PRIA Logo™
Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-110

§44941 Immunity for Reporting Suspicious Activities

Title 49 › SUBTITLE VII — AVIATION PROGRAMS › PART A — AIR COMMERCE AND SAFETY › subpart iii — safety › CHAPTER 449 — SECURITY › SUBCHAPTER II — ADMINISTRATION AND PERSONNEL › § 44941

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Protects airlines, foreign air carriers, and their employees who voluntarily report suspicious activity tied to air piracy, threats to aircraft or passenger safety, or terrorism (as defined in 18 U.S.C. §3077). If they report to the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, any federal, state, or local law officer, or airport or airline security staff, they cannot be sued under federal, state, or local law for that report. This protection does not apply if the person knew the report was false or made it with reckless disregard for the truth.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §44941

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In General.—
Any air carrier or foreign air carrier or any employee of an air carrier or foreign air carrier who makes a voluntary disclosure of any suspicious transaction relevant to a possible violation of law or regulation, relating to air piracy, a threat to aircraft or passenger safety, or terrorism, as defined by section 3077 of title 18, United States Code, to any employee or agent of the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, any Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer, or any airport or airline security officer shall not be civilly liable to any person under any law or regulation of the United States, any constitution, law, or regulation of any State or political subdivision of any State, for such disclosure.
(b)Application.—
Subsection (a) shall not apply to—
(1)any disclosure made with actual knowledge that the disclosure was false, inaccurate, or misleading; or
(2)any disclosure made with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity of that disclosure.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–254 inserted “the Department of Homeland Security,” after “Department of Transportation,”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 44941

Title 49, Transportation

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110