Title 14—Aeronautics and Space--Volume 1
PART 382—NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY IN AIR TRAVEL
§ 382.1   What is the purpose of this part?
The purpose of this part is to carry out the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, as amended. This rule prohibits both U.S. and foreign carriers from discriminating against passengers on the basis of disability; requires carriers to make aircraft, other facilities, and services accessible; and requires carriers to take steps to accommodate passengers with a disability.
§ 382.3   What do the terms in this rule mean?
In this regulation, the terms listed in this section have the following meanings:
Air Carrier Access Act or ACAA means the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, as amended, the statute that provides the principal authority for this part.
Air transportation means interstate or foreign air transportation or the transportation of mail by aircraft, as defined in 49 U.S.C. 40102. Generally this refers to transportation by aircraft within, to or from the United States.
Assistive device means any piece of equipment that assists a passenger with a disability to cope with the effects of his or her disability. Such devices are intended to assist a passenger with a disability to hear, see, communicate, maneuver, or perform other functions of daily life, and may include medical devices and medications.
Automated airport kiosk means a self-service transaction machine that a carrier owns, leases, or controls and makes available at a U.S. airport to enable customers to independently obtain flight-related services.
Battery-powered mobility aid means an assistive device that is used by individuals with mobility impairments such a wheelchair, a scooter, or a Segway when it is used as a mobility device by a person with a mobility-related disability.
Carrier means a U.S. citizen (“U.S. carrier”) or foreign citizen (“foreign carrier”) that undertakes, directly or indirectly, or by a lease or any other arrangement, to engage in air transportation.
Commuter carrier means an air taxi operator as defined in 14 CFR part 298 that carries passengers on at least 5 round trips per week on at least one route between two or more points according to its published flight schedules that specify the times, days of the week and places between which those flights are performed.
Conforming alternate version means a Web page that allows a corresponding non-conforming Web page on the primary Web site to be included within the scope of conformance as long as it meets the WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria, is up-to-date and contains the same information and functionality in the same language as the non-conforming page. At least one of the following applies to a conforming alternative version:
(1) The conforming version can be reached from the non-conforming page via an accessibility-supported mechanism; or
(2) The non-conforming version can only be reached from the conforming version; or
(3) The non-conforming version can only be reached from a conforming page that also provides a mechanism to reach the conforming version.
CPAP machine means a continuous positive airway pressure machine.
Custody means the time period when a passenger has checked a wheelchair, scooter, or other assistive device with a carrier and the carrier has control of a passenger's wheelchair, scooter, or other assistive device.
(1) An airline's custody begins when the passenger hands the device to an airline's representative or agent or leaves the wheelchair, scooter, or other assistive device at a location as instructed by the airline.
(2) An airline's custody ends when the passenger, or someone acting on behalf of the passenger, or another airline takes physical possession of the wheelchair, scooter, or other assistive device.
Department or DOT means the United States Department of Transportation.
Dignified means assistance provided in a manner that respects a passenger's independence, autonomy, and privacy, which includes but is not limited to: airline personnel providing transfer assistance in a manner that ensures the passenger's clothing is not removed; airline personnel not unduly delaying requests for access to a restroom such that the individual soils himself or herself; and, to the maximum extent possible, airline personnel communicating directly with the individual with disability ( e.g., rather than his or her companion or another individual) when the individual with disability is interacting with them.
Direct threat means a significant risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated by a modification of policies, practices, or procedures, or by the provision of auxiliary aids or services.
Equivalent alternative means a policy, practice, or other accommodation that provides substantially equivalent accessibility to passengers with disabilities, compared to compliance with a provision of this Part.
Expected maximum flight duration means the carrier's best estimate of the total duration of the flight from departure gate to arrival gate, including taxi time to and from the terminals, based on the scheduled flight time and factors such as (a) wind and other weather conditions forecast; (b) anticipated traffic delays; (c) one instrument approach and possible missed approach at destination; and (d) any other conditions that may delay arrival of the aircraft at the destination gate.
FAA means the Federal Aviation Administration, an operating administration of the Department of Transportation.
Facility means a carrier's aircraft and any portion of an airport that a carrier owns, leases, or controls (e.g., structures, roads, walks, parking lots, ticketing areas, baggage drop-off and retrieval sites, gates, other boarding locations, loading bridges) normally used by passengers or other members of the public.
Flight-related services mean functions related to air travel including, but not limited to, ticket purchase, rebooking cancelled flights, seat selection, and obtaining boarding passes or bag tags.
Hands-on training means in-person training that is received by an employee or contractor where the employee or contractor can learn and practice real-life scenarios in a safe and controlled environment without the possibility of real-life consequences to passengers with disabilities and with the use of a suitable life-sized model or equipment, as appropriate.
High-contrast captioning means captioning that is at least as easy to read as white letters on a consistent black background.
Indirect carrier means a person not directly involved in the operation of an aircraft who sells air transportation services to the general public other than as an authorized agent of a carrier.
Individual with a disability means any individual who has a physical or mental impairment that, on a permanent or temporary basis, substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. As used in this definition, the phrase:
(a) Physical or mental impairment means:
(1) Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory including speech organs, cardio-vascular, reproductive, digestive, genito-urinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine; or
(2) Any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.
The term physical or mental impairment includes, but is not limited to, such diseases and conditions as orthopedic, visual, speech, and hearing impairments; cerebral palsy, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental retardation, emotional illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism.
(b) Major life activities means functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
(c) Has a record of such impairment means has a history of, or has been classified, or misclassified, as having a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
(d) Is regarded as having an impairment means:
(1) Has a physical or mental impairment that does not substantially limit major life activities but that is treated by an air carrier as constituting such a limitation;
(2) Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity only as a result of the attitudes of others toward such an impairment; or
(3) Has none of the impairments set forth in this definition but is treated by an air carrier as having such an impairment.
Mishandled means lost, delayed, damaged, or pilfered.
On-demand air taxi means an air taxi operator that carries passengers or property and is not a commuter carrier as defined in this section.
PHMSA means the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, an operating administration of the Department of Transportation.
POC means portable oxygen concentrator.
Primary (or Main) Web site means the Web site that is accessed upon entering the uniform resource locator (e.g., www.carrier name.com, www.airline designator code.com ) in an Internet browser from a standard desktop or laptop computer where the carrier advertises or sells air transportation to the public.
Qualified individual with a disability means an individual with a disability—
(a) Who, as a passenger (referred to as a “passenger with a disability”),
(1) With respect to obtaining a ticket for air transportation on a carrier, offers, or makes a good faith attempt to offer, to purchase or otherwise validly to obtain such a ticket;
(2) With respect to obtaining air transportation, or other services or accommodations required by this Part,
(i) Buys or otherwise validly obtains, or makes a good faith effort to obtain, a ticket for air transportation on a carrier and presents himself or herself at the airport for the purpose of traveling on the flight to which the ticket pertains; and
(ii) Meets reasonable, nondiscriminatory contract of carriage requirements applicable to all passengers; or
(b) Who, with respect to accompanying or meeting a traveler, using ground transportation, using terminal facilities, or obtaining information about schedules, fares, reservations, or policies, takes those actions necessary to use facilities or services offered by an air carrier to the general public, with reasonable accommodations, as needed, provided by the carrier.
Safe means assistance provided to individuals with disabilities that does not put them at heightened risk of bodily injury, which may include loss or damage to wheelchairs and other assistive devices that result in bodily injury.
Scheduled service means any flight scheduled in the current edition of the Official Airline Guide, the carrier's published schedule, or the computer reservation system used by the carrier.
Service animal means a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Animal species other than dogs, emotional support animals, comfort animals, companionship animals, and service animals in training are not service animals for the purposes of this part.
A Service animal handler is a passenger in air transportation who is a qualified individual with a disability who receives assistance from a service animal(s) that does work or performs tasks that are directly related to the individual's disability, or a third party who accompanies the individual with a disability traveling with a service animal such as a parent of a minor child or a caretaker. The service animal handler is responsible for keeping the animal under control at all times, and caring for and supervising the service animal, which includes toileting and feeding.
Shared-use automated airport kiosk means a self-service transaction machine that is jointly owned, controlled or leased by an airport operator and carriers and/or an independent service provider and that provides carrier software applications which enable customers to independently access flight-related services.
TSA means the Transportation Security Administration, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
United States or U.S. means the United States of America, including its territories and possessions.
§ 382.5   When are U.S. and foreign carriers required to begin complying with the provisions of this part?
As a U.S. or foreign carrier, you are required to comply with the requirements of this part on May 13, 2009, except as otherwise provided in individual sections of this part.
§ 382.7   To whom do the provisions of this part apply?
(a) If you are a U.S. carrier, this Part applies to you with respect to all your operations and aircraft, regardless of where your operations take place, except as otherwise provided in this part.
(b) If you are a foreign carrier, this part applies to you only with respect to flights you operate that begin or end at a U.S. airport and to aircraft used for these flights. For purposes of this part, a “flight” means a continuous journey in the same aircraft or with one flight number that begins or ends at a U.S. airport. The following are some examples of the application of this term:
(c) As a foreign carrier, you are not subject to the requirements of this part with respect to flights between two foreign points, even with respect to flights involving code-sharing arrangements with U.S. carriers. As a U.S. carrier that participates in a code-sharing arrangement with a foreign carrier with respect to flights between two foreign points, you (as distinct from the foreign carrier) are responsible for ensuring compliance with the service provisions of subparts A through C, E through H, and K of this part, with respect to passengers traveling under your code on such a flight.
(d) As a foreign carrier, if you operate a charter flight from a foreign airport to a U.S. airport, and return to a foreign airport, and you do not pick up any passengers in the U.S., the charter flight is not a flight subject to the requirements of this part.
(e) Unless a provision of this Part specifies application to a U.S. carrier or a foreign carrier, the provision applies to both U.S. and foreign carriers.
(f) If you are an indirect carrier, §§ 382.1 through 382.15 of this part apply to you. §§ 382.17 through 382.157 of this part do not apply to you except insofar as provided by § 382.11(b).
(g) Notwithstanding any provisions of this part, you must comply with all FAA safety regulations, TSA security regulations, and foreign safety and security regulations having legally mandatory effect that apply to you.
§ 382.9   What may foreign carriers do if they believe a provision of a foreign nation's law conflicts with compliance with a provision of this part?
(a) If you are a foreign carrier, and you believe that an applicable provision of the law of a foreign nation precludes you from complying with a provision of this part, you may request a waiver of the provision of this Part.
(b) You must send such a waiver request to the following address: Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, C-70 U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W96-322, Washington, DC 20590.
(c) Your waiver request must be in English and include the following elements:
(1) A copy, in the English language, of the foreign law involved;
(2) A description of how the foreign law applies and how it precludes compliance with a provision of this part;
(3) A description of the alternative means the carrier will use, if the waiver is granted, to effectively achieve the objective of the provision of this part subject to the waiver or, if applicable, a justification of why it would be impossible to achieve this objective in any way.
(d) The Department may grant the waiver request, or grant the waiver request subject to conditions, if it determines that the foreign law applies, that it does preclude compliance with a provision of this part, and that the carrier has provided an effective alternative means of achieving the objective of the provisions of this part subject to the waiver or have demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that it would be impossible to achieve this objective in any way.
(e)(1) If you submit a waiver request on or before September 10, 2008, the Department will, to the maximum extent feasible, respond to the request before May 13, 2009. If the Department does not respond to the waiver request by May 13, 2009, you may continue to implement the policy or practice that is the subject of your request until the Department does respond. The Department will not take enforcement action with respect to your implementation of the policy or practice during the time prior to the Department's response.
(2) If you submit a waiver request after September 10, 2008, the Department will, to the maximum extent feasible, respond to the request by May 13, 2009 or within 180 days of receiving it, whichever is later. If the Department does not respond to the waiver request by this date, you may continue to implement the policy or practice that is the subject of your request until the Department does respond. However, the Department may take enforcement action with respect to your implementation of the policy or practice during the time between May 13, 2009 and the date of the Department's response.
(3) If you submit a waiver request after September 10, 2008, and the request pertains to an applicable provision of the law of a foreign nation that did not exist on September 10, 2008, you may continue to implement the policy or practice that is the subject of your request until the Department responds to the request. The Department will, to the maximum extent feasible, respond to such requests within 180 days of receiving them. The Department will not take enforcement action with respect to your implementation of the policy or practice during the time prior to the Department's response.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Department may commence enforcement action at any time after May 13, 2009 with respect to the policy or practice that is the subject of the request if it finds the request to be frivolous or dilatory.
(g) If you have not submitted a request for a waiver under this section with respect to a provision of this part, or such a request has been denied, you cannot raise the alleged existence of such a conflict as a defense to an enforcement action.
§ 382.10   How does a U.S. or foreign carrier obtain a determination that it is providing an equivalent alternative to passengers with disabilities?
(a) As a U.S. or foreign carrier, you may apply to the Department for a determination that you are providing an equivalent alternative to passengers with disabilities.
(b) You must send your application for an equivalent alternative determination to the following address: Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings (C-70), U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W96-322, Washington, DC 20590.
(c) Your application must be in English and include the following elements:
(1) A citation to the specific provision of this part concerning which you are proposing an equivalent alternative.
(2) A detailed description of the alternative policy, practice, or other accommodation you are proposing to use in place of compliance with the provision of this part that you cite, and an explanation of how it provides substantially equivalent accessibility to passengers with disabilities.
(d) The Department may grant the application, or grant the application subject to conditions, if it determines that the proposed facilitation does provide substantially equivalent accessibility to passengers with disabilities, compared to compliance with the provision of this part in question.
(e) If your application is granted, you will be deemed to be in compliance with this Part through implementing the equivalent alternative. If your application is denied, you must implement this part as written.
(f)(1) If you submit your application on or before September 10, 2008, the Department will respond to the request before May 13, 2009 to the maximum extent feasible. If the Department does not respond to the application by May 13, 2009, you may implement your policy or practice that is the subject of your application until the Department does respond.
(2) With respect to an application you make after September 10, 2008, you must comply with the provisions of this part without change from May 13, 2009 until the Department responds to your application.
§ 382.11   What is the general nondiscrimination requirement of this part?
(a) As a carrier, you must not do any of the following things, either directly or through a contractual, licensing, or other arrangement:
(1) You must not discriminate against any qualified individual with a disability, by reason of such disability, in the provision of air transportation;
(2) You must not require a qualified individual with a disability to accept special services (including, but not limited to, preboarding) that the individual does not request. However, you may require preboarding as a condition of receiving certain seating or in-cabin stowage accommodations, as specified in §§ 382.83(c), 382.85(b), and 382.123(a) of this part.
(3) You must not exclude a qualified individual with a disability from or deny the person the benefit of any air transportation or related services that are available to other persons, except where specifically permitted by this Part. This is true even if there are separate or different services available for individuals with a disability, except when specifically permitted by another section of this Part; and
(4) You must not take any adverse action against an individual (e.g., refusing to provide transportation) because the individual asserts, on his or her own behalf or through or on behalf of others, rights protected by this part or the Air Carrier Access Act.
(b) As a carrier or an indirect carrier, the assistance you provide with respect to this part must be performed in a safe and dignified manner.
(c) As an indirect carrier, you must comply with §§ 382.17 through 382.157 of this part when providing facilities or services to passengers that would have otherwise been provided by a direct air carrier.
§ 382.13   Do carriers have to modify policies, practices, and facilities to ensure nondiscrimination?
(a) As a carrier, you must modify your policies, practices, and facilities when needed to provide nondiscriminatory service to a particular individual with a disability, consistent with the standards of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended.
(b) This requirement is part of your general nondiscrimination obligation, and is in addition to your duty to make the specific accommodations required by this part.
(c) However, you are not required to make modifications that would constitute an undue burden or would fundamentally alter your program.
§ 382.15   Do carriers have to make sure that contractors comply with the requirements of this Part?
(a) As a carrier, you must make sure that your contractors that provide services to the public (including airports where applicable) meet the requirements of this part that would apply to you if you provided the services yourself.
(b) As a carrier, you must include an assurance of compliance with this part in your contracts with any contractors that provide services to the public that are subject to the requirements of this part. Noncompliance with this assurance is a material breach of the contract on the contractor's part.
(1) This assurance must commit the contractor to compliance with all applicable provisions of this Part in activities performed on behalf of the carrier.
