Proposed Federal Rules Aim To Keep Airlines From Breaking Passengers' Wheelchairs

The Department of Transportation proposed regulationson Thursday would make it easier to hold airlines accountable for damaging passengers’ wheelchairs in an effort to improve air travel for disabled customers.

Under the proposed regulation, breaking, damaging or losing wheelchairs or other mobility devices would qualify as a violation of the Air Carrier Access Act, a law that bars airlines from discriminating on the basis of disability. In 2023, airlines mishandled more than 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters, according to the department.

The proposed changes would also require airlines to provide annual training for employees who physically assist disabled passengers.

“There are millions of Americans with disabilities who do not travel by plane because of inadequate airline practices and inadequate government regulation, but now we are setting out to change that,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement on Thursday. “This new rule would change the way airlines operate to ensure that travelers using wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity.”

The new regulation is among several that the DOT has brought forward in recent years to bolster protections for disabled passengers and make air travel more accessible.

In 2022, the DOT published a “bill of rights” for disabled passengers. Last year, the department issued a regulation requiring, among other things, that new single-aisle aircrafts with a minimum of 125 seats have larger, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms with accessibility features.

While disability rights advocates are excited to see efforts made to improve air travel, many are worried the new regulations will run up against a deadline that could prevent them from moving forward.

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