49 U.S.C. § 42306 — Know Your Rights posters

Page 1217 TITLE 49—TRANSPORTATION § 42308 § 42306. Know Your Rights posters (a) IN GENERAL.—Each large hub airport, me- dium hub airport, and small hub airport with scheduled passenger service shall prominently display posters that clearly and concisely out- line the rights of airline passengers under Fed- eral 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. (b) LOCATION.—Posters described in subsection (a) shall be displayed in conspicuous locations throughout the airport, including ticket counters, security checkpoints, and boarding gates. (c) ACCESSIBILITY ASSISTANCE.—Each large hub airport, medium hub airport, and small hub air- port with scheduled passenger service shall en- sure that passengers with a disability (as such term is defined in section 382.3 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations) who identify themselves as having such a disability are notified of the availability of accessibility assistance and shall assist such passengers in connecting to the ap- propriate entities to obtain the same informa- tion required in this section that is provided to other passengers. (Added Pub. L. 118–63, title V, § 504(a), May 16, 2024, 138 Stat. 1190.) DELAYED EFFECTIVE DATE OF SECTION Section effective 1 year after May 16, 2024, see Effective Date note below. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Pub. L. 118–63, title V, § 504(d), May 16, 2024, 138 Stat. 1191, provided that: ‘‘The amendments made by this section [enacting this section and amending section 46301 of this title] shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act [May 16, 2024].’’ § 42307. Requirement to maintain a live customer chat or monitored text messaging number (a) REQUIREMENT.— (1) IN GENERAL.—A covered air carrier that operates a domestic or international flight to, from, or within the United States shall main- tain— (A) a customer service telephone line staffed by live agents; (B) a customer chat option that allows for customers to speak to a live agent within a reasonable time, to the greatest extent prac- ticable; or (C) a monitored text messaging number that enables customers to communicate and speak with a live agent directly. (2) PROVISION OF SERVICES.—The services re- quired under paragraph (1) shall be provided to customers without charge for the use of such services, and shall be available at all times. (b) RULEMAKING AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall promulgate such rules as may be necessary to carry out this section. (c) COVERED AIR CARRIER DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered air carrier’’ means an air carrier that sells tickets for scheduled passenger air transportation on an aircraft that, as originally designed, has a passenger capacity of 30 or more seats. (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Beginning on the date that is 120 days after the date of enactment of this section, a covered air carrier shall comply with the requirement specified in subsection (a) without regard to whether the Secretary has promulgated any rules to carry out this section as of the date that is 120 days after such date of enactment. (Added Pub. L. 118–63, title V, § 505(b)(1), May 16, 2024, 138 Stat. 1191.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries REFERENCES IN TEXT The date of enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (d), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 118–63, which was approved May 16, 2024. § 42308. DOT airline customer service dash- boards (a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DASHBOARDS.—The Sec- retary of Transportation shall establish, main- tain, and make publicly available the following online dashboards for purposes of keeping avia- tion consumers informed with respect to certain policies of, and services provided by, large air carriers (as such term is defined by the Sec- retary) to the extent that such policies or serv- ices exceed what is required by Federal law: (1) DELAY AND CANCELLATION DASHBOARD.—A dashboard that displays information regarding the services and compensation provided by each large air carrier to mitigate any pas- senger inconvenience caused by a delay or can- cellation due to circumstances in the control of such carrier. (2) EXPLANATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES.—The website on which such dashboard is displayed shall explain the circumstances under which a delay or cancellation is not due to cir- cumstances in the control of the large air car- rier (such as a delay or cancellation due to a weather event or an instruction from the Fed- eral Aviation Administration Air Traffic Con- trol System Command Center) consistent with section 234.4 of title 14, Code of Federal Regu- lations. (3) FAMILY SEATING DASHBOARD.—A dash- board that displays information regarding which large air carriers guarantee that each child shall be seated adjacent to an adult ac- companying the child without charging any additional fees. (4) SEAT SIZE DASHBOARD.—A dashboard that displays information regarding aircraft seat size for each large air carrier, including the pitch, width, and length of a seat in economy class for the aircraft models and configura- tions most commonly flown by such carrier. (5) FAMILY SEATING SUNSET.—The require- ment in subsection (a)(3) shall cease to be ef- fective on the date on which the rule in sec- tion 516 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 is effective.