User:Osewanne/Assistance for airline passengers with disabilities

The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 prohibits commercial airlines from discriminating against passengers with disabilities. The act was passed by the U.S. Congress in direct response to a narrow interpretation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) v. Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). In PVA, the Supreme Court held that private, commercial air carriers are not liable under Section 504 because they are not "direct recipients" of federal funding to airports. The Department of Transportation (DOJ) has a series of resources for passengers against disabilities for them to know their rights when traveling. The DOJ categorizes their resources in four topics: wheelchairs and other assistive devices, assistance moving through airports, seating accommodations, and service animals. The DOJ website additionally provides people with disabilities to file a complaint if they feel as though they have been discriminated against from an airline.

The EU has specific regulations regarding airline passengers with reduced mobility. No passenger may be turned away due to their disability, except for reasons based on safety. Assistance should be provided to these passengers, either through the airport or a third party hired by the airport, and the EU provides guidance in training airport employees in assisting these passengers. The EU recommends that the extra cost of these services be covered by every airline at the airport proportionate to the number of passengers each one carries. Passengers will be fully compensated for damaged items such as wheelchairs and assistive devices.

In the United States, Airlines are required to provide assistance to passengers with a disability. Some ways in which airlines are supposed to help these passengers navigate the airport are by:


 * 1) Assist you from the terminal entrance (or vehicle drop-off point) to the gate location in which the flight departs.
 * 2) Assist you from your aircraft seat through the airport to the gate location of your connecting flight (if applicable)
 * 3) Assist you from your aircraft seat on an arriving flight
 * 4) Assist through the airport to the baggage claim area, terminal entrance, or vehicle pick-up location

EU

According to EU regulation 1107/2006, persons with reduced mobility have the right to assistance during airline travel. The assistance is mandated for flights on any airline departing from an airport in the EU or flights to an airport in the EU on an aircraft registered in any EU country. The EU has specific regulations regarding airline passengers with reduced mobility. No passenger may be turned away due to their disability, except for reasons based on safety. Assistance should be provided to these passengers, either through the airport or a third party hired by the airport, and the EU provides guidance in training airport employees in assisting these passengers. The EU recommends that the extra cost of these services be covered by every airline at the airport proportionate to the number of passengers each one carries. Passengers will be fully compensated for damaged items such as wheelchairs and assistive devices.

Service animals and US

The U.S. Department of Transportation does not include emotional support animals in the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), the act that allows service animals to fly on airplanes if they meet requirements. Before December 2020, they did include emotional support animals in their definition of service animals (US Department of Transportation, 2020).