(2) The assurance must also commit the contractor to implementing directives issued by your CROs under §§ 382.151 through 382.153.
(c) As a U.S. carrier, you must also include such an assurance of compliance in your contracts or agreements of appointment with U.S. travel agents. You are not required to include such an assurance in contracts with foreign travel agents.
(d) You remain responsible for your contractors' compliance with this part and for enforcing the assurances in your contracts with them.
(e) It is not a defense against an enforcement action by the Department under this part that your noncompliance resulted from action or inaction by a contractor.
§ 382.17   May carriers limit the number of passengers with a disability on a flight?
As a carrier, you must not limit the number of passengers with a disability who travel on a flight. (See also § 382.27(c)(6) of this part.)
§ 382.19   May carriers refuse to provide transportation on the basis of disability?
(a) As a carrier, you must not refuse to provide transportation to a passenger with a disability on the basis of his or her disability, except as specifically permitted by this part.
(b) You must not refuse to provide transportation to a passenger with a disability because the person's disability results in appearance or involuntary behavior that may offend, annoy, or inconvenience crewmembers or other passengers.
(c) You may refuse to provide transportation to any passenger on the basis of safety, as provided in 49 U.S.C. 44902 or 14 CFR 121.533, or to any passenger whose carriage would violate FAA or TSA requirements or applicable requirements of a foreign government.
(1) You can determine that there is a disability-related safety basis for refusing to provide transportation to a passenger with a disability if you are able to demonstrate that the passenger poses a direct threat (see definition in § 382.3). In determining whether an individual poses a direct threat, you must make an individualized assessment, based on reasonable judgment that relies on current medical knowledge or on the best available objective evidence, to ascertain:
(i) The nature, duration, and severity of the risk;
(ii) The probability that the potential harm to the health and safety of others will actually occur; and
(iii) Whether reasonable modifications of policies, practices, or procedures will mitigate the risk.
(2) If you determine that the passenger does pose a direct threat, you must select the least restrictive response from the point of view of the passenger, consistent with protecting the health and safety of others. For example, you must not refuse transportation to the passenger if you can protect the health and safety of others by means short of a refusal.
(3) In exercising this authority, you must not act inconsistently with the provisions of this part.
(4) If your actions are inconsistent with any of the provisions of this part, you are subject to enforcement action under Subpart K of this part.
(d) If you refuse to provide transportation to a passenger on his or her originally-scheduled flight on a basis relating to the individual's disability, you must provide to the person a written statement of the reason for the refusal. This statement must include the specific basis for the carrier's opinion that the refusal meets the standards of paragraph (c) of this section or is otherwise specifically permitted by this part. You must provide this written statement to the person within 10 calendar days of the refusal of transportation.
§ 382.21   May carriers limit access to transportation on the basis that a passenger has a communicable disease or other medical condition?
(a) You must not do any of the following things on the basis that a passenger has a communicable disease or infection, unless you determine that the passenger's condition poses a direct threat:
(1) Refuse to provide transportation to the passenger;
(2) Delay the passenger's transportation (e.g., require the passenger to take a later flight);
(3) Impose on the passenger any condition, restriction, or requirement not imposed on other passengers; or
(4) Require the passenger to provide a medical certificate.
(b) In assessing whether the passenger's condition poses a direct threat, you must apply the provisions of § 382.19(c)(1)-(2) of this subpart.
(1) In making this assessment, you may rely on directives issued by public health authorities (e.g., the U.S. Centers for Disease Control or Public Health Service; comparable agencies in other countries; the World Health Organization).
(2) In making this assessment, you must consider the significance of the consequences of a communicable disease and the degree to which it can be readily transmitted by casual contact in an aircraft cabin environment.
(c) If a passenger with a communicable disease meeting the direct threat criteria of this section gives you a medical certificate of the kind outlined in § 382.23(c)(2) describing measures for preventing transmission of the disease during the normal course of the flight, you must provide transportation to the passenger, unless you are unable to carry out the measures.
(d) If your action under this section results in the postponement of a passenger's travel, you must permit the passenger to travel at a later time (up to 90 days from the date of the postponed travel) at the fare that would have applied to the passenger's originally scheduled trip without penalty or, at the passenger's discretion, provide a refund for any unused flights, including return flights.
(e) If you take any action under this section that restricts a passenger's travel, you must, on the passenger's request, provide a written explanation within 10 days of the request.
§ 382.23   May carriers require a passenger with a disability to provide a medical certificate?
(a) Except as provided in this section, you must not require a passenger with a disability to have a medical certificate as a condition for being provided transportation.
(b)(1) You may require a medical certificate for a passenger with a disability—
(i) Who is traveling in a stretcher or incubator;
(ii) Who needs medical oxygen during a flight; or
(iii) Whose medical condition is such that there is reasonable doubt that the individual can complete the flight safely, without requiring extraordinary medical assistance during the flight.
(2) For purposes of this paragraph, a medical certificate is a written statement from the passenger's physician saying that the passenger is capable of completing the flight safely, without requiring extraordinary medical assistance during the flight.
(3) To be valid, a medical certificate under this paragraph must be dated within 10 days of the scheduled date of the passenger's initial departing flight.
(c)(1) You may also require a medical certificate for a passenger if he or she has a communicable disease or condition that could pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others on the flight.
(2) For purposes of this paragraph, a medical certificate is a written statement from the passenger's physician saying that the disease or infection would not, under the present conditions in the particular passenger's case, be communicable to other persons during the normal course of a flight. The medical certificate must state any conditions or precautions that would have to be observed to prevent the transmission of the disease or infection to other persons in the normal course of a flight. A medical certificate under this paragraph must be dated within 10 days of the date of the flight for which it is presented.
(d) As a carrier, you may require that a passenger with a medical certificate undergo additional medical review by you if there is a legitimate medical reason for believing that there has been a significant adverse change in the passenger's condition since the issuance of the medical certificate or that the certificate significantly understates the passenger's risk to the health of other persons on the flight. If the results of this medical review demonstrate that the passenger, notwithstanding the medical certificate, is likely to be unable to complete the flight without requiring extraordinary medical assistance (e.g., the passenger has apparent significant difficulty in breathing, appears to be in substantial pain, etc. ) or would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of other persons on the flight, you may take an action otherwise prohibited under § 382.21(a) of this part.
§ 382.25   May a carrier require a passenger with a disability to provide advance notice that he or she is traveling on a flight?
As a carrier, you must not require a passenger with a disability to provide advance notice of the fact that he or she is traveling on a flight.
§ 382.27   May a carrier require a passenger with a disability to provide advance notice in order to obtain certain specific services in connection with a flight?
(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section and §§ 382.75 and 382.133(e)(4), (5), (f)(5) and (6), as a carrier you must not require a passenger with a disability to provide advance notice in order to obtain services or accommodations required by this part.
(b)(1) You may require a passenger with a disability to provide up to 72 hours' advance notice and check in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to receive carrier-supplied in-flight medical oxygen on international flights, and 48 hours' advance notice and check-in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to receive carrier-supplied in-flight medical oxygen on domestic flights. This service is optional; you are not required to provide carrier-supplied in-flight medical oxygen, but you may choose to do so.
(2) You may require a passenger with a disability to provide 48 hours' advance notice and check-in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to use his/her ventilator, respirator, CPAP machine or POC.
(3) You may require a passenger with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal in the cabin of the aircraft to provide up to 48 hours' advance notice through submission of the forms identified in § 382.75 (a) and (b) as a condition of permitting the service animal to travel in the cabin if the reservation is made more than 48 hours prior to a flight's departure. In the alternative, you may require a passenger with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal in the cabin of the aircraft to provide the forms identified in § 382.75 (a) and (b) at the passenger's departure gate on the date of travel as a condition of permitting the service animal to travel in the cabin.
(c) You may require a passenger with a disability to provide up to 48 hours' advance notice and check in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to receive the following services and accommodations. The services listed in paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section are optional; you are not required to provide them, but you may choose to do so.
(1) Carriage of an incubator;
(2) Hook-up for a respirator, ventilator, CPAP machine or POC to the aircraft electrical power supply;
(3) Accommodation for a passenger who must travel in a stretcher;
(4) Transportation for an electric wheelchair on an aircraft with fewer than 60 seats;
(5) Provision of hazardous materials packaging for batteries or other assistive devices that are required to have such packaging;
(6) Accommodation for a group of ten or more qualified individuals with a disability, who make reservations and travel as a group; and
(7) Provision of an on-board wheelchair on an aircraft with more than 60 seats that does not have an accessible lavatory.
(8) Accommodation of a passenger who has both severe vision and hearing impairments (see § 382.29(b)(4)).
(d) If the passenger with a disability provides the advance notice you require, consistent with this section, for a service that you must provide (see paragraphs (b)(2) through (3) and (c)(4) through (8) of this section) or choose to provide (see paragraphs (b)(1) and (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section), you must provide the requested service or accommodation except to comply with any applicable safety regulations.
(e) Your reservation and other administrative systems must ensure that when passengers provide the advance notice that you require, consistent with this section, for services and accommodations, the notice is communicated, clearly and on time, to the people responsible for providing the requested service or accommodation.
(f) If a passenger with a disability provides the advance notice you require, consistent with this section, and the passenger is forced to change to another flight ( e.g., because of a flight cancellation), you must, to the maximum extent feasible, provide the accommodation on the new flight. If the new flight is another carrier's flight, you must provide the maximum feasible assistance to the other carrier in providing the accommodation the passenger requested from you.
(g) If a passenger does not meet advance notice or check-in requirements you establish consistent with this section, you must still provide the service or accommodation if you can do so by making reasonable efforts, without delaying the flight.
§ 382.29   May a carrier require a passenger with a disability to travel with a safety assistant?
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, you must not require that a passenger with a disability travel with another person as a condition of being provided air transportation.
(b) You may require a passenger with a disability in one of the following categories to travel with a safety assistant as a condition of being provided air transportation, if you determine that a safety assistant is essential for safety:
(1) A passenger traveling in a stretcher or incubator. The safety assistant for such a person must be capable of attending to the passenger's in-flight medical needs;
(2) A passenger who, because of a mental disability, is unable to comprehend or respond appropriately to safety instructions from carrier personnel, including the safety briefing required by 14 CFR 121.571(a)(3) and (a)(4) or 14 CFR 135.117(b) or the safety regulations of a foreign carrier's government, as applicable;
(3) A passenger with a mobility impairment so severe that the person is unable to physically assist in his or her own evacuation of the aircraft;
(4) A passenger who has both severe hearing and severe vision impairments, if the passenger cannot establish some means of communication with carrier personnel that is adequate both to permit transmission of the safety briefing required by 14 CFR 121.57(a)(3) and (a)(4), 14 CFR 135,117(b) or the safety regulations of a foreign carrier's government, as applicable, and to enable the passenger to assist in his or her own evacuation of the aircraft in the event of an emergency. You may require a passenger with severe hearing and vision impairment who wishes to travel without a safety assistant to notify you at least 48 hours in advance to provide this explanation. If the passenger fails to meet this notice requirement, however, you must still accommodate him or her to the extent practicable.
(c)(1) If you determine that a person meeting the criteria of paragraph (b)(2), (b)(3) or (b)(4) of this section must travel with a safety assistant, contrary to the individual's self-assessment that he or she is capable of traveling independently, you must not charge for the transportation of the safety assistant. You are not required to find or provide the safety assistant, however.
(2) For purposes of paragraph (b)(4) of this section, you may require, contrary to the individual's self-assessment, that an individual with both severe hearing and vision impairments must travel with a safety assistant if you determine that—
(i) The means of communication that the individual has explained to you does not adequately satisfy the objectives identified in paragraph (b)(4) of this section; or
(ii) The individual proposes to establish communication by means of finger spelling and you cannot, within the time following the individual's notification, arrange for a flight crew member who can communicate using this method to serve the passenger's flight.
(3) If a passenger voluntarily chooses to travel with a personal care attendant or safety assistant that you do not require, you may charge for the transportation of that person.
(d) If, because there is not a seat available on a flight for a safety assistant whom the carrier has determined to be necessary, a passenger with a disability holding a confirmed reservation is unable to travel on the flight, you must compensate the passenger with a disability in an amount to be calculated as provided for instances of involuntary denied boarding under 14 CFR part 250, where part 250 applies.
(e) For purposes of determining whether a seat is available for a safety assistant, you must deem the safety assistant to have checked in at the same time as the passenger with a disability.
(f) Concern that a passenger with a disability may need personal care services (e.g., assistance in using lavatory facilities or with eating) is not a basis for requiring the passenger to travel with a safety assistant. You must explain this clearly in training or information you provide to your employees. You may advise passengers that your personnel are not required to provide such services.
§ 382.31   May carriers impose special charges on passengers with a disability for providing services and accommodations required by this rule?
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this part you must not, as a carrier, impose charges for providing facilities, equipment, or services that this rule requires to be provided to passengers with a disability. You may charge for services that this part does not require.
(b) You may charge a passenger for the use of more than one seat if the passenger's size or condition (e.g., use of a stretcher) causes him or her to occupy the space of more than one seat. This is not considered a special charge under this section.
§ 382.33   May carriers impose other restrictions on passengers with a disability that they do not impose on other passengers?
(a) As a carrier, you must not subject passengers with a disability to restrictions that do not apply to other passengers, except as otherwise permitted in this part ( e.g., advance notice requirements for certain services permitted by § 382.27).
(b) Restrictions you must not impose on passengers with a disability include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Restricting passengers” movement within the terminal;
(2) Requiring passengers to remain in a holding area or other location in order to receive transportation, services, or accommodations;
(3) Making passengers sit on blankets on the aircraft;
(4) Making passengers wear badges or other special identification ( e.g., similar to badges worn by unaccompanied minors); or
(5) Otherwise mandating separate treatment for passengers with a disability, unless permitted or required by this part or other applicable Federal requirements.
§ 382.35   May carriers require passengers with a disability to sign waivers or releases?
(a) As a carrier, you must not require passengers with a disability to sign a release or waiver of liability in order to receive transportation or to receive services or accommodations for a disability.
(b) You must not require passengers with a disability to sign waivers of liability for damage to or loss of wheelchairs or other assistive devices, or for the loss of, death of, or injury to service animals. Carriers may note pre-existing damage to an assistive device to the same extent that carriers do this with respect to other checked baggage.
§ 382.41   What flight-related information must carriers provide to qualified individuals with a disability?
(a) As a carrier, you must provide the following information, on request, to qualified individuals with a disability or persons making inquiries on their behalf concerning the accessibility of the aircraft expected to make a particular flight. The information you provide must be specific to the aircraft you expect to use for the flight unless it is unfeasible for you to do so ( e.g., because unpredictable circumstances such as weather or a mechanical problem require substitution of another aircraft that could affect the location or availability of an accommodation). The required information is:
(1) The specific location of seats, if any, with movable armrests ( i.e., by row and seat number);
(2) The specific location of seats ( i.e., by row and seat number) that the carrier, consistent with this part, does not make available to passengers with a disability ( e.g., exit row seats);
(3) Any aircraft-related, service-related or other limitations on the ability to accommodate passengers with a disability, including limitations on the availability of level-entry boarding to the aircraft at any airport involved with the flight. You must provide this information to any passenger who states that he or she uses a wheelchair for boarding, even if the passenger does not explicitly request the information.
(4) Any limitations on the availability of storage facilities, in the cabin or in the cargo bay, for mobility aids or other assistive devices commonly used by passengers with a disability, including storage in the cabin of a passenger's wheelchair as provided in §§ 382.67 and 382.123;
(5) Information regarding accessibility of lavatories ( see § 382.63(h)); and
(6) The types of services to passengers with a disability that are or are not available on the flight.
(b) As a carrier, you must publish information in a prominent and easily accessible place on your public-facing website(s) describing the relevant dimensions and other characteristics of the cargo holds of all aircraft types you operate, including the dimensions of the cargo hold entry, that would limit the size, weight, and allowable type of cargo.
§ 382.43   Must information and reservation services of carriers be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing, and other disabilities?
(a) If, as a carrier, you provide telephone reservation and information service to the public, you must make this service available to individuals who use a text telephone (TTY), whether via your own TTY, voice relay, or other available technology, as follows:
(1) You must provide access to TTY users during the same hours as the telephone service is available to the general public.
