Dec. 16 (UPI) — New protections for people with disabilities on commercial airlines were unveiled Monday to ensure “safe travel with dignity.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the new final rule, which requires airlines to meet more rigorous standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities, especially those in wheelchairs.
“Every passenger deserves safe, dignified travel when they fly — and we’ve taken unprecedented actions to hold airlines accountable when they do not provide fair treatment to passengers with disabilities,” said Buttigieg.
The new rule, introduced in February, requires airlines to provide “dignified” assistance that respects a passenger’s independence and privacy, while keeping them safe.
It requires all airline personnel and contractors, who physically assist passengers with mobility issues, to go through annual enhanced training, effective June 17, 2026.
The new rule also requires airlines to provide prompt boarding and deplaning, while helping passengers with disabilities navigate the airport and get to connecting flights.
And it requires respect for passengers’ wheelchairs, ordering all airlines to return all checked wheelchairs and other assistive devices to passengers in the condition in which they were received. Airlines that damage wheelchairs will be required to provide a loaner, pay for the repair, reimburse accessible ground transportation and reimburse the air fare difference if a person with disabilities is rebooked due to lack of space in the cargo for a wheelchair.
Airlines must also provide adequate seating accommodations inside the airport at the gate.
According to surveys, one in 10 people with a disability refuses to fly over fears of bodily harm, damage to their wheelchair or aircraft in accessibility. There are currently 5.5 million Americans who use a wheelchair.
In October, the Transportation Department slapped American Airlines with a $50 million penalty for breaking federal laws that protect the disabled.
The department said an investigation revealed that from 2019 to 2023, American Airlines “repeatedly failed” to provide safe assistance to wheelchair-bound passengers and blamed the carrier for mishandling thousands of wheelchairs, damaging them or delaying their return.
On Monday, the Paralyzed Veterans of America called the Transportation Department’s new rule “a win for the disability community.”
“We applaud DOT for finalizing this critical rule, which represents a significant step forward in protecting the safety and dignity of air travel for passengers who use wheelchairs and scooters,” said PVA chief executive officer Carl Blake.
“As we celebrate this major milestone, we turn our attention toward implementation of the requirements, including airlines being responsible for returning wheelchairs and other assistive devices to passengers in the same condition in which they are received,” Blake continued, “and providing information and updates regarding the whereabouts of assistive devices and what to do if they are mishandled.”
