Founded in 1997 by Frank Avent, Airline Information Research provides subscribers access to daily Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, and Office of International Aviation filings. Born at the DOT’s dockets desk a quarter century ago, AIR, or Daily Airline Filings as the site is colloquially known, evolved from preceding a government website to navigating users through the cumbersome world of online pleadings in today’s digital world. From antitrust immunity requests, codeshare applications, and public charters, Airline Information Research covers myriad aviation regulatory fields in one place. Airline in-house and outside counsel, trade organizations, law professors, hub and small airport personnel, and those desiring the latest of aviation pleadings subscribe to the site.

A subscription allows access to the document-based world beyond the news. An article might reference a DOT order or an airline’s application for new route authority, but rarely is the original pleading immediately available to the public. Yet these filings are public in nature. An indexed library of carrier and docket filings dating to the mid-1990s is an archival basis with which to reference, cite, know the aviation world’s past, and be prepared for its future. In recent years the site has expanded to include drone filings and other offerings of the aviation world to come.

In summer 2023, the visionary behind the site and service retired. After eighteen years working alongside the founder, Michael Orr is now the familiar face in a new role at AIR. He is entrusted with the continuation of this essential service, as well as breathing new life into the site for decades-long subscribers and new users alike.