(2) You must ensure that the response time for answering calls and the level of service provided to TTY users is substantially equivalent to the response time and level of service provided to the general public ( i.e., non-TTY users).
(3) You must not subject TTY users to charges exceeding those that apply to non-TTY users of telephone information and reservation service.
(4) In any medium in which you list the telephone number of your information and reservation service for the general public, you must also list your TTY number if you have one. If you do not have a TTY number, you must state how TTY users can reach your information and reservation service ( e.g., via a voice relay service).
(5) If you are a foreign carrier, you must meet this requirement by May 13, 2010.
(b) The requirements of paragraph (a) do not apply to you in any country in which the telecommunications infrastructure does not readily permit compliance.
(c) If you are a U.S. or foreign air carrier that operates at least one aircraft having a designed seating capacity of more than 60 passengers and owns or controls a primary Web site that markets passenger air transportation, or a tour (i.e., a combination of air transportation and ground or cruise accommodations), or tour component (e.g., a hotel stay) that must be purchased with air transportation, you must ensure the public-facing Web pages on your primary Web site are accessible to individuals with disabilities as provided in paragraphs (c)(1) through (4) of this section. Only Web sites that market air transportation to the general public in the United States must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. The following are among the characteristics of a primary Web site that markets to the general public in the U.S.: the content can be viewed in English, the site advertises or sells flights operating to, from, or within the United States, and the site displays fares in U.S. dollars.
(1) Your primary Web site must conform to all Success Criteria and all Conformance Requirements from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendation 11 December 2008, Web site Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 for Level AA as follows:
(i) Web pages associated with obtaining the following core air travel services and information that are offered on your primary Web site are conformant by December 12, 2015:
(A) Booking or changing a reservation, including all flight amenities;
(B) Checking in for a flight;
(C) Accessing a personal travel itinerary;
(D) Accessing the status of a flight;
(E) Accessing a personal frequent flyer account;
(F) Accessing flight schedules; and
(G) Accessing carrier contact information.
(ii) All remaining Web pages on your primary Web site are conformant by December 12, 2016.
(2) Your primary Web site must be tested in consultation with individuals with disabilities or members of disability organization(s) who use or want to use carrier Web sites to research or book air transportation in order to obtain their feedback on the Web site's accessibility and usability before the dates specified in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. Collectively, such individuals must be able to provide feedback on the usability of the Web site by individuals with visual, auditory, tactile, and cognitive disabilities. Consultation is required to ensure that your Web site is usable by individuals with disabilities by the date specified in paragraph (c)(1).
(3) You are permitted to use a Level AA conforming alternate version only when conforming a public-facing Web page to all WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria would constitute an undue burden or fundamentally alter the information or functionality provided by that page.
(4) You must assist prospective passengers who indicate that they are unable to use your Web site due to a disability and contact you through other channels (e.g., by telephone or at the ticket counter) as follows:
(i) Disclose Web-based discount fares to the passenger if his or her itinerary qualifies for the discounted fare.
(ii) Provide Web-based amenities to the passenger, such as waiving any fee applicable to making a reservation or purchasing a ticket using a method other than your Web site (e.g., by telephone), unless the fee applies to other customers purchasing the same fare online.
(d) As a carrier covered under paragraph (c) of this section, you must provide a mechanism on your primary Web site for persons with disabilities to request disability accommodation services for future flights, including but not limited to wheelchair assistance, seating accommodation, escort assistance for a visually impaired passenger, and stowage of an assistive device no later than December 12, 2015. You may require individuals who request accommodations using this mechanism to provide contact information (e.g., name, daytime phone, evening phone, and email address) for follow-up by your customer service department or medical desk.
(e) As a carrier covered under paragraph (c) of this section, you must provide a disclaimer activated when a user clicks a link on your primary Web site to an external Web site or to third-party software informing the user that the Web site or software may not follow the same accessibility policies no later than December 12, 2016.
§ 382.45   Must carriers make copies of this Part available to passengers?
(a) As a carrier, you must keep a current copy of this part at each airport you serve. As a foreign carrier, you must keep a copy of this part at each airport serving a flight you operate that begins or ends at a U.S. airport. You must make this copy available for review by any member of the public on request.
(b) If you have a Web site, it must provide notice to consumers that they can obtain a copy of this part in an accessible format from the Department of Transportation by any of the following means:
(1) For calls made from within the United States, by telephone via the Toll-Free Hotline for Air Travelers with Disabilities at 1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY),
(2) By telephone to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at 202-366-2220 (voice) or 202-366-0511 (TTY),
(3) By mail to the Air Consumer Protection Division, C-75, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building, Room W96-432, Washington, DC 20590, and
(4) On the Aviation Consumer Protection Division's Web site ( http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov ).
§ 382.51   What requirements must carriers meet concerning the accessibility of airport facilities?
(a) As a carrier, you must comply with the following requirements with respect to all terminal facilities you own, lease, or control at a U.S. airport:
(1) You must ensure that terminal facilities providing access to air transportation are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs. You are deemed to comply with this obligation if the facilities meet requirements applying to places of public accommodation under Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations implementing Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
(2) With respect to any situation in which boarding and deplaning by level-entry loading bridges or accessible passenger lounges to and from an aircraft is not available, you must ensure that there is an accessible route between the gate and the area from which aircraft are boarded ( e.g. , the tarmac in a situation in which level-entry boarding is not available). An accessible route is one meeting the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), sections 4.3.3 through 4.3.10.
(3) You must ensure that systems of intra- and inter-terminal transportation, including, but not limited to, moving sidewalks, shuttle vehicles and people movers, comply with applicable requirements of the Department of Transportation's ADA rules (49 CFR parts 37 and 38).
(4) Your contracts or leases with airport operators concerning the use of airport facilities must set forth your airport accessibility responsibility under this part and that of the airport operator under applicable section 504 and ADA rules of the Department of Transportation and Department of Justice.
(5) In cooperation with the airport operator and in consultation with local service animal training organization(s), you must provide animal relief areas for service animals that accompany passengers departing, connecting, or arriving at an airport on your flights.
(6) You must enable captioning at all times on all televisions and other audio-visual displays that are capable of displaying captions and that are located in any portion of the terminal to which any passengers have access on May 13, 2009. The captioning must be high-contrast insofar as is feasible.
(7) You must replace any televisions and other audio-visual displays providing passengers with safety briefings, information, or entertainment that do not have high-contrast captioning capability with equipment that does have such capability whenever such equipment is replaced in the normal course of operations and/or whenever areas of the terminal in which such equipment is located are undergoing substantial renovation or expansion.
(8) If you newly acquire televisions and other audio-visual displays for passenger safety briefings, information, or entertainment on or after May 13, 2009, such equipment must have high-contrast captioning capability.
(b) As a carrier, you must ensure that passengers with a disability can readily use all terminal facilities you own, lease, or control at a foreign airport. In the case of foreign carriers, this requirement applies only to terminal facilities that serve flights covered by § 382.7 of this part.
(1) This means that passengers with a disability must be able to move readily through such terminal facilities to get to or from the gate and any other area from which passengers board the aircraft you use for such flights ( e.g. , the tarmac in the case of flights that do not use level-entry boarding). This obligation is in addition to your obligation to provide enplaning, deplaning, and connecting assistance to passengers.
(2) You may meet this obligation through any combination of facility accessibility, auxiliary aids, equipment, the assistance of personnel, or other appropriate means consistent with the safety and dignity of passengers with a disability.
(c) As a foreign carrier, you must meet the requirements of this section by May 13, 2010, except as otherwise indicated in paragraph (a). As a U.S. carrier, you must meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section by May 13, 2010.
§ 382.53   What information must carriers give individuals with a vision or hearing impairment at airports?
(a)(1) As a U.S. carrier, you must ensure that passengers with a disability who identify themselves as persons needing visual or hearing assistance have prompt access to the same information provided to other passengers at each gate, ticketing area, and customer service desk that you own, lease, or control at any U.S. or foreign airport, to the extent that this does not interfere with employees' safety and security duties as set forth in FAA, TSA, and applicable foreign regulations.
(2) As a foreign carrier, you must make this information available at each gate, ticketing area, and customer service desk that you own, lease, or control at any U.S. airport. At foreign airports, you must make this information available only at gates, ticketing areas, or customer service desks that you own, lease, or control and only for flights that begin or end in the U.S.
(3) As a U.S. or foreign carrier, at any U.S. airport covered by this paragraph where the airport has effective control over the covered gates, ticketing areas, and customer service desks, you and the airport are jointly responsible for compliance.
(b) The information you must provide under paragraph (a) of this section includes, but is not limited to, the following: Information concerning flight safety, ticketing, flight check-in, flight delays or cancellations, schedule changes, boarding information, connections, gate assignments, checking baggage, volunteer solicitation on oversold flights ( e.g. , offers of compensation for surrendering a reservation), individuals being paged by airlines, aircraft changes that affect the travel of persons with disabilities, and emergencies ( e.g. , fire, bomb threat).
(c) With respect to information on claiming baggage, you must provide the information to passengers who identify themselves as persons needing visual or hearing assistance no later than you provide this information to other passengers.
§ 382.55   May carriers impose security screening procedures for passengers with disabilities that go beyond TSA requirements or those of foreign governments?
(a) All passengers, including those with disabilities, are subject to TSA security screening requirements at U.S. airports. In addition, passengers at foreign airports, including those with disabilities, may be subject to security screening measures required by law of the country in which the airport is located.
(b) If, as a carrier, you impose security screening procedures for passengers with disabilities that go beyond those mandated by TSA (or, at a foreign airport, beyond the law of the country in which the airport is located), you must ensure that they meet the following requirements:
(1) You must use the same criteria for applying security screening procedures to passengers with disabilities as to other passengers.
(2) You must not subject a passenger with a disability to special screening procedures because the person is traveling with a mobility aid or other assistive device if the person using the aid or device clears the security system without activating it.
(i) However, your security personnel may examine a mobility aid or assistive device which, in their judgment, may conceal a weapon or other prohibited item.
(ii) You may conduct security searches of qualified individuals with a disability whose aids activate the security system in the same manner as for other passengers.
(3) You must not require private security screenings of passengers with a disability to a greater extent, or for any different reason, than for other passengers.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, if a passenger with a disability requests a private screening in a timely manner, you must provide it in time for the passenger to enplane.
(d) If you use technology that can conduct an appropriate screening of a passenger with a disability without necessitating a physical search of the person, you are not required to provide a private screening.
§ 382.57   What accessibility requirements apply to automated airport kiosks?
(a) As a carrier, you must comply with the following requirements with respect to any automated airport kiosk you own, lease, or control at a U.S. airport with 10,000 or more enplanements per year.
(1) You must ensure that all automated airport kiosks installed on or after December 12, 2016, are models that meet the design specifications set forth in paragraph (c) of this section until at least 25 percent of automated kiosks provided in each location at the airport (i.e., each cluster of kiosks and all stand-alone kiosks at the airport) meets this specification.
(2) You must ensure that at least 25 percent of automated kiosks you own, lease, or control in each location at a U.S. airport meet the design specifications in paragraph (c) of this section by December 12, 2022.
(3) When the kiosks provided in a location at the airport perform more than one function (e.g., print boarding passes/bag tags, accept payment for flight amenities such as seating upgrades/meals/WiFi access, rebook tickets, etc.), you must ensure that the accessible kiosks provide all the same functions as the inaccessible kiosks in that location.
(4) You must ensure that a passenger with a disability who requests an accessible automated kiosk is given priority access to any available accessible kiosk you own, lease, or control in that location at the airport.
(5) You must ensure that each automated airport kiosk that meets the design specifications in paragraph (c) of this section is:
(i) Visually and tactilely identifiable to users as accessible (e.g., an international symbol of accessibility affixed to the front of the device).
(ii) Maintained in proper working condition.
(b) As a carrier, you must comply with the following requirements for any shared-use automated airport kiosks you jointly own, lease, or control at a U.S. airport with 10,000 or more enplanements per year.
(1) You must ensure that all shared-use automated airport kiosks you jointly own, lease, or control installed on or after December 12, 2016, meet the design specifications in paragraph (c) of this section until at least 25 percent of automated kiosks provided in each location at the airport (i.e., each cluster of kiosks and all stand-alone kiosks at an airport) meet this specification.
(2) You must ensure that at least 25 percent of shared-use automated kiosks you own, lease, or control in each location at the airport meet the design specifications in paragraph (c) of this section by December 12, 2022.
(3) When shared-use automated kiosks provided in a location at the airport perform more than one function (e.g., print boarding passes/bag tags, accept payment for flight amenities such as seating upgrades/meals/WiFi access, rebook tickets, etc.), you must ensure that the accessible kiosks provide all the same functions as the inaccessible kiosks in that location.
(4) You must ensure that each automated airport kiosk that meets the design specifications set forth in paragraph (c) of this section is:
(i) Visually and tactilely identifiable to users as accessible (e.g., an international symbol of accessibility affixed to the front of the device; and
(ii) Maintained in proper working condition.
(5) As a carrier, you are jointly and severally liable with airport operators and/or other participating carriers for ensuring that shared-use automated airport kiosks are compliant with the requirements of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.
(c) You must ensure that the automated airport kiosks provided in accordance with this section conform to the following technical accessibility standards with respect to their physical design and the functions they perform:
(1) Self contained. Except for personal headsets and audio loops, automated kiosks must be operable without requiring the user to attach assistive technology.
(2) Clear floor or ground space. A clear floor or ground space complying with section 305 of the U.S. Department of Justice's 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, 28 CFR 35.104 (defining the “2010 Standards” for title II as the requirements set forth in appendices B and D to 36 CFR part 1191 and the requirements contained in 28 CFR 35.151) (hereinafter 2010 ADA Standards) must be provided.
(3) Operable parts. Operable parts must comply with section 309 of the 2010 ADA Standards, and the following requirements:
(i) Identification. Operable parts must be tactilely discernible without activation;
(ii) Timing. Where a timed response is required, the user must be alerted visually and by touch or sound and must be given the opportunity to indicate that more time is required;
(iii) Status indicators. Status indicators, including all locking or toggle controls or keys (e.g., Caps Lock and Num Lock keys), must be discernible visually and by touch or sound; and
(iv) Color. Color coding must not be used as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.
(4) Privacy. Automated airport kiosks must provide the opportunity for the same degree of privacy of input and output available to all individuals. However, if an option is provided to blank the screen in the speech output mode, the screen must blank when activated by the user, not automatically.
(5) Output. Automated airport kiosks must comply with paragraphs (c)(5)(i) through (iv) of this section.
(i) Speech output enabled. Automated airport kiosks must provide an option for speech output. Operating instructions and orientation, visible transaction prompts, user input verification, error messages, and all other visual information for full use must be accessible to and independently usable by individuals with vision impairments. Speech output must be delivered through a mechanism that is readily available to all users, including but not limited to, an industry standard connector or a telephone handset. Speech output must be recorded or digitized human, or synthesized. Speech output must be coordinated with information displayed on the screen. Speech output must comply with paragraphs (c)(5)(i)(A) through (F) of this section.
(A) When asterisks or other masking characters are used to represent personal identification numbers or other visual output that is not displayed for security purposes, the masking characters must be spoken (“*” spoken as “asterisk”) rather than presented as beep tones or speech representing the concealed information.
(B) Advertisements and other similar information are not required to be audible unless they convey information that can be used in the transaction being conducted.
(C) Speech for any single function must be automatically interrupted when a transaction is selected or navigation controls are used. Speech must be capable of being repeated and paused by the user.
(D) Where receipts, tickets, or other outputs are provided as a result of a transaction, speech output must include all information necessary to complete or verify the transaction, except that—
( 1 ) Automated airport kiosk location, date and time of transaction, customer account numbers, and the kiosk identifier are not required to be audible;
( 2 ) Information that duplicates information available on-screen and already presented audibly is not required to be repeated; and
( 3 ) Printed copies of a carrier's contract of carriage, applicable fare rules, itineraries and other similar supplemental information that may be included with a boarding pass are not required to be audible.
(ii) Volume control. Automated kiosks must provide volume control complying with paragraphs (c)(5)(ii)(A) and (B) of this section.
(A) Private listening. Where speech required by paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section is delivered through a mechanism for private listening, the automated kiosk must provide a means for the user to control the volume. A function must be provided to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use.
