(a) Each covered carrier shall file BTS Form 244 “Tarmac Delay Report” with the Office of Airline Information of the Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics setting forth the information for each of its covered flights that experienced an excessive tarmac delay at a U.S. airport, including diverted flights and cancelled flights on which the passengers were boarded and then deplaned before the cancellation. The reports are due within 15 days after the end of any month during which the carrier experienced the excessive tarmac delay. The reports shall be made in the form and manner set forth in accounting and reporting directives issued by the Director, Office of Airline Information, and shall contain the following information:
(1) Carrier code.
(2) Flight number.
(3) Departure airport (three letter code).
(4) Arrival airport (three letter code).
(5) Date of flight operation (year/month/day).
(6) Gate departure time (actual) in local time.
(7) Wheels-off time (actual) in local time.
(8) Wheels-on time (actual) in local time.
(9) Gate arrival time (actual) in local time.
(10) Aircraft tail number.
(11) Total ground time away from gate for all gate return/fly return at origin airports including cancelled flights.
(12) Longest time away from gate for gate return or canceled flight.
(13) Three letter code of airport where flight diverted.
(14) Wheels-on time at diverted airport.
(15) Total time away from gate at diverted airport.
(16) Longest time away from gate at diverted airport.
(17) Wheels-off time at diverted airport.
(b) Covered carriers that experience an excessive tarmac delay at a U.S. airport and are filing a form under this section must also report the length of the excessive tarmac delay to the Office of Airline Information of the Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, if the length of the excessive tarmac delay experienced is not otherwise represented by the data points listed in paragraph (a) of this section (e.g., the pilot sets the aircraft parking brake after arriving at the passenger unloading area, but passengers are not provided an opportunity to deplane at that time).
(c) The same information required by paragraphs (a)(13) through (17) of this section must be provided for each subsequent diverted airport landing.
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2019-0144, 86 FR 23269, May 3, 2021]