US Transportation Department to Reclassify Some Flight Disruption Causes

The US Department of Transportation will revise its classification of certain causes for flight delays and cancellations beginning October 19. Ten events will no longer be counted under the category generally considered the airline's responsibility. Among them are sabotage, certain cyberattacks, medical emergencies, volcanic ash, and failures of government systems.

Unscheduled maintenance may also fall under the new classification if it occurs outside the regular maintenance program and must be resolved before the flight. Consequently, specific technical problems might no longer be deemed airline-caused. The reclassification may affect whether carriers must provide services like hotel accommodations or meals during such disruptions.