(B) Speaker volume. Where sound is delivered through speakers on the automated kiosk, incremental volume control must be provided with output amplification up to a level of at least 65 dB SPL. Where the ambient noise level of the environment is above 45 dB SPL, a volume gain of at least 20 dB above the ambient level must be user selectable. A function must be provided to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use.
(iii) Captioning. Multimedia content that contains speech or other audio information necessary for the comprehension of the content must be open or closed captioned. Advertisements and other similar information are not required to be captioned unless they convey information that can be used in the transaction being conducted.
(iv) Tickets and boarding passes. Where tickets or boarding passes are provided, tickets and boarding passes must have an orientation that is tactilely discernible if orientation is important to further use of the ticket or boarding pass.
(6) Input. Input devices must comply with paragraphs (c)(6)(i) through (iv) of this section.
(i) Input controls. At least one input control that is tactilely discernible without activation must be provided for each function. Where provided, key surfaces not on active areas of display screens, must be raised above surrounding surfaces. Where touch or membrane keys are the only method of input, each must be tactilely discernible from surrounding surfaces and adjacent keys.
(ii) Alphabetic keys. Alphabetic keys must be arranged in a QWERTY keyboard layout. The “F” and “J” keys must be tactilely distinct from the other keys.
(iii) Numeric keys. Numeric keys must be arranged in a 12-key ascending or descending keypad layout or must be arranged in a row above the alphabetic keys on a QWERTY keyboard. The “5” key must be tactilely distinct from the other keys.
(iv) Function keys. Function keys must comply with paragraphs (c)(6)(iv)(A) and (B) of this section.
(A) Contrast. Function keys must contrast visually from background surfaces. Characters and symbols on key surfaces must contrast visually from key surfaces. Visual contrast must be either light-on-dark or dark-on-light. However, tactile symbols required by (c)(6)(iv)(B) are not required to comply with (c)(6)(iv)(A) of this section.
(B) Tactile symbols. Function key surfaces must have tactile symbols as follows: Enter or Proceed key: raised circle; Clear or Correct key: raised left arrow; Cancel key: raised letter ex; Add Value key: raised plus sign; Decrease Value key: raised minus sign.
(7) Display screen. The display screen must comply with paragraphs (c)(7)(i) and (ii) of this section.
(i) Visibility. The display screen must be visible from a point located 40 inches (1015 mm) above the center of the clear floor space in front of the automated kiosk.
(ii) Characters. Characters displayed on the screen must be in a sans serif font. Characters must be 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) high minimum based on the uppercase letter “I.” Characters must contrast with their background with a minimum luminosity contrast ratio of 3:1.
(8) Braille instructions. Braille instructions for initiating the speech mode must be provided. Braille must comply with section 703.3 of the 2010 ADA Standards.
(9) Biometrics. Biometrics must not be the only means for user identification or control, unless at least two biometric options that use different biological characteristics are provided.
(d) You must provide equivalent service upon request to passengers with a disability who cannot readily use your automated airport kiosks (e.g., by directing a passenger who is blind to an accessible automated kiosk, assisting a passenger in using an inaccessible automated kiosk, assisting a passenger who due to his or her disability cannot use an accessible automated kiosk by allowing the passenger to come to the front of the line at the check-in counter).
§ 382.61   What are the requirements for movable aisle armrests?
(a) As a carrier, you must ensure that aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats on which passenger aisle seats have armrests are equipped with movable aisle armrests on at least one-half of the aisle seats in rows in which passengers with mobility impairments are permitted to sit under FAA or applicable foreign government safety rules.
(b) You are not required to provide movable armrests on aisle seats of rows which a passenger with a mobility impairment is precluded from using by an FAA safety rule.
(c) You must ensure that these movable aisle armrests are provided proportionately in all classes of service in the cabin. For example, if 80 percent of the aisle seats in which passengers with mobility impairments may sit are in coach, and 20 percent are in first class, then 80 percent of the movable aisle armrests must be in coach, with 20 percent in first class.
(d) For aircraft equipped with movable aisle armrests, you must configure cabins, or establish administrative systems, to ensure that passengers with mobility impairments or other passengers with a disability can readily identify and obtain seating in rows with movable aisle armrests. You must provide this information by specific seat and row number.
(e) You are not required to retrofit cabin interiors of existing aircraft to comply with the requirements of this section. However, if you replace any of an aircraft's aisle seats with newly manufactured seats, the new seats must include movable aisle armrests as required by this section. However, an aircraft is never required to have movable aisle armrests on more than one half of the aisle seats.
(f) As a foreign carrier, you must comply with the requirements of paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after May 13, 2009 or which are delivered after May 13, 2010. As a U.S. carrier, the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), (d), and (e) of this section applies to you with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after April 5, 1990, or which are delivered after April 5, 1992. As a U.S. carrier, paragraph (c) of this section applies to you with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after May 13, 2009 or which were delivered after May 13, 2010.
(g) As a foreign carrier, you must comply with the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section with respect to seats ordered after May 13, 2009.
§ 382.63   What are the requirements for accessible lavatories?
(a) As a carrier, you must ensure that aircraft with more than one aisle in which lavatories are provided shall include at least one accessible lavatory.
(1) The accessible lavatory must permit a qualified individual with a disability to enter, maneuver within as necessary to use all lavatory facilities, and leave, by means of the aircraft's on-board wheelchair.
(2) The accessible lavatory must afford privacy to persons using the on-board wheelchair equivalent to that afforded ambulatory users.
(3) The lavatory shall provide door locks, accessible call buttons, grab bars, faucets and other controls, and dispensers usable by qualified individuals with a disability, including wheelchair users and persons with manual impairments.
(b) With respect to aircraft not covered in paragraph (f) of this section with only one aisle in which lavatories are provided, you may, but are not required to, provide an accessible lavatory.
(c) You are not required to retrofit cabin interiors of existing aircraft to comply with the requirements of this section. However, if you replace a lavatory on an aircraft with more than one aisle, you must replace it with an accessible lavatory.
(d) As a foreign carrier, you must comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after May 13, 2009 or which are delivered after May 13, 2010. As a U.S. carrier, this requirement applies to you with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after April 5, 1990, or which were delivered after April 5, 1992.
(e) As a foreign carrier, you must comply with the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section beginning May 13, 2009. As a U.S. carrier, these requirements apply to you with respect to new aircraft you operate that were initially ordered after April 5, 1990, or which were delivered after April 5, 1992.
(f) As a carrier, you must ensure that all new single-aisle aircraft that you operate with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of 125 or more that are delivered on or after October 2, 2026, and on which lavatories are provided shall include at least one lavatory that meets the following specifications:
(1) Grab bars must be provided and positioned as required to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.
(2) Lavatory faucets must have controls with tactile information concerning temperature. Alternatively, carriers may comply with this requirement by ensuring that lavatory water temperature is adjusted to eliminate the risk of scalding for all passengers. Automatic or hand-operated faucets shall dispense water for a minimum of five seconds for each application or while the hand is below the faucet.
(3) Attendant call buttons and door locks must be accessible to an individual seated within the lavatory.
(4) Lavatory controls and dispensers must be discernible through the sense of touch. Operable parts within the lavatory must be operable with one hand and must not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. You must comply with these requirements to the extent that such accessible components are reasonably available and certificated for the applicable aircraft type. You are not responsible for acquiring lavatory controls and dispensers with an accessible feature described above so long as you inform the Department of their unavailability despite your reasonable efforts.
(5) The lavatory door sill must provide minimum obstruction to the passage of the on-board wheelchair across the sill while preventing the leakage of fluids from the lavatory floor and trip hazards during an emergency evacuation.
(6) Toe clearance must not be reduced from current measurements.
(7) The aircraft must include a visual barrier that must be provided upon request of a passenger with a disability. The barrier must provide passengers with disabilities using the lavatory (with the lavatory door open) a level of privacy substantially equivalent to that provided to ambulatory users. Visual barriers are not an acceptable method of providing privacy with respect to lavatories covered in § 382.64.
(g) You are not required to retrofit cabin interiors of existing single-aisle aircraft to comply with the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section. However, if you replace a lavatory on a single-aisle aircraft after October 2, 2026, you must replace it with a lavatory complying with the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section. Under this paragraph (g), a lavatory is not considered replaced if it is removed for specified maintenance, safety checks, or any other action that results in returning the same lavatory into service. For retrofit lavatories, there shall be no requirement to install a visual barrier if doing so will obstruct the visibility of exit signs.
(h) As a carrier operating at least one aircraft with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of 60 or more, you must comply with the following requirements:
(1) You must train flight attendants to proficiency on an annual basis to provide assistance in transporting qualified individuals with disabilities to and from the lavatory from the aircraft seat. Such training shall include hands-on training on the retrieval, assembly, stowage, transfer features, and use of the aircraft's on-board wheelchair, and regarding the accessibility features of the lavatory, including any assembly or modifications to accessibility features.
(2) You must provide information, on request, to qualified individuals with a disability or persons making inquiries on their behalf concerning, at a minimum, the accessibility features of aircraft lavatories set forth in paragraph (f) of this section. This information must also be available on the carrier's website (if the carrier markets tickets to the public), and in printed or electronic form on the aircraft, including picture diagrams of accessibility features in the lavatory and the location and usage of all controls and dispensers.
(3) You must remove or conceal the International Symbol of Accessibility from new and in-service aircraft equipped with lavatories that are not capable of facilitating a seated independent transfer ( i.e., a transfer from an on-board wheelchair to the toilet seat without requiring the use of an assistant). You must include the International Symbol of Accessibility if the lavatory is capable of providing a seated independent transfer.
(4) You must develop and, upon request, inform passengers of trash disposal procedures and processes for sharps and bio-waste.
(5) You must comply with the provisions of this paragraph (h) by October 2, 2026.
§ 382.64   What are the requirements for large accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft?
(a) As a carrier, you must ensure that all new single-aisle aircraft that you operate with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of 125 seats or more in which lavatories are provided, shall include at least one lavatory of sufficient size to:
(1) Permit a qualified individual with a disability equivalent in size to a 95th percentile male to approach, enter, maneuver within as necessary to use all lavatory facilities, and leave, by means of the aircraft's on-board wheelchair, in a closed space that affords privacy equivalent to that afforded to ambulatory users; and
(2) Permit an assistant equivalent in size to a 95th percentile male to assist a qualified individual with a disability, including assisting in transfers between the toilet and the aircraft's on-board wheelchair, within a closed space that affords privacy equivalent to that afforded to ambulatory users.
(b) You are not required to retrofit cabin interiors of existing single-aisle aircraft to comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) As a carrier, you must comply with the requirements of this section with respect to new aircraft that you operate that were originally ordered after October 3, 2033, or delivered after October 2, 2035, or are part of a new type-certificated design filed with the FAA or a foreign carrier's safety authority after October 2, 2024.
§ 382.65   What are the requirements concerning on-board wheelchairs?
(a) As a carrier, you must equip aircraft that have more than 60 passenger seats, and that have an accessible lavatory (whether or not having such a lavatory is required by § 382.63 of this Part) with an on-board wheelchair. The Aerospatiale/Aeritalia ATR-72 and the British Aerospace Advanced Turboprop (ATP), in configurations having between 60 and 70 passenger seats, are exempt from this requirement.
(b) If a passenger asks you to provide an on-board wheelchair on a particular flight, you must provide it if the aircraft being used for the flight has more than 60 passenger seats, even if the aircraft does not have an accessible lavatory.
(1) The basis of the passenger's request must be that he or she can use an inaccessible lavatory but cannot reach it from a seat without using an on-board wheelchair.
(2) You may require the passenger to provide the advance notice specified in § 382.27 to receive this service.
(c) You must ensure that on-board wheelchairs meet the following standards:
(1) On-board wheelchairs must include footrests, armrests which are movable or removable, adequate occupant restraint systems, a backrest height that permits assistance to passengers in transferring, structurally sound handles for maneuvering the occupied chair, and wheel locks or another adequate means to prevent chair movement during transfer or turbulence.
(2) The chair must be designed to be compatible with the maneuvering space, aisle width, and seat height of the aircraft on which it is to be used, and to be easily pushed, pulled, and turned in the cabin environment by carrier personnel.
(d) As a foreign carrier, you must meet this requirement as of May 13, 2010. As a U.S. carrier, you must meet this requirement by May 13, 2009.
(e) As a carrier, you must ensure that all new single-aisle aircraft that you operate with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of 125 or more that are delivered on or after October 2, 2026, and on which lavatories are provided include an on-board wheelchair meeting the requirements of this section. The Access Board's published nonbinding technical assistance on aircraft on-board wheelchairs may be relied upon for compliance with these requirements.
(1) The on-board wheelchair must be maneuverable both forward and backward through the aircraft aisle by an attendant.
(2) The height of the on-board wheelchair seat must align with the height of the aircraft seat so as to facilitate a safe transfer between the on-board wheelchair seat and the aircraft seat.
(3) The on-board wheelchair must have wheels that lock in the direction of travel, and that lock in place so as to permit safe transfers. Any other moving parts of the on-board wheelchair must be capable of being secured such that they do not move while the occupied on-board wheelchair is being maneuvered.
(4) The on-board wheelchair shall be designed not to tip or fall in any direction under normal operating conditions when occupied for use.
(5) The on-board wheelchair must have a padded seat and backrest and must be free of sharp or abrasive components.
(6) The on-board wheelchair must have arm supports that are sufficiently structurally sound to permit transfers and repositionable so as to allow for unobstructed transfers; adequate back support; torso and leg restraints that are adequate to prevent injury during transport; and a unitary foot support that provides sufficient clearance to traverse the threshold of the lavatory and is repositionable so as to allow for unobstructed transfer. All restraints must be operable by the passenger.
(7) The on-board wheelchair must be maneuverable in a forward orientation partially into at least one aircraft lavatory to permit transfer from the on-board wheelchair to the toilet.
(8) The on-board wheelchair must be maneuverable into the aircraft lavatory without protruding into the clear space needed to completely close the lavatory door.
(9) The on-board wheelchair must prominently display instructions for proper use.
(f) You are not required to expand the existing FAA-certificated on-board wheelchair stowage space of the aircraft, or modify the interior arrangement of the lavatory or the aircraft, in order to comply with this section. However, if the on-board wheelchair that you obtain does not fit within the original stowage space, and another space exists ( e.g., an overhead compartment) where the on-board wheelchair could fit consistent with FAA safety standards, then you must stow the on-board wheelchair in that space and must request any necessary FAA approval to do so. You are not required to make the on-board wheelchair available if the pilot-in-command determines that safety or security considerations preclude its use.
(g) You must acquire an OBW that complies with as many requirements set forth in paragraph (e) of this section as are available. You are not responsible for the failure of third parties to develop and deliver an on-board wheelchair that complies with a requirement set forth in paragraph (e) of this section so long as you make reasonable efforts to purchase such an OBW and inform the Department at the address cited in § 382.159 that an on-board wheelchair meeting that requirement is unavailable despite your reasonable efforts. If you cannot provide a wheelchair meeting requirement (e)(8) of this section despite your reasonable efforts, then you must provide, on request, the use of the visual barrier ( e.g., a curtain) described in § 382.63(f)(7) to enable the passenger to perform lavatory functions in privacy.
(h)(1) If you replace an on-board wheelchair supplied on aircraft with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of 125 or more after October 2, 2026, then you must replace it with an on-board wheelchair that meets the standards set forth in paragraph (e) of this section.
(2) After October 2, 2026, if you purchase or otherwise obtain a new on-board wheelchair for use on aircraft with more than 60 passenger seats, it must meet the standards set forth in paragraph (e) of this section.
(3) Any on-board wheelchair supplied on aircraft with an FAA-certificated maximum seating capacity of more than 60 passenger seats and that has an accessible lavatory and that was delivered after October 2, 2026, must meet the standards set forth in paragraph (e) of this section.
(4) After October 2, 2031, any on-board wheelchair that you provide for passengers' use on aircraft with more than 60 passenger seats must meet the standards set forth in paragraph (e) of this section.
(5) For purposes of paragraphs (h)(2) through (4) of this section, you must acquire OBWs that comply with as many of the safety and accessibility requirements in paragraph (e) of this section as are available. You must inform the Department at the address cited in 14 CFR 382.159 that an on-board wheelchair meeting that requirement is unavailable, if that is the case.
