USDOT March 24th Public Meeting on Air Travel by Wheelchair Users

April 8, 2022

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) says it wants to improve air travel for wheelchair users. On Thursday March 24th DOT held an all-day public meeting to talk about the problems. Over 600 people attended the meeting. We heard from the USDOT Secretary and staff, engineers and other stakeholders, as well as disability rights advocates about the difficulties encountered during air travel. Airline industry representatives also discussed the challenges they face in providing accessible air transportation and the actions they are taking (or plan to take) to improve air travel.  USDOT has posted the recordings from the meeting on their website at: https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/public-meeting-air-travel-persons-who-use-wheelchairs

If you were able to join the meeting, thank you! We need to keep the conversation and advocacy going. Here are ways you can engage:

1. Join DREDF and disability advocates across the country in #PushingAccessForward for real and lasting change to ensure air travel is accessible to all. Submit your comments in response to the March 24th USDOT public meeting on air travel for wheelchair users. USDOT has announced that they will receive feedback until April 25th. They are looking for answers to questions that address the following issues:

• Challenges encountered during air travel by wheelchair users
• Actions to prevent or minimize damaged, delayed, and lost wheelchairs
• Actions to ensure a safe transfer process
• Best practices for assisting wheelchair users when personal wheelchairs are mishandled

Submit comments at regulations.gov at the docket page here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOT-OST-2022-0014-0001. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for tips on how to submit a comment. USDOT questions can be found in the docket page. Also find the questions below for easy reference. USDOT also needs to hear from people who are wheelchair users with co-occurring disabilities.

2. If you’re on social media, check out, engage with and lift up the hashtags #Flightmares and #JustPlaneWrong. Encourage others to submit their comments to USDOT’s docket. Point them to this page or Paralyzed Veterans of America’s air-access.org page.

3. Sign and share Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) online petition to pass the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act: https://air-access.org/sign-the-petition/

4. Submit your air travel stories and #Flightmares as a person with a disability to air-access.org. Provide videos and photos if you have them. All stories will be used to show Congress the progress being made and areas of improvement needed.

Continue to check this page for updates and ways you can add your voice to the efforts make air travel accessible for wheelchair users and all people with disabilities. Contact Carol Tyson at ctyson@dredf.org with any questions.

 

USDOT is looking for your thoughts on any of the following questions related to air travel by wheelchair users:

• What are the most significant problems that people with disabilities are currently experiencing when traveling by air with wheelchairs?
• How frequently do people with disabilities who use wheelchairs experience problems when traveling by air and what is the severity of physical harm or damages that can result?
• How do these problems affect the ability or willingness of people with disabilities to travel by air?
• What are the root causes of the problems associated with traveling by air with wheelchairs?
• What are the wait times for assistance to deplane/disembark aircraft for people who use wheelchairs?
• What changes to air travel are needed to address the problems encountered by people with disabilities who use wheelchairs?

• At what point(s) during the handling process are wheelchairs damaged and what are the most common types of damage?
• What financial costs (medical, transportation, lost wages, etc.), if any, do people who use wheelchairs incur due to damage to their wheelchair during air travel?
• What best practices or procedures ( e.g., disassembly or loading techniques) could be implemented by airlines to reduce the risk of damaging a wheelchair?
• What additional information from passengers and device manufacturers would be useful to airlines to aid their employees who handle assistive devices?
• In circumstances where the passenger has not requested the return of the wheelchair at the baggage claim area, what are the wait times for wheelchairs to be returned to passengers at the gate?
• What are the root causes of wheelchairs becoming delayed or lost during air transportation?
• What improvements can be made to airline procedures to prevent or minimize the likelihood that a wheelchair is delayed or lost?
• Does hands-on training for employees who handle mobility aid devices lead to fewer cases of mishandled wheelchairs and, if so, what are the costs and benefits of hands-on training programs?

• What problems do passengers who require physical assistance encounter when traveling by air?
• What types of harm can result from inadequate or unsafe physical assistance?
• What financial costs (medical, transportation, lost wages, etc.), if any, do people who use wheelchairs incur due to unsafe physical assistance or other injuries sustained when traveling by air?
• What strategies are airlines or their contractors implementing to ensure transfers to and from the aircraft seat are done safely?
• What new or additional practices or procedures could be implemented by airlines or their contractors to increase safety and reduce risks of harm when physically assisting passengers?
• What are the challenges and limitations associated with the equipment currently used by airlines or their contractors ( e.g., aisle chairs)?
• What new technologies or equipment exist that may improve safety for passengers who require physical assistance and for airline personnel, and what are the costs and benefits of implementing such new technologies or equipment?
• What data exist that show the effects of hands-on training for employees who physically assist persons with disabilities on safety, and what are the costs and benefits of hands-on training programs?

• When a wheelchair has been mishandled, what resources or equipment are necessary to timely and safely assist the passenger at the airport?
• What types of wheelchairs are currently made available for passengers to temporarily use at the airport when their wheelchairs are mishandled and unavailable for use?
• How do airlines train frontline employees to address the needs of passengers whose wheelchairs were mishandled?
• What physical harm may result to people with disabilities when they cannot access their wheelchairs, and what measures can be implemented to prevent or reduce such harm?
• Do airlines have wheelchair repair/rental vendors that can assist with obtaining loaner chairs and with customized features and, if so, what are the associated costs?
• What improvements could be made to the damage claim, repair, and return process so that wheelchairs can be quickly returned or replaced?

The “Comment” button can be found on the following pages:

• Docket Details page when a document within the docket is open for comment,
• Document Details page when the document is open for comment, and
• Document Search Tab with all search results open for comment displaying a “Comment” button.

Clicking “Comment” on any of the above pages will display the comment form. You can enter your comment on the form, attach files (maximum of 20 files up to 10MB each), and choose whether to identify yourself as an individual, an organization, or anonymously. Be sure to complete all required fields depending on which identity you have chosen. Please note that information entered on the web form may be viewable publicly. Once you have completed all required fields and chosen an identity, the “Submit Comment” button is enabled.

Upon completion, you will receive a Comment Tracking Number for your comment.

Some agencies also accept comments by mail, fax, or email. To find out if you can use one of these alternate methods, visit the document’s section labelled “Addresses.”

Users cannot submit comments on documents published by Non-Participating Agencies.

For step by step instructions, please see the Submit a Comment article.

Note: The comment due date on Regulations.gov is based on Eastern Time. For example, if the comment due date is 02/05/2019, then you have until 02/05/2019 11:59PM ET to complete your comment on Regulations.gov.