Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

General

Legacy ID
2311

Air Service Agreements

The Office of International Aviation and the U.S. Department of State negotiate bilateral and multilateral air service agreements with the United States’ foreign aviation partners.  Such agreements provide the basis for airlines of the countries involved to provide international air...

Mergers and Acquisitions

Section 7 of the Clayton Act prohibits mergers and acquisitions that may substantially lessen competition or create a monopoly. While the Department of Justice enforces this statute, the Department of Transportation conducts its own competitive analysis of mergers and submits its views in...

Data Collection and Modernization

There have been several changes in the way that airlines conduct their operations since the Department's data reporting requirements were established after deregulation, including tremendous growth in code sharing both domestically and in international markets.  The Office of Aviation...

Slots and Exemptions

Slots and Slot Exemptions

At certain U.S. airports, demand for runway operations exceeds available capacity. At these airports, the Department has implemented operational limitations to relieve congestion in the form of airport slots. A slot is an authorization to conduct an...

Alaskan Mail Rates

Overview

49 USC 41903 requires that duly licensed U.S. certificated carriers transport mail on their authorized foreign air transportation service and their services within Alaska. 49 USC 41901 and 41907 require the Department to “set fair and reasonable rates” that the U.S. Postal Service will...

Rural Airports

Overview

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics, part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, has taken over responsibility for compiling a rural airports list annually for the Treasury Department/IRS, which is used by airlines to assist in establishing air fares. For...

Other Special Authorities

OverviewCanadian Air Taxi OperatorsForeign Air Freight ForwardersCanadian Air Taxi Operators  (CATO)

Canadian operators of small aircraft (fewer than 30 seats) that want to operate transborder charter services between the United States and Canada must register with the Department under Part...

Public Charters

Overview

The Department of Transportation’s public charter regulations (14 CFR Part 380) require all persons who wish to arrange public charter flights to first submit and obtain DOT acceptance of a charter prospectus. A charter prospectus comprises a set of documents in which the public...

Code Sharing

Code sharing is a marketing arrangement in which an airline places its designator code on a flight operated by another airline, and sells tickets for that flight. Airlines throughout the world continue to form code-share arrangements to strengthen or expand their market presence and competitive...

U.S. Air Carriers

Anyone who wants to provide air transportation service as an air carrier must first obtain two separate authorizations from the Department of Transportation:

Economic Authority from the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (the Department) in the form of a certificate for interstate or...