§ 382.67   What is the requirement for priority space in the cabin to store passengers' wheelchairs?
(a) As a carrier, you must ensure that there is priority space (i.e., a closet, or a row of seats where a wheelchair may be strapped using a strap kit that complies with applicable Federal Aviation Administration or applicable foreign government regulations on the stowage of cargo in the cabin compartment) in the cabin of sufficient size to stow at least one typical adult-sized folding, collapsible, or break-down manual passenger wheelchair, the dimensions of which are 13 inches by 36 inches by 42 inches or less without having to remove the wheels or otherwise disassemble it. This section applies to any aircraft with 100 or more passenger seats and this space must be other than the overhead compartments and under-seat spaces routinely used for passengers' carry-on items.
(b) If you are a carrier that uses the seat-strapping method to stow a manual passenger wheelchair, you must ensure that there is priority space for at least two such wheelchairs, if stowing the second passenger wheelchair would not displace passengers.
(c) If you are a carrier that uses a closet as the priority space to stow a manual passenger wheelchair, you must install a sign or placard prominently on the closet indicating that such wheelchairs and other assistive devices are to be stowed in this area with priority over other items brought onto the aircraft by other passengers or crew, including crew luggage, as set forth in § 382.123.
(d) If passengers holding confirmed reservations are not able to travel on a flight because their seats are being used to stow a passenger's wheelchair as required by paragraph (a) of this section, carriers must compensate those passengers in an amount to be calculated as provided for in instances of involuntary denied boarding under 14 CFR part 250, where part 250 applies.
(e) As a carrier, you must never request or suggest that a passenger not stow his or her wheelchair in the cabin to accommodate other passengers (e.g., informing a passenger that stowing his or her wheelchair in the cabin will require other passengers to be removed from the flight), or for any other non-safety related reason (e.g., that it is easier for the carrier if the wheelchair is stowed in the cargo compartment).
(f) As a carrier, you must offer pre-boarding to a passenger stowing his or her wheelchair in the cabin.
(g) As a foreign carrier, you must meet the requirement of this section for new aircraft ordered after May 13, 2009, or delivered after May 13, 2010. As a U.S. carrier, this section applies to you with respect to new aircraft you operate that were ordered after April 5, 1990, or which were delivered after April 5, 1992.
§ 382.69   What requirements must carriers meet concerning the accessibility of videos, DVDs, and other audio-visual presentations shown on-aircraft to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing?
(a) As a carrier, you must ensure that all new videos, DVDs, and other audio-visual displays played on aircraft for safety purposes, and all such new audio-visual displays played on aircraft for informational purposes that were created under your control, are high-contrast captioned. The captioning must be in the predominant language or languages in which you communicate with passengers on the flight.
(b) The requirements of paragraph (a) of this section go into effect with respect to audio-visual displays used for safety purposes on November 10, 2009.
(c) Between May 13, 2009 and November 9, 2009, U.S. carriers must ensure that all videos, DVDs, and other audio-visual displays played on aircraft for safety purposes have open captioning or an inset for a sign language interpreter, unless such captioning or inset either would interfere with the video presentation so as to render it ineffective or would not be large enough to be readable, in which case these carriers must use an equivalent non-video alternative for transmitting the briefing to passengers with hearing impairments.
(d) The requirements of paragraph (a) of this section go into effect with respect to informational displays on January 8, 2010.
§ 382.71   What other aircraft accessibility requirements apply to carriers?
(a) As a carrier, you must maintain all aircraft accessibility features in proper working order.
(b) You must ensure that any replacement or refurbishing of the aircraft cabin or its elements does not reduce the accessibility of that element to a level below that specified for new aircraft in this part.
§ 382.72   Must carriers allow a service animal to accompany a passenger with a disability?
You must allow a service animal to accompany a passenger with a disability. You must not deny transportation to a service animal based on the animal's breed or type or on the basis that its carriage may offend or annoy carrier personnel or persons traveling on the aircraft.
§ 382.73   How do carriers determine if an animal is a service animal that must be accepted for transport? May a carrier require that a service animal be under the control of the service animal user or handler?
(a) You may rely on one or more of the factors set forth in paragraphs (a)(1) through)(3) of this section to determine if an animal is a service animal that must be accepted for transport.
(1) You may make two inquiries to determine whether an animal qualifies as a service animal. You may ask if the animal is required to accompany the passenger because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. You must not ask about the nature or extent of a person's disability or ask that the service animal demonstrate its work or task.
(2) You may observe the behavior of an animal. A trained service animal will remain under the control of its handler. It does not run freely around an aircraft or an airport gate area, bark or growl repeatedly at other persons or other animals on the aircraft or in the airport gate area, bite, jump on, or cause injury to people, or urinate or defecate in the cabin or gate area. An animal that engages in such disruptive behavior demonstrates that it has not been successfully trained to behave properly in a public setting and carriers are not required to treat it as a service animal without a carrier in the cabin, even if the animal performs an assistive function for a passenger with a disability.
(3) You may look for physical indicators, such as a harness or vest on the animal, to determine if the animal is a service animal.
(b) You may require that a service animal be harnessed, leashed, or otherwise tethered at all times by the service animal user or service animal handler while in areas of the airport that you own, lease or control, or on an aircraft.
§ 382.74   How many service animals must a carrier transport in the cabin of aircraft?
You are not required to accept more than two service animals for a single passenger with a disability.
§ 382.75   May a carrier require documentation from passengers with disabilities seeking to travel with a service animal?
(a) If a passenger with a disability seeks to travel with a service animal, you may require the passenger to provide you, as a condition of permitting the service animal to travel in the cabin, a current completed U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form. Current means the form was completed on or after the date the passenger purchased his or her airline ticket.
(b) On a flight segment scheduled to take 8 hours or more, you may, as a condition of permitting a service animal to travel in the cabin, require the passenger with a disability traveling with the service animal to confirm that the animal will not need to relieve itself on the flight, or that the animal can relieve itself in a way that does not create a health or sanitation issue on the flight by providing a current DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form. Current means the form was completed on or after the date the passenger purchased his or her airline ticket.
(c) You are not permitted to require documentation from passengers with disabilities traveling with service animals beyond the completion of the forms identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section except to comply with requirements on transport of animals by a Federal agency, a U.S. territory or a foreign jurisdiction.
(d) As a U.S. air carrier, if you require service animal users to submit the forms identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, you must have copies of these forms available for passengers at each airport you serve. As a foreign air carrier, if you require service animal users to submit the forms identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, you must have copies of the forms available for passengers at each airport serving a flight you operate that begins or ends at a U.S. airport.
(e) If you have a website, you must have the forms identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) available to passengers in an accessible format. You must mail copies of the forms identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) to passengers upon request.
(f) If you require a passenger with a disability traveling with a service animal to submit the forms identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section in advance of the passenger's date of travel, you must provide the passenger the option of submitting the completed form(s) to you electronically or by hardcopy.
(g)(1) If a passenger's reservation was made more than 48 hours in advance of the first originally scheduled departure time on the passenger's itinerary, you may require that passenger provide up to 48 hours advance notice by submitting the form identified in paragraph (a) of this section.
(2) If a passenger's reservation was made more than 48 hours in advance of the first originally scheduled departure time on the passenger's itinerary and a flight segment on the passenger's itinerary is scheduled to take 8 hours or more, you may require that the passenger provide up to 48 hours advance notice by submitting the form identified in paragraph (b) of this section.
(3) If a passenger's reservation was made less than 48 hours in advance of the first originally scheduled departure time on the passenger's itinerary, you may not require that passenger provide advance notice of his or her intent to travel with a service animal. You may require that the passenger complete the forms identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section and submit a copy of the form to you at the passenger's departure gate on the date of travel.
(h) If the passenger does not meet the advance notice requirements you establish consistent with this section, you must still provide the accommodation if you can do so by making reasonable efforts, without delaying the flight.
§ 382.76   May a carrier require a service animal user to check-in physically at the airport?
You may not require a passenger with a disability to check-in physically at the airport, rather than using the online check-in available to the general public, on the basis that the passenger is traveling with a service animal.
§ 382.77   May carriers restrict the location and placement of service animals on aircraft?
(a) You must permit a service animal to accompany a passenger with a disability on the passenger's lap or in the passenger's foot space, unless this location and placement would:
(1) Be inconsistent with safety requirements set by the FAA or the foreign carrier's government; or
(2) Encroach into another passenger's space.
(b) Before refusing to transport a large service animal that cannot be accommodated on the passenger's lap or in the passenger's foot space without encroaching into another passenger's space, you must offer the passenger the opportunity to move with the animal to another seat location within the same class of service, if available on the aircraft, where the animal can be accommodated. You are not required to reseat other passengers to accommodate a service animal except as required for designated priority seats in Subpart F.
(c) If there are no alternatives available to enable the passenger to travel with the service animal in the cabin of the scheduled flight, you must offer the passenger the opportunity to transport the service animal in the cargo hold free of charge or travel on a later flight to the extent there is space available on a later flight and the transport is consistent with the safety requirements set by the FAA or a foreign carrier's government.
§ 382.78   May carriers charge individuals with disabilities for the damage their service animal causes?
While you generally cannot charge an individual with a disability for transporting service animals, or for providing other services that this part requires, you may charge a passenger with a disability for damage caused by his or her service animal so long as you normally charge individuals without disabilities for similar kinds of damage.
§ 382.79   Under what other circumstances may carriers refuse to provide transportation to a service animal traveling with a passenger with a disability?
(a) You may deny transport to a service animal under the following circumstances:
(1) The animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others (see definition in § 382.3);
(2) The animal causes a significant disruption in the cabin or at an airport gate area, or its behavior on the aircraft or at an airport gate area indicates that it has not been trained to behave properly in public (e.g., running freely, barking or growling repeatedly at other persons on the aircraft, biting or jumping on people, or urinating or defecating in the cabin or gate area);
(3) The animal's carriage would violate applicable safety or health requirements of any U.S. federal agency, U.S. territory or foreign government; or
(4) The passenger with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal in the cabin of the aircraft does not provide completed current forms as set forth in § 382.75 (a) and (b) to the carrier when requested to do so.
(b) In determining whether to deny transport to a service animal on the basis that the animal poses a direct threat under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, you must make an individualized assessment, independent of the dog's breed or type, based on reasonable judgment that relies on the best available objective evidence to ascertain the nature, duration, and severity of the risk; the probability that the potential injury will actually occur; and whether reasonable modifications of policies, practices, or procedure will mitigate the risk. A current completed U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form may be used in making this determination.
(c) In determining whether to deny transport to a service animal on the basis that the animal has misbehaved and/or has caused a significant disruption in the cabin under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, you must make an individualized assessment, independent of the dog's breed or type, based on reasonable judgment that relies on the best available objective evidence to ascertain the probability that the misbehavior and/or disruption will continue to occur; and whether reasonable modifications of policies, practices, or procedure will mitigate the misbehavior and/or the disruption. A current completed U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form and a current completed U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Relief Attestation Form may be used in making this determination.
(d) In conducting the analysis required under paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, you must not deny transportation to the service animal if there are means available short of refusal that would mitigate the problem (e.g., muzzling a barking service dog or taking other steps to comply with animal health regulations needed to permit entry of the service animal into a domestic territory or a foreign country).
(e) If you refuse to provide transportation to a service animal based on any provision in this part, you must provide the individual with a disability accompanied by the service animal a written statement of the reason for the refusal. This statement must include the specific basis for the carrier's opinion that the refusal meets the standards of paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section or is otherwise specifically permitted by this part. You must provide this written statement to the individual with a disability accompanied by the service animal either at the airport, or within 10 calendar days of the refusal of transportation.
§ 382.80   May carriers impose additional restrictions on the transport of service animals?
Carriers are not permitted to establish additional restrictions on the transport of service animals outside of those specifically permitted by the provisions in this part, unless required by applicable FAA, TSA, or other Federal requirements or a foreign carrier's government.
§ 382.81   For which passengers must carriers make seating accommodations?
As a carrier, you must provide the following seating accommodations to the following passengers on request, if the passenger self-identifies to you as having a disability specified in this section and the type of seating accommodation in question exists on the particular aircraft. Once the passenger self-identifies to you, you must ensure that the information is recorded and properly transmitted to personnel responsible for providing the accommodation.
(a) For a passenger who uses an aisle chair to access the aircraft and who cannot readily transfer over a fixed aisle armrest, you must provide a seat in a row with a movable aisle armrest. You must ensure that your personnel are trained in the location and proper use of movable aisle armrests, including appropriate transfer techniques. You must ensure that aisle seats with movable armrests are clearly identifiable.
(b) You must provide an adjoining seat for a person assisting a passenger with a disability in the following circumstances:
(1) When a passenger with a disability is traveling with a personal care attendant who will be performing a function for the individual during the flight that airline personnel are not required to perform ( e.g., assistance with eating);
(2) When a passenger with a vision impairment is traveling with a reader/assistant who will be performing functions for the individual during the flight;
(3) When a passenger with a hearing impairment is traveling with an interpreter who will be performing functions for the individual during the flight; or
(4) When you require a passenger to travel with a safety assistant (see § 382.29).
(c) For a passenger with a disability traveling with a service animal, you must provide, as the passenger requests, either a bulkhead seat or a seat other than a bulkhead seat.
(d) For a passenger with a fused or immobilized leg, you must provide a bulkhead seat or other seat that provides greater legroom than other seats, on the side of an aisle that better accommodates the individual's disability.
§ 382.83   Through what mechanisms do carriers make seating accommodations?
(a) If you are a carrier that provides advance seat assignments to passengers ( i.e., offer seat assignments to passengers before the day of the flight), you must comply with the requirements of § 382.81 of this part by any of the following methods:
(1) You may “block” an adequate number of the seats used to provide the seating accommodations required by § 382.81.
(i) You must not assign these seats to passengers who do not meet the criteria of § 382.81 until 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight.
(ii) At any time up until 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight, you must assign a seat meeting the requirements of this section to a passenger with a disability meeting one or more of the requirements of § 382.81 who requests it, at the time the passenger initially makes the request.
(iii) If a passenger with a disability specified in § 382.81 does not make a request at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight, you must meet the passenger's request to the extent practicable, but you are not required to reassign a seat assigned to another passenger in order to do so.
(2) You may designate an adequate number of the seats used to provide seating accommodations required by § 382.81 as “priority seats” for passengers with a disability.
(i) You must provide notice that all passengers assigned these seats (other than passengers with a disability listed in § 382.81 of this part) are subject to being reassigned to another seat if necessary to provide a seating accommodation required by this section.
(ii) You may provide this notice through your computer reservation system, verbal information provided by reservation personnel, ticket notices, gate announcements, counter signs, seat cards or notices, frequent-flier literature, or other appropriate means.
(iii) You must assign a seat meeting the requirements of this section to a passenger with a disability listed in § 382.81 of this part who requests the accommodation at the time the passenger makes the request. You may require such a passenger to check in and request the seating accommodation at least one hour before the standard check-in time for the flight. If all designated priority seats that would accommodate the passenger have been assigned to other passengers, you must reassign the seats of the other passengers as needed to provide the requested accommodation.
(iv) If a passenger with a disability listed in § 382.81 does not check in at least an hour before the standard check-in time for the general public, you must meet the individual's request to the extent practicable, but you are not required to reassign a seat assigned to another passenger in order to do so.
(b) If you assign seats to passengers, but not until the date of the flight, you must use the “priority seating” approach of paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(c) If you do not provide advance seat assignments to passengers, you must allow passengers specified in § 382.81 to board the aircraft before other passengers, including other “preboarded” passengers, so that the passengers needing seating accommodations can select seats that best meet their needs.
(d) As a carrier, if you wish to use a different method of providing seating assignment accommodations to passengers with disabilities from those specified in this subpart, you must obtain the written concurrence of the Department of Transportation. Contact the Department at the address cited in § 382.159 of this part.
§ 382.85   What seating accommodations must carriers make to passengers in circumstances not covered by § 382.81 (a) through (d)?
