 
Meeting

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT or Department).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This Notice announces a two-day public meeting of the Aviation 
Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC) to be held virtually.

DATES: The virtual meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

ADDRESSES: The virtual meeting will be open to the public and held via 
the Zoom Webinar Platform. You may register to attend this virtual 
meeting at this website: <a href="https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_GIi1-epTTNmcOXkzHooVMw">https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_GIi1-epTTNmcOXkzHooVMw</a>. Virtual attendance information will be 
provided upon registration. An agenda will be available on the DOT 
Office of Aviation Consumer Protection website at <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/ACPAC">https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/ACPAC</a> in advance of the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please 
contact <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#abeae8fbeae8ebcfc4df85ccc4dd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="71303221303231151e055f161e07">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Communication Access Real-time Translation 
(CART) is available within the Zoom platform. Requests for additional 
accommodations because of a disability must be received at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e9a8aab9a8aaa98d869dc78e869f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b1f0f2e1f0f2f1d5dec59fd6dec7">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> by September 18, 2026.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    ACPAC was initially established by the Department as a Federal 
advisory committee as mandated by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act 
of 2012. The statutory termination date for the Committee has been 
extended several times, most recently by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 
2024 (2024 Act) to the current termination date of September 30, 2028. 
ACPAC's mandate is to evaluate current DOT aviation consumer protection 
programs and provide recommendations to the Secretary for improving 
them, as well as recommending any additional consumer protection that 
may be needed.

II. Agenda

    Three topics will be discussed during the meeting to be held on 
September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026: (1) airlines' one-page 
summary of consumer rights; (2) airline customer service dashboards 
(Delay and Cancellation Dashboard, Family Seating Dashboard, and Seat 
Size Dashboard); and (3) know-your-rights posters.
    Regarding the first topic, section 429 of the FAA Reauthorization 
Act of 2018 directs the Department to require U.S. and foreign air 
carriers to submit to the Department a one-page document that describes 
the rights of passengers in air transportation regarding compensation 
for flight delays, diversions, cancellations, mishandled baggage, 
overbooking, and boarding denials, and further directs covered carriers 
to post the document prominently on their websites. The Department 
published its Final Rule implementing Section 429 of the 2018 Act on 
April 24, 2026. During this upcoming meeting of the ACPAC, the 
Department will provide an overview of this statutory requirement and 
the corresponding Final Rule.\1\ Following an overview by the 
Department of the applicable statute and rule, ACPAC will gather 
information from interested stakeholders, including consumer advocates 
and industry, to assess whether to make recommendations on best 
practices regarding the manner of complying with these requirements.
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    \1\ <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/24/2026-08103/one-page-document-on-passenger-rights">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/24/2026-08103/one-page-document-on-passenger-rights</a>.
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    Regarding the second topic, section 506 of the FAA Reauthorization 
Act of 2024 requires the Department to establish, maintain, and make 
publicly available three dashboards for purposes of keeping aviation 
consumers informed of policies and services provided by large U.S. air 
carriers: (1) a delay and cancellation dashboard that displays 
information regarding the services and compensation provided to 
mitigate passenger inconvenience caused by a delay or cancellation 
within the control of the carrier; (2) a family seating dashboard that 
displays information regarding which carriers guarantee fee-free 
adjacent seating to an adult

[[Page 55979]]

accompanying a child; and (3) a seat size dashboard that displays 
information regarding economy class seat dimensions, including pitch, 
width, and length for the aircraft models and configurations most 
commonly flown by each carrier. The first two dashboards currently 
exist and are available on the Department's website, while the last 
dashboard (seat size) has not yet been created. Following an overview 
by the Department of the applicable statute, ACPAC will gather input 
from interested stakeholders, including consumer advocates, airlines, 
and aircraft manufacturers, to assess whether to recommend 
modifications to existing dashboards and implementation strategies for 
the seat size dashboard.
    Regarding the third topic, section 504 of the FAA Reauthorization 
Act of 2024 requires each large hub airport, medium hub airport, and 
small hub airport with scheduled passenger service to display posters 
prominently that clearly and concisely outline the rights of airline 
passengers under Federal law with respect to, at a minimum, (1) flight 
delays and cancellations; (2) refunds; (3) bumping of passengers from 
flights and the oversale of flights; and (4) lost, delayed, or damaged 
baggage. The statute requires that the posters be displayed in 
conspicuous locations throughout the airport, including ticket 
counters, security checkpoints, and boarding gates. Following an 
overview by the Department of the applicable statute, ACPAC will gather 
input from interested stakeholders, including consumer advocates, 
airports, and airlines, to assess whether to make recommendations on 
best practices for complying with the statute, which could include the 
specific placement of such posters and the layout of their content.
    The September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 meeting will focus on 
topic presentations by the Department and all involved stakeholders. 
ACPAC plans to reconvene at a later date to deliberate and decide on 
formal recommendations, if any, to be made to the Department on these 
three matters.

III. Public Participation

    The meetings will be open to the public. Attendees may register for 
the meeting at the web address set forth in the ADDRESSES section. The 
Department is committed to providing equal access to these meetings for 
all participants. If you need alternative formats or services because 
of a disability, such as a sign language interpreter or other ancillary 
aids, please contact the email address listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    At the discretion of the Chair or Designated Federal Officer, after 
completion of the planned agenda, individual members of the public may 
provide verbal comments, time permitting. Any verbal comments presented 
must be limited to the objectives of the Committee and will be limited 
to three (3) minutes per person. Individual members of the public who 
wish to present verbal comments must notify the Department via email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#29686a79686a694d465d074e465f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c0818390818380a4afb4eea7afb6">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> that they wish to present verbal comments and submit a 
written copy of their prepared remarks for inclusion in the meeting 
record no later than Monday, September 21, 2026. In addition, members 
of the public may submit written comments for the Committee's 
consideration at any time by filing them in the ACPAC public docket 
(DOT-OST-2018-0190).

IV. Viewing Documents

    You may view documents mentioned in this notice at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. After entering the docket number (DOT-OST-2018-
0190), click the link to ``Open Docket Folder'' and choose the document 
to review.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on this 26th day of August 2026.
Gregory Zerzan,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2026-17721 Filed 8-28-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P


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