As a carrier, you must provide the following seating accommodations to a passenger who self-identifies as having a disability other than one in the four categories listed in § 382.81 (a) through (d) of this part and as needing a seat assignment accommodation in order to readily access and use the carrier's air transportation services:
(a) As a carrier that assigns seats in advance, you must provide accommodations in the following ways:
(1) If you use the “seat-blocking” mechanism of § 382.83(a)(1) of this part, you must implement the requirements of this section as follows:
(i) When a passenger with a disability not described in § 382.81(a) through (d) of this part makes a reservation more than 24 hours before the scheduled departure time of the flight, you are not required to offer the passenger one of the seats blocked for the use of passengers with a disability listed under § 382.81.
(ii) However, you must assign to the passenger any seat, not already assigned to another passenger that accommodates the passenger's needs, even if that seat is not available for assignment to the general passenger population at the time of the request.
(2) If you use the “designated priority seats” mechanism of § 382.83(a)(2) of this part, you must implement the requirements of this section as follows:
(i) When a passenger with a disability not described in § 382.81 makes a reservation, you must assign to the passenger any seat, not already assigned to another passenger, that accommodates the passenger's needs, even if that seat is not available for assignment to the general passenger population at the time of the request. You may require a passenger making such a request to check in one hour before the standard check-in time for the flight.
(ii) If such a passenger is assigned to a designated priority seat, he or she is subject to being reassigned to another seat as provided in § 382.83(a)(2)(i) of this subpart.
(b) On flights where advance seat assignments are not offered, you must provide seating accommodations under this section by allowing passengers to board the aircraft before other passengers, including other “preboarded” passengers, so that the individuals needing seating accommodations can select seats that best meet their needs.
(c) If you assign seats to passengers, but not until the date of the flight, you must use the “priority seating” approach of section 382.83(a)(2).
§ 382.87   What other requirements pertain to seating for passengers with a disability?
(a) As a carrier, you must not exclude any passenger with a disability from any seat or require that a passenger with a disability sit in any particular seat, on the basis of disability, except to comply with FAA or applicable foreign government safety requirements.
(b) In responding to requests from individuals for accommodations under this subpart, you must comply with FAA and applicable foreign government safety requirements, including those pertaining to exit seating (see 14 CFR 121.585 and 135.129).
(c) If a passenger's disability results in involuntary active behavior that would result in the person properly being refused transportation under § 382.19, and the passenger could be transported safely if seated in another location, you must offer to let the passenger sit in that location as an alternative to being refused transportation.
(d) If you have already provided a seat to a passenger with a disability to furnish an accommodation required by this subpart, you must not (except in the circumstance described in § 382.85(a)(2)(ii)) reassign that passenger to another seat in response to a subsequent request from another passenger with a disability, without the first passenger's consent.
(e) You must never deny transportation to any passenger in order to provide accommodations required by this subpart.
(f) You are not required to furnish more than one seat per ticket or to provide a seat in a class of service other than the one the passenger has purchased in order to provide an accommodation required by this part.
§ 382.89   How timely must the service required under this Subpart be provided by carriers to passengers with disabilities?
(a) As a carrier, the assistance you provide with respect to this subpart must be performed in a prompt manner.
(b) Whether the assistance is prompt is dependent on the totality of the circumstances, except, for as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section.
(c) Prompt assistance for a person who uses a boarding chair ( i.e., aisle chair) in deplaning means:
(1) Personnel and boarding chair must be available to deplane the passenger when the last passenger who did not request deplaning assistance departs the aircraft;
(2) The passenger's personal wheelchair must be available as close as possible to the door of the aircraft to the maximum extent possible, except:
(i) Where this practice would be inconsistent with Federal regulations governing transportation security or the transportation of hazardous materials; or
(ii) When the passenger requests the wheelchair be returned at a location other than the door of the aircraft; and
(3) When a passenger's personal wheelchair is not available at the door of the aircraft for the reasons set forth in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, an airport wheelchair must be available as close as possible to the door of the aircraft for the passenger's use.
§ 382.91   What assistance must carriers provide to passengers with a disability in moving within the terminal?
(a) As a carrier, you must provide or ensure the provision of assistance requested by or on behalf of a passenger with a disability, or offered by carrier or airport operator personnel and accepted by a passenger with a disability, in transportation between gates to make a connection to another flight. If the arriving flight and the departing connecting flight are operated by different carriers, the carrier that operated the arriving flight ( i.e., the one that operates the first of the two flights that are connecting) is responsible for providing or ensuring the provision of this assistance, even if the passenger holds a separate ticket for the departing flight. It is permissible for the two carriers to mutually agree that the carrier operating the departing connecting flight ( i.e., the second flight of the two) will provide this assistance, but the carrier operating the arriving flight remains responsible under this section for ensuring that the assistance is provided.
(b) You must also provide or ensure the provision of assistance requested by or on behalf of a passenger with a disability, or offered by carrier or airport operator personnel and accepted by a passenger with a disability, in moving from the terminal entrance (or a vehicle drop-off point adjacent to the entrance) through the airport to the gate for a departing flight, or from the gate to the terminal entrance (or a vehicle pick-up point adjacent to the entrance after an arriving flight).
(1) This requirement includes assistance in accessing key functional areas of the terminal, such as ticket counters and baggage claim.
(2) This requirement also includes a brief stop upon the passenger's request at the entrance to a rest room (including an accessible rest room when requested). As a carrier, you are required to make such a stop only if the rest room is available on the route to the destination of the enplaning, deplaning, or connecting assistance and you can make the stop without unreasonable delay. To receive such assistance, the passenger must self-identify as being an individual with a disability needing the assistance.
(c) As a carrier at a U.S. airport, you must, on request, in cooperation with the airport operator, provide for escorting a passenger with a service animal to an animal relief area provided under § 382.51(a)(5) of this part.
(d) As part of your obligation to provide or ensure the provision of assistance to passengers with disabilities in moving through the terminal ( e.g., between the terminal entrance and the gate, between gate and aircraft, from gate to a baggage claim area), you must assist passengers who are unable to carry their luggage because of a disability with transporting their gate-checked or carry-on luggage. You may request the credible verbal assurance that a passenger cannot carry the luggage in question. If a passenger is unable to provide credible assurance, you may require the passenger to provide documentation as a condition of providing this service.
§ 382.93   Must carriers offer preboarding to passengers with a disability?
As a carrier, you must offer preboarding to passengers with a disability who self-identify at the gate as needing additional time or assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment, or be seated.
§ 382.95   What are carriers' general obligations with respect to boarding and deplaning assistance?
(a) As a carrier, you must provide or ensure the provision of assistance requested by or on behalf of passengers with a disability, or offered by carrier or airport operator personnel and accepted by passengers with a disability, in enplaning and deplaning. This assistance must include, as needed, the services of personnel and the use of ground wheelchairs, accessible motorized carts, boarding wheelchairs, and/or on-board wheelchairs where provided in accordance with this part, and ramps or mechanical lifts.
(b) As a carrier, you must, except as otherwise provided in this subpart, provide boarding and deplaning assistance through the use of lifts or ramps at any U.S. commercial service airport with 10,000 or more annual enplanements where boarding and deplaning by level-entry loading bridges or accessible passenger lounges is not available.
§ 382.97   To which aircraft does the requirement to provide boarding and deplaning assistance through the use of lifts apply?
The requirement of section 382.95(b) of this part to provide boarding and deplaning assistance through the use of lifts applies with respect to all aircraft with a passenger capacity of 19 or more, with the following exceptions:
(a) Float planes;
(b) The following 19-seat capacity aircraft models: the Fairchild Metro, the Jetstream 31 and 32, the Beech 1900 (C and D models), and the Embraer EMB-120;
(c) Any other aircraft model determined by the Department of Transportation to be unsuitable for boarding and deplaning assistance by lift, ramp, or other suitable device.
The Department will make such a determination if it concludes that—
(1) No existing boarding and deplaning assistance device on the market will accommodate the aircraft without a significant risk of serious damage to the aircraft or injury to passengers or employees, or
(2) Internal barriers are present in the aircraft that would preclude passengers who use a boarding or aisle chair from reaching a non-exit row seat.
§ 382.99   What agreements must carriers have with the airports they serve?
(a) As a carrier, you must negotiate in good faith with the airport operator of each U.S. airport described in § 382.95(b) to ensure the provision of lifts for boarding and deplaning where level-entry loading bridges are not available.
(b) You must have a written, signed agreement with the airport operator allocating responsibility for meeting the boarding and deplaning assistance requirements of this subpart between or among the parties. For foreign carriers, with respect to all covered aircraft, this requirement becomes effective May 13, 2010.
(c) For foreign carriers, the agreement with a U.S. airport must provide that all actions necessary to ensure accessible boarding and deplaning for passengers with a disability are completed as soon as practicable, but no later than May 13, 2011.
(d) Under the agreement, you may, as a carrier, require that passengers wishing to receive boarding and deplaning assistance requiring the use of a lift for a flight check in for the flight one hour before the standard check-in time for the flight. If the passenger checks in after this time, you must nonetheless provide the boarding and deplaning assistance by lift if you can do so by making a reasonable effort, without delaying the flight.
(e) The agreement must ensure that all lifts and other accessibility equipment are maintained in proper working condition.
(f) All carriers and airport operators involved are jointly and severally responsible for the timely and complete implementation of the agreement.
(g) You must make a copy of this agreement available, on request, to representatives of the Department of Transportation.
§ 382.101   What other boarding and deplaning assistance must carriers provide?
When level-entry boarding and deplaning assistance is not required to be provided under this subpart, you must, as a carrier, provide or ensure the provision of boarding and deplaning assistance by any available means to which the passenger consents. However, you must never use hand-carrying ( i.e., directly picking up the passenger's body in the arms of one or more carrier personnel to effect a level change the passenger needs to enter or leave the aircraft), even if the passenger consents, unless this is the only way of evacuating the individual in the event of an emergency. The situations in which level-entry boarding is not required but in which you must provide this boarding and deplaning assistance include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) The boarding or deplaning process occurs at a U.S. airport that is not a commercial service airport that has 10,000 or more enplanements per year;
(b) The boarding or deplaning process occurs at a foreign airport;
(c) You are using an aircraft subject to an exception from the lift boarding and deplaning assistance requirements under § 382.97 (a)-(c) of this subpart;
(d) The deadlines established in § 382.99(c) have not yet passed; and
(e) Circumstances beyond your control ( e.g., unusually severe weather; unexpected mechanical problems) prevent the use of a lift.
§ 382.103   May a carrier leave a passenger unattended in a wheelchair or other device?
As a carrier, you must not leave a passenger who has requested assistance required by this subpart unattended by the personnel responsible for enplaning, deplaning, or connecting assistance in a ground wheelchair, boarding wheelchair, or other device, in which the passenger is not independently mobile, for more than 30 minutes. This requirement applies even if another person ( e.g., family member, personal care attendant) is accompanying the passenger, unless the passenger explicitly waives the obligation.
§ 382.105   What is the responsibility of carriers at foreign airports at which airport operators have responsibility for enplaning, deplaning, and connecting assistance?
At a foreign airport at which enplaning, deplaning, or connecting assistance is provided by the airport operator, rather than by carriers, as a carrier you may rely on the services provided by the airport operator to meet the requirements of this subpart. If the services provided by the airport operator are not sufficient to meet the requirements of this subpart, you must supplement the airport operator's services to ensure that these requirements are met. If you believe you are precluded by law from supplementing the airport operator's services, you may apply for a conflict of laws waiver under § 382.9 of this part.
§ 382.111   What services must carriers provide to passengers with a disability on board the aircraft?
As a carrier, you must provide services within the aircraft cabin as requested by or on behalf of passengers with a disability, or when offered by carrier personnel and accepted by passengers with a disability, as follows:
(a) Assistance in moving to and from seats, as part of the enplaning and deplaning processes;
(b) Assistance in preparation for eating, such as opening packages and identifying food;
(c) If there is an on-board wheelchair on the aircraft, assistance with the use of the on-board wheelchair to enable the person to move to and from a lavatory;
(d) Assistance to a semi-ambulatory person in moving to and from the lavatory, not involving lifting or carrying the person; or
(e) Assistance in stowing and retrieving carry-on items, including mobility aids and other assistive devices stowed in the cabin ( see also 382.91(d)). To receive such assistance, the passenger must self-identify as being an individual with a disability needing the assistance.
(f) Effective communication with passengers who have vision impairments or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, so that these passengers have prompt access to information the carrier provides to other passengers ( e.g. weather, on-board services, flight delays, connecting gates at the next airport).
§ 382.113   What services are carriers not required to provide to passengers with a disability on board the aircraft?
As a carrier, you are not required to provide extensive special assistance to qualified individuals with a disability. For purposes of this section, extensive special assistance includes the following activities:
(a) Assistance in actual eating;
(b) Assistance within the restroom or assistance at the passenger's seat with elimination functions; and
(c) Provision of medical services.
§ 382.115   What requirements apply to on-board safety briefings?
As a carrier, you must comply with the following requirements with respect to on-board safety briefings:
(a) You must conduct an individual safety briefing for any passenger where required by 14 CFR 121.571(a)(3) and (a)(4), 14 CFR 135.117(b), or other FAA requirements.
(b) You may offer an individual briefing to any other passenger, but you may not require an individual to have such a briefing except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) You must not require any passenger with a disability to demonstrate that he or she has listened to, read, or understood the information presented, except to the extent that carrier personnel impose such a requirement on all passengers with respect to the general safety briefing. You must not take any action adverse to a qualified individual with a disability on the basis that the person has not “accepted” the briefing.
(d) When you conduct an individual safety briefing for a passenger with a disability, you must do so as inconspicuously and discreetly as possible.
(e) The accessibility requirements for onboard video safety presentations that carriers must meet are outlined in section 382.69.
§ 382.119   What information must carriers give individuals with vision or hearing impairment on aircraft?
(a) As a carrier, you must ensure that passengers with a disability who identify themselves as needing visual or hearing assistance have prompt access to the same information provided to other passengers on the aircraft as described in paragraph (b) of this section, to the extent that it does not interfere with crewmembers' safety duties as set forth in FAA and applicable foreign regulations.
(b) The covered information includes but is not limited to the following: information concerning flight safety, procedures for takeoff and landing, flight delays, schedule or aircraft changes that affect the travel of persons with disabilities, diversion to a different airport, scheduled departure and arrival time, boarding information, weather conditions at the flight's destination, beverage and menu information, connecting gate assignments, baggage claim, individuals being paged by airlines, and emergencies ( e.g., fire or bomb threat).
§ 382.121   What mobility aids and other assistive devices may passengers with a disability bring into the aircraft cabin?
(a) As a carrier, you must permit passengers with a disability to bring the following kinds of items into the aircraft cabin, provided that they can be stowed in designated priority storage areas or in overhead compartments or under seats, consistent with FAA, PHMSA, TSA, or applicable foreign government requirements concerning security, safety, and hazardous materials with respect to the stowage of carry-on items.
(1) Manual wheelchairs, including folding or collapsible wheelchairs;
(2) Other mobility aids, such as canes (including those used by persons with impaired vision), crutches, and walkers; and
(3) Other assistive devices for stowage or use within the cabin ( e.g., prescription medications and any medical devices needed to administer them such as syringes or auto-injectors, vision-enhancing devices, and POCs, ventilators and respirators that use non-spillable batteries, as long as they comply with applicable safety, security and hazardous materials rules).
(b) In implementing your carry-on baggage policies, you must not count assistive devices (including the kinds of items listed in paragraph (a) of this section) toward a limit on carry-on baggage.
§ 382.123   What are the requirements concerning priority cabin stowage for wheelchairs and other assistive devices?
(a) The following rules apply to the stowage of passengers' wheelchairs or other assistive devices in the priority stowage area provided for in § 382.67 of this part:
(1) You must ensure that a passenger with a disability who uses a wheelchair and takes advantage of the opportunity to preboard the aircraft can stow his or her wheelchair in this area, with priority over other items brought onto the aircraft by other passengers or crew enplaning at the same airport, consistent with FAA, PHMSA, TSA, or applicable foreign government requirements concerning security, safety, and hazardous materials with respect to the stowage of carry-on items. You must move items that you or your personnel have placed in the priority stowage area ( e.g., crew luggage, an on-board wheelchair) to make room for the passenger's wheelchair, even if these items were stowed in the priority stowage area before the passenger seeking to stow a wheelchair boarded the aircraft ( e.g., the items were placed there on a previous leg of the flight).
(2) You must also ensure that a passenger with a disability who takes advantage of the opportunity to preboard the aircraft can stow other assistive devices in this area, with priority over other items (except wheelchairs) brought onto the aircraft by other passengers enplaning at the same airport consistent with FAA, PHMSA, TSA, or applicable foreign government requirements concerning security, safety, and hazardous materials with respect to the stowage of carry-on items.
(3) You must ensure that a passenger with a disability who does not take advantage of the opportunity to preboard is able to use the area to stow his or her wheelchair or other assistive device on a first-come, first-served basis along with all other passengers seeking to stow carry-on items in the area.
(b) If a wheelchair exceeds the space provided for in § 382.67 of this part while fully assembled but will fit if wheels or other components can be removed without the use of tools, you must remove the applicable components and stow the wheelchair in the designated space. In this case, you must stow the removed components in areas provided for stowage of carry-on luggage.
§ 382.125   What procedures do carriers follow when wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices must be stowed in the cargo compartment?
(a) As a carrier, you must stow wheelchairs, other mobility aids, or other assistive devices in the baggage compartment if an approved stowage area is not available in the cabin or the items cannot be transported in the cabin consistent with FAA, PHMSA, TSA, or applicable foreign government requirements concerning security, safety, and hazardous materials with respect to the stowage of carry-on items.
(b) You must give wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices priority for stowage in the baggage compartment over other cargo and baggage. Only items that fit into the baggage compartment and can be transported consistent with FAA, PHMSA, TSA, or applicable foreign government requirements concerning security, safety, and hazardous materials with respect to the stowage of items in the baggage compartment need be transported. Where this priority results in other passengers' baggage being unable to be carried on the flight, you must make your best efforts to ensure that the other baggage reaches the passengers' destination on the carrier's next flight to the destination.
(c) You must provide for the checking and timely return of passengers' wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices as close as possible to the door of the aircraft, so that passengers may use their own equipment to the extent possible, except
(1) Where this practice would be inconsistent with Federal regulations governing transportation security or the transportation of hazardous materials; or
(2) When the passenger requests the return of the items at the baggage claim area instead of at the door of the aircraft.
(d) In order to achieve the timely return of wheelchairs, you must ensure that passengers' wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices are among the first items retrieved from the baggage compartment.
(e) You must notify passengers in writing when they check wheelchairs or scooters to be stowed in the baggage compartment that they have the right to contact a CRO, how they can contact a CRO, and the right to file a claim with the airline if their wheelchairs or scooters are mishandled while in your custody. You must provide this notification in an accessible format for individuals with disabilities.
(f)(1) You must notify passengers with disabilities, before the aircraft cabin door closes, whether their wheelchairs or scooters have been loaded in the cargo compartments of their flights, including whether their device could not fit on the passenger's scheduled flight because of its size or weight.
(2) If a passenger's wheelchair or scooter is not loaded on his or her scheduled flight for whatever reason, you must offer to disembark the passenger and rebook them at no additional cost on the next available flight operated by you or a partner carrier. In addition, when you become aware that a passenger's wheelchair or scooter does not fit on the passenger's scheduled flight, if that is the case, you must offer to rebook the passenger at no additional cost on the next available flight operated by you or a partner carrier where the wheelchair or scooter will fit, if such an aircraft is available.
(3) You must notify passengers with disabilities, before they deplane, when their wheelchairs or scooters have been unloaded from the cargo compartments of their flights upon arrival.
(4) You must provide the notifications required by paragraphs (f)(1) and (3) of this section in an accessible format for individuals with disabilities.
§ 382.127   What procedures apply to stowage of battery-powered mobility aids?
(a) Whenever baggage compartment size and aircraft airworthiness considerations do not prohibit doing so, you must, as a carrier, accept a passenger's battery-powered wheelchair or other similar mobility device, including the battery, as checked baggage, consistent with the requirements of 49 CFR 175.10(a)(15) and (16) and the provisions of paragraphs (b) through (f) of this section.
(b) You may require that passengers with a disability wishing to have battery-powered wheelchairs or other similar mobility devices transported on a flight check in one hour before the check-in time for the general public. If the passenger checks in after this time, you must nonetheless carry the wheelchair or other similar mobility device if you can do so by making a reasonable effort, without delaying the flight.
(c) If the battery on the passenger's wheelchair or other similar mobility device has been labeled by the manufacturer as non-spillable as provided in 49 CFR 173.159(d)(2), or if a battery-powered wheelchair with a spillable battery can be loaded, stored, secured and unloaded in an upright position, you must not require the battery to be removed and separately packaged. Notwithstanding this requirement, you must remove and package separately any battery that is inadequately secured to a wheelchair or, for a spillable battery, is contained in a wheelchair that cannot be loaded, stowed, secured and unloaded in an upright position, in accordance with 49 CFR 175.10(a)(15) and (16). A damaged or leaking battery should not be transported.
(d) When it is necessary to detach the battery from the wheelchair, you must, upon request, provide packaging for the battery meeting the requirements of 49 CFR 175.10(a)(15) and (16) and package the battery. You may refuse to use packaging materials or devices other than those you normally use for this purpose.
(e) You must not disconnect the battery on wheelchairs or other mobility devices equipped with a non-spillable battery completely enclosed within a case or compartment integral to the design of the device unless an FAA or PHMSA safety regulation, or an applicable foreign safety regulation having mandatory legal effect, requires you to do so.
(f) You must not drain batteries.
§ 382.129   What other requirements apply when passengers' wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices must be disassembled for stowage?
(a) As a carrier, you must permit passengers with a disability to provide written directions concerning the disassembly and reassembly of their wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices. You must carry out these instructions to the greatest extent feasible, consistent with FAA, PHMSA, TSA, or applicable foreign government requirements concerning security, safety, and hazardous materials with respect to the stowage of carry-on items.
(b) When wheelchairs, other mobility aids, or other assistive devices are disassembled by the carrier for stowage, you must reassemble them and ensure their prompt return to the passenger. You must return wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices to the passenger in the condition in which you received them.
§ 382.130   What are the handling requirements for wheelchairs, scooters, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices and what obligations apply when wheelchairs or other assistive devices are mishandled?
(a) You must return checked wheelchairs, scooters, other mobility aids, and other assistive devices to the passenger in the condition in which you received them. Whenever a passenger's checked wheelchair, scooter, other mobility aid, or other assistive device that was in your custody is not returned to the passenger in the same condition it was received, there is a rebuttable presumption that you mishandled the passenger's wheelchair, scooter, other mobility aid, or other assistive device in violation of the ACAA.
(1) The presumption of a violation in this paragraph (a) can be overcome if you can successfully demonstrate that the alleged mishandling of the wheelchair, scooter, other mobility aid, or other assistive device did not occur while the wheelchair, scooter, other mobility aid, or assistive device was in your control and custody ( e.g., the damage occurred before the passenger checked the wheelchair, scooter, other mobility aid, or assistive device; the damage occurred after you returned the wheelchair, scooter, other mobility aid, or assistive device to the passenger) or that the passenger's claim is false or fraudulent.
(2) The presumption of a violation in this paragraph (a) cannot be overcome by demonstrating that the mishandling of a checked wheelchair, scooter, other mobility aid, or other assistive device is the result of “an act of God” or other circumstances beyond the control of the airline.
(b) When you become aware that a passenger's wheelchair or scooter has been mishandled ( i.e., your personnel notices that the wheelchair or assistive device has been mishandled or the passenger notifies airline personnel of the mishandling of the wheelchair or assistive device, whichever occurs first), you must immediately notify the impacted passenger in writing of his or her rights to file a claim with the carrier, to receive a loaner wheelchair or scooter from the carrier with certain customizations described in paragraph (e) of this section, to choose a preferred vendor for repairs or replacement of the device, and to have a Complaints Resolution Official (CRO) available and be provided information on how to contact the CRO. You must provide this notification in an accessible format for individuals with disabilities.
(c)(1) When a passenger's checked wheelchair or scooter has been delayed while in your custody, you must ensure that the device is transported to the passenger's final destination within 24 hours of the passenger's arrival for domestic flights and short international flights between the United States and a foreign point that is 12 hours or less in duration and within 30 hours of the passenger's arrival for long international flights between the United States and a foreign point that is more than 12 hours in duration. You must transport the delayed device by whatever means are available to safely do so.
(2) You must provide passengers a choice between picking up the delayed wheelchair or scooter at the passenger's final destination airport or having the delayed wheelchair or scooter delivered to a reasonable location requested by the passenger, such as the passenger's home or hotel. Depending on the passenger's choice, the delayed wheelchair or scooter is considered to be provided to the passenger either when the passenger or another person authorized to act on behalf of the passenger picks up the delayed wheelchair or scooter at his or her destination airport or when you deliver the delayed wheelchair or scooter to the passenger or another person authorized to act on behalf of the passenger at a reasonable location requested by the passenger, such as the passenger's home or hotel.
(3) If a passenger files a claim with you for a delayed wheelchair or scooter, you must provide them updates when there is a status change for the delayed device.
(4) In consultation with disability rights organizations, you must establish and provide safe and adequate seating accommodations at the airport to be used by individuals with disabilities who are waiting for delayed personal wheelchairs or scooters or waiting for loaner wheelchairs or scooters after a passenger's wheelchair or scooter is mishandled by you and cannot be promptly returned.
(5) You must reimburse passengers for the cost(s) of any transportation to or from the airport that the passenger incurred as a direct result of you delaying the passenger's wheelchair or scooter. You may require passengers to submit documentation that substantiates the cost(s), such as receipts or invoices, to receive reimbursement.
(d) When a passenger's checked wheelchair or scooter has been lost, damaged, or pilfered while in your custody, you must:
(1) Provide the passenger a reasonable timeframe to inspect the wheelchair or scooter and to file a claim with the carrier for the mishandling;
(2) Provide the passenger the following options if repair or replacement is needed:
(i) The passenger may file a claim with you and elect for the carrier to handle the repair or replacement of the wheelchair or scooter. If the passenger selects this option, you must promptly repair or replace the wheelchair or scooter, with a device of equivalent or greater function and safety, and pay the cost of repair or replacement; or
(ii) The passenger may file a claim with you and elect to use the passenger's preferred vendor to repair or replace the wheelchair or scooter. If the passenger selects this option, you are responsible for promptly transporting the passenger's wheelchair or scooter to the passenger's preferred vendor, unless the passenger has indicated that he or she will arrange for the transport themselves, and for directly paying the cost of transport and repair or replacement, with a device of equivalent or greater function and safety; and
(3) Promptly review all claims received within a reasonable time of the repaired or replaced wheelchair or scooter being returned to the passenger alleging that the provided repairs were not sufficient. If the passenger's claim is warranted and the initial repairs were insufficient, then you must promptly repair or replace the device to the passenger's satisfaction.
(e) While the passenger is waiting for his or her mishandled personal wheelchair or scooter to be returned, repaired, or replaced, you must use your best efforts to work with the passenger and to provide an adequate loaner wheelchair or scooter that meets the passenger's functional, mobility-related and safety-related needs, to the maximum extent possible. You must pay for the cost of the loaner wheelchair or scooter. If the loaner wheelchair or scooter you offer does not meet the passenger's functional and safety-related needs as well as the passenger's existing device, the passenger may find and secure an alternative loaner wheelchair or scooter that is better than the one you offered, and you must reimburse the passenger for the cost of that loaner within 30 days of the passenger's request. You may require the passenger to provide documentation substantiating the cost, such as receipts or invoices, to receive the reimbursement.
(f) The liability limits for carriers under the Montreal Convention will apply if the wheelchair or scooter mishandling occurs on an international flight.
§ 382.131   Do baggage liability limits apply to mobility aids and other assistive devices?
With respect to transportation to which 14 CFR part 254 applies, the limits to liability for loss, damage, or delay concerning wheelchairs or other assistive devices provided in part 254 do not apply. The basis for calculating the compensation for a lost, damaged, or destroyed wheelchair or other assistive device shall be the original purchase price of the device.
§ 382.132   What requirements apply when a passenger who uses a wheelchair or scooter cannot purchase a certain flight because his or her wheelchair or scooter will not fit in the cabin or cargo compartment of the aircraft for that flight?
(a) As part of your obligation under § 382.11 to not exclude a qualified individual with a disability from or deny the person the benefit of any air transportation or related services that are available to other persons, to the extent a passenger who uses a wheelchair or scooter cannot book his or her preferred flight because his or her wheelchair or scooter cannot fit in the cabin or cargo compartment of the aircraft of the preferred flight, and the passenger must book a more expensive flight that can accommodate the passenger's wheelchair or scooter, you must, upon request, reimburse the passenger the difference between the more expensive flight the passenger purchased and had to take and the preferred flight that the passenger would have purchased and taken if his or her wheelchair or scooter had been able to fit.
(b) As a condition for issuing reimbursements in paragraph (a) of this section, you may require the following from passengers with disabilities:
(1) The preferred flight and the more expensive flight are on the same airline;
(2) The preferred flight and the more expensive flight are on the same day;
(3) The preferred flight and the more expensive flight have the same origin and destination;
(4) Reasonable documentation to verify: the dimensions of the passenger's wheelchair or scooter; the cost of the passenger's preferred flight that could not accommodate the passenger's wheelchair or scooter; and the cost of the more expensive flight the passenger purchased and had to take.
(c) You must provide the reimbursement required by paragraph (a) of this section within 30 days of receiving a request and the reasonable documentation permitted in paragraph (b) of this section, if you require such documentation.
(d) You must disclose on your website accurate information on the documentation you require from the passenger to support a reimbursement claim.
§ 382.133   What are the requirements concerning the evaluation and use of passenger-supplied electronic devices that assist passengers with respiration in the cabin during flight?
(a) Except for on-demand air taxi operators, as a U.S. carrier conducting passenger service you must permit any individual with a disability to use in the passenger cabin during air transportation an electronic assistive device specified in paragraph (c) of this section on all aircraft originally designed to have a maximum passenger capacity of more than 19 seats unless:
(1) The device does not meet applicable FAA requirements for medical portable electronic device; or
(2) The device cannot be stowed and used in the passenger cabin consistent with applicable TSA, FAA, and PHMSA regulations.
(b) Except for foreign carriers conducting operations of a nature equivalent to on-demand air taxi operations by a U.S. carrier, as a foreign carrier conducting passenger service you must permit any individual with a disability to use in the passenger cabin during air transportation to, from or within the United States, an electronic assistive device specified in paragraph (d) of this section on all aircraft originally designed to have a maximum passenger capacity of more than 19 seats unless:
(1) The device does not meet requirements for medical portable electronic devices set by the foreign carrier's government if such requirements exist;
(2) The device does not meet requirements for medical portable electronic devices set by the FAA for U.S. carriers in circumstances where requirements for medical portable electronic devices have not been set by the foreign carrier's government and the foreign carrier elects to apply FAA requirements for medical portable electronic devices; or
(3) The device cannot be stowed and used in the passenger cabin consistent with applicable TSA, FAA and PHMSA regulations, and the safety or security regulations of the foreign carrier's government.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, as a covered U.S. air carrier, you must accept the passenger supplied electronic assistive device in this paragraph (c):
(1) A portable oxygen concentrator (POC), a ventilator, a respirator or a continuous positive airway pressure machine that displays a manufacturer's label that indicates the device meets FAA requirements; and
(2) The following POC models whether or not they are labeled:
(i) AirSep Focus;
(ii) AirSep FreeStyle;
(iii) AirSep FreeStyle 5;
(iv) AirSep LifeStyle;
(v) Delphi RS-00400;
(vi) DeVilbiss Healthcare iGo;
(vii) Inogen One;
(viii) Inogen One G2;
(ix) Inogen One G3;
(x) Inova Labs LifeChoice;
(xi) Inova Labs LifeChoice Activox;
(xii) International Biophysics LifeChoice;
(xiii) Invacare Solo2;
(xiv) Invacare XPO2;
(xv) Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator;
(xvi) Oxus RS-00400;
(xvii) Precision Medical EasyPulse;
(xviii) Respironics EverGo;
(xix) Respironics SimplyGo;
(xx) SeQual Eclipse;
(xxi) SeQual eQuinox Oxygen System (model 4000);
(xxii) SeQual Oxywell Oxygen System (model 4000);
(xxiii) SeQual SAROS; and
(xxiv) VBox Trooper Oxygen Concentrator.
(d) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, as a covered foreign air carrier, you must accept the supplied electronic assistive devices in this paragraph (d):
(1) A POC, a ventilator, a respirator or a continuous positive airway pressure machine that displays a manufacturer's label according to FAA requirements in circumstances where requirements for labeling these devices have not been set by the foreign carrier's government; and
(2) The following POC models whether or not they are labeled:
(i) AirSep Focus;
(ii) AirSep FreeStyle;
(iii) AirSep FreeStyle 5;
(iv) AirSep LifeStyle;
(v) Delphi RS-00400;
(vi) DeVilbiss Healthcare iGo;
(vii) Inogen One;
(viii) Inogen One G2;
(ix) Inogen One G3;
(x) Inova Labs LifeChoice;
(xi) Inova Labs LifeChoice Activox;
(xii) International Biophysics LifeChoice;
(xiii) Invacare Solo2;
(xiv) Invacare XPO2;
(xv) Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator;
(xvi) Oxus RS-00400;
(xvii) Precision Medical EasyPulse;
(xviii) Respironics EverGo;
(xix) Respironics SimplyGo;
(xx) SeQual Eclipse;
(xxi) SeQual eQuinox Oxygen System (model 4000);
(xxii) SeQual Oxywell Oxygen System (model 4000);
(xxiii) SeQual SAROS; and
(xxiv) VBox Trooper Oxygen Concentrator.
(e) As a U.S. carrier, you must provide information during the reservation process as indicated in paragraphs (e)(1) through (6) of this section upon inquiry from an individual concerning the use in the cabin during air transportation of a ventilator, respirator, continuous positive airway machine, or a POC. The information in this paragraph (e) must be provided:
(1) Any applicable requirement for a manufacturer-affixed label to reflect that the device has been tested to meet applicable FAA requirements for medical portable electronic devices;
(2) The maximum weight and dimensions (length, width, height) of the device to be used by an individual that can be accommodated in the aircraft cabin consistent with FAA safety requirements;
(3) The requirement to bring an adequate number of batteries as outlined in paragraph (h)(2) of this section and to ensure that extra batteries carried onboard to power the device are packaged and protected from short circuit and physical damage in accordance with applicable PHMSA regulations regarding spare batteries carried by passengers in an aircraft cabin;
(4) Any requirement, if applicable, that an individual contact the carrier operating the flight 48 hours before scheduled departure to learn the expected maximum duration of his/her flight in order to determine the required number of batteries for his/her particular ventilator, respirator, continuous positive airway pressure machine, or POC;
(5) Any requirement, if applicable, of the carrier operating the flight for an individual planning to use such a device to check-in up to one hour before that carrier's general check-in deadline; and
(6) For POCs, the requirement of § 382.23(b)(1)(ii) to present to the operating carrier at the airport a physician's statement (medical certificate).
(f) As a foreign carrier operating flights to, from or within the United States, you must provide the information during the reservation process as indicated in paragraphs (f)(1) through (7) of this section upon inquiry from an individual concerning the use in the cabin during air transportation on such a flight of a ventilator, respirator, continuous positive airway machine, or POC. The information in this paragraph (f) must be provided:
(1) Any applicable requirement for a manufacturer-affixed label to reflect that the device has been tested to meet requirements for medical portable electronic devices set by the foreign carrier's government if such requirements exist;
(2) Any applicable requirement for a manufacturer-affixed label to reflect that the device has been tested to meet requirements for medical portable electronic devices set by the FAA for U.S. carriers if requirements for medical portable electronic devices have not been set by the foreign carrier's government and the foreign carrier elects to apply FAA requirements for medical portable electronic devices;
(3) The maximum weight and dimensions (length, width, height) of the device to be used by an individual that can be accommodated in the aircraft cabin consistent with the safety regulations of the foreign carrier's government;
(4) The requirement to bring an adequate number of batteries as outlined in paragraph (h)(2) of this section and to ensure that extra batteries carried onboard to power the device are packaged in accordance with applicable government safety regulations;
(5) Any requirement, if applicable, that an individual contact the carrier operating the flight 48 hours before scheduled departure to learn the expected maximum duration of his/her flight in order to determine the required number of batteries for his/her particular ventilator, respirator, continuous positive airway pressure machine, or POC;
(6) Any requirement, if applicable, of the carrier operating the flight for an individual planning to use such a device to check-in up to one hour before that carrier's general check-in deadline; and
(7) Any requirement, if applicable, that an individual who wishes to use a POC onboard an aircraft present to the operating carrier at the airport a physician's statement (medical certificate).
(g) In the case of a codeshare itinerary, the carrier whose code is used on the flight must either inform the individual inquiring about using a ventilator, respirator, CPAP machine or POC onboard an aircraft to contact the carrier operating the flight for information about its requirements for use of such devices in the cabin, or provide such information on behalf of the codeshare carrier operating the flight.
(h)(1) As a U.S. or foreign carrier subject to paragraph (a) or (b) of this section, you must inform any individual who has advised you that he or she plans to operate his/her device in the aircraft cabin, within 48 hours of his/her making a reservation or 24 hours before the scheduled departure date of his/her flight, whichever date is earlier, of the expected maximum flight duration of each segment of his/her flight itinerary.
(2) You may require an individual to bring an adequate number of fully charged batteries onboard, based on the battery manufacturer's estimate of the hours of battery life while the device is in use and the information provided in the physician's statement, to power the device for not less than 150% of the expected maximum flight duration.
(3) If an individual does not comply with the conditions for acceptance of a medical portable electronic device as outlined in this section, you may deny boarding to the individual in accordance with § 382.19(c) and in that event you must provide a written explanation to the individual in accordance with § 382.19(d).
§ 382.141   What training are carriers required to provide for their personnel (i.e.,employees and contractors)?
(a) As a carrier that operates aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, you must ensure training, meeting the requirements of this paragraph, for all personnel who interact with the traveling public or who handle passengers' assistive devices, as appropriate to the duties of each employee or contractor.
(1) General. You must ensure training to proficiency concerning:
(i) The requirements of this part and other applicable Federal regulations affecting the provision of air travel to passengers with a disability;
(ii) Your procedures, consistent with this part, concerning the provision of air travel to passengers with a disability, including the proper and safe operation of any equipment used to accommodate passengers with a disability; and
(iii) Your procedures that safeguard the safety and dignity of passengers with disabilities when providing service required under this part.
(2) Communication. You must ensure employees and contractors who interact with the traveling public are trained with respect to awareness of different types of disabilities, including how to distinguish among the differing abilities of individuals with disabilities.
(i) You must ensure such employees and contractors are trained on appropriate ways to communicate and interact with passengers with disabilities, including persons with physical, sensory, speech, mental, intellectual, or emotional disabilities ( e.g., communicating directly with the individual with a disability instead of to the travel companion/interpreter).
(ii) You must also ensure such employees and contractors are trained to recognize requests for effective communication accommodation from individuals who have disabilities impacting communication ( e.g., hearing or vision impaired individuals, non-verbal individuals), and to use the most common methods for communicating with these individuals that are readily available, such as writing notes or taking care to enunciate clearly, for example. Training in sign language is not required. You must also train these employees to recognize requests for communication accommodations from deaf-blind passengers and to use established means of communicating with these passengers when they are available, such as passing out Braille cards if you have them, reading an information sheet that a passenger provides, or communicating with a passenger through an interpreter, for example.
(3) Physical assistance. You must ensure that employees and contractors who provide physical assistance to passengers with disabilities who use wheelchairs or scooters are trained in the matters listed in paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, and the following, as appropriate to the duties of each person:
(i) Hands-on training concerning safe and dignified physical assistance, including: transfers to and from personal or airport wheelchairs, aisle chairs, and aircraft seats; proper lifting techniques to safeguard passengers; how to troubleshoot common challenges in providing physical assistance; and proper use of equipment used to physically assist passengers with disabilities; and
(ii) Other training concerning the collecting and sharing of passenger information, such as Special Service Request (SSR) codes, needed to ensure safe, dignified, and prompt physical assistance, and effective communications with passengers with mobility disabilities, or their companion if direct communication with the individual with a disability is not possible.
(iii) As part of this training, the employees and contractors must be able to successfully demonstrate their knowledge on the matters listed in paragraphs (a)(3)(i) and (ii) of this section ( e.g., competency assessments or certification exams).
(4) Handling of wheelchairs and scooters. You must ensure that employees and contractors who handle passengers' wheelchairs or scooters are trained in the matters listed in paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, and the following, as appropriate to the duties of each person:
(i) Hands-on training concerning common types of wheelchairs and scooters and their features, airport and airline equipment used to load and unload wheelchairs and scooters, and methods for safely moving and stowing wheelchairs, including lifting techniques, wheelchair disassembly, reconfiguration, and reassembly, and securement in the cargo compartment of the aircraft; and
(ii) Other training concerning the collecting and sharing of information regarding a passenger's wheelchair or scooter, including using any airline wheelchair handling form(s) that may exist, to ensure the safe and proper handling of such assistive devices, and effective communications with passengers with mobility disabilities, or their companion if direct communication with the individual with a disability is not possible.
(iii) As part of this training, the employees and contractors must be able to successfully demonstrate their knowledge on the matters listed in paragraphs (a)(4)(i) and (ii) of this section ( e.g., competency assessments or certification exams).
(5) Consulting with disability rights organizations. You must consult with organizations representing individuals with disabilities in your home country when developing your training program and your policies and procedures. When making changes to such training programs and related policies and procedures that will have a significant impact on assistance provided to individuals with disabilities, you must consult with organizations representing individuals with disabilities who would be affected by those changes. If such organizations are not available in your home country, you must consult with individuals with disabilities and/or international organizations representing individuals with disabilities.
(6) Training frequency. You must ensure that all personnel who are required to receive training receive refresher training on the matters covered by this section, as appropriate to the duties of each employee and contractor, as needed to maintain proficiency. The training program must describe how proficiency will be maintained.
(i) All personnel who provide physical assistance to passengers with disabilities must receive initial training described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section by June 17, 2026, and at least once every twelve months thereafter. All personnel who provide physical assistance to passengers with disabilities hired after June 17, 2026, must receive initial training described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section prior to assuming their duties and at least once every twelve months thereafter.
(ii) All personnel who handle passengers' wheelchairs or scooters must receive initial training described in paragraph (a)(4) of this section by June 17, 2026, and at least once every twelve months thereafter. All personnel who handle passengers' wheelchairs or scooters hired after June 17, 2026, must receive initial training described in paragraph (a)(4) of this section prior to assuming their duties and at least once every twelve months thereafter.
(iii) All other personnel must receive training prior to assuming their duties and at least once every three years thereafter.
(7) Contractors. You must provide, or ensure that your contractors receive, training concerning travel by passengers with disabilities. This training is required only for those contractors who interact directly with the traveling public or who handle passengers' assistive devices, and it must be tailored to the employees' functions. Training for contractors must meet the requirements of paragraphs (a)(1) through (6) of this section.
(8) Complaint Resolution Officials (CROs). The employees you designate as CROs, for purposes of § 382.151 of this part, must receive training concerning the requirements of this part, including the training described in paragraphs (a)(3) and (4) of this section and the duties of a CRO prior to assuming their duties as a CRO and at least once every twelve months thereafter.
(b) If you are a carrier that operates only aircraft with fewer than 19 passenger seats, you must ensure that your employees and contractors who directly interact with the traveling public are trained, as appropriate to their duties, to ensure that they are familiar with the matters listed in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, as well as to ensure they are knowledgeable on how to communicate with individuals with differing disabilities, how to physically assist individuals with mobility disabilities, and how to properly handle passengers' wheelchairs and scooters.
§ 382.143   When must carriers complete training for their personnel?
(a) As a U.S. carrier, you must meet the training requirements of § 382.141 by the following times.
(1) Employees designated as CROs shall receive training concerning the requirements of this part and the duties of a CRO before assuming their duties under § 382.151 (see § 382.141(a)(7)). You must ensure that all employees performing the CRO function receive annual refresher training concerning their duties and the provisions of this regulation. The one-time training for CROs about the changes to Part 382 must take place by May 13, 2009. For employees who have already received CRO training, this training may be limited to changes from the previous version of Part 382.
(2) The one-time training for existing employees about changes to Part 382 (see § 382.141(a)(8)) must take place for each such employee no later than the next scheduled recurrent training taking place after May 13, 2009 or within one year after May 13, 2009, whichever comes first.
(3) For crewmembers subject to training requirements under 14 CFR Part 121 or 135 whose employment in any given position commences after May 13, 2009, before they assume their duties; and
(4) For other personnel whose employment in any given position commences after May 13, 2009, within 60 days after the date on which they assume their duties.
(b) As a foreign carrier that operates aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, you must provide training meeting the requirements of § 382.141(a) for all personnel who deal with the traveling public in connection with flights that begin or end at a U.S. airport, as appropriate to the duties of each employee. You must ensure that personnel required to receive training complete the training by the following times:
(1) Employees designated as CROs shall receive training in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section, by May 13, 2009.
(2) For crewmembers and other personnel who are employed on May 13, 2009, within one year after that date;
(3) For crewmembers whose employment commences after May 13, 2010, before they assume their duties;
(4) For other personnel whose employment in any given position commences after May 13, 2010, or within 60 days after the date on which they assume their duties; and
(5) For crewmembers and other personnel whose employment in any given position commences after May 13, 2009, but before May 13, 2010, by May 13, 2010 or a date 60 days after the date of their employment, whichever is later.
§ 382.145   What records concerning training must carriers retain?
(a) As a carrier that operates aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, you must incorporate procedures implementing the requirements of this part in the manuals or other guidance or instructional materials provided for the carrier and contract personnel who provide services to passengers, including, but not limited to, pilots, flight attendants, reservation and ticket counter personnel, gate agents, ramp and baggage handling personnel, and passenger service office personnel. You must retain these records for review by the Department on the Department's request. If, upon such review, the Department determines that any portion of these materials must be changed in order to comply with this part, DOT will direct you to make appropriate changes. You must incorporate and implement these changes.
(b) You must retain for three years individual employee training records demonstrating that all persons required to receive initial and refresher training have done so.
§ 382.151   What are the requirements for providing Complaints Resolution Officials?
(a) As a carrier providing service using aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, you must designate one or more CROs.
(b) As a U.S. carrier, you must make a CRO available at each airport you serve during all times you are operating at that airport. As a foreign carrier, you must make a CRO available at each airport serving flights you operate that begin or end at a U.S. airport. You may make the CRO available in person at the airport or via telephone, at no cost to the passenger. If a telephone link to the CRO is used, TTY service or a similarly effective technology must be available so that persons with hearing impairments may readily communicate with the CRO. You must make CRO service available in the language(s) in which you make your services available to the general public.
(c) You must make passengers with a disability aware of the availability of a CRO and how to contact the CRO in the following circumstances:
(1) In any situation in which any person complains or raises a concern with your personnel about discrimination, accommodations, or services with respect to passengers with a disability, and your personnel do not immediately resolve the issue to the customer's satisfaction or provide a requested accommodation, your personnel must immediately inform the passenger of the right to contact a CRO and then contact a CRO on the passenger's behalf or provide the passenger a means to do so ( e.g., a phone, a phone card plus the location and/or phone number of the CRO available at the airport). Your personnel must provide this information to the passenger in a format he or she can use.
(2) Your reservation agents, contractors, and Web sites must provide information equivalent to that required by paragraph (c)(1) of this section to passengers with a disability using those services who complain or raise a concern about a disability-related issue.
(d) Each CRO must be thoroughly familiar with the requirements of this part and the carrier's procedures with respect to passengers with a disability. The CRO is intended to be the carrier's “expert” in compliance with the requirements of this part.
(e) You must ensure that each of your CROs has the authority to make dispositive resolution of complaints on behalf of the carrier. This means that the CRO must have the power to overrule the decision of any other personnel, except that the CRO is not required to be given authority to countermand a decision of the pilot-in-command of an aircraft based on safety.
§ 382.153   What actions do CROs take on complaints?
When a complaint is made directly to a CRO for a carrier providing service using aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, the CRO must promptly take dispositive action as follows:
(a) If the complaint is made to a CRO before the action or proposed action of carrier personnel has resulted in a violation of a provision of this part, the CRO must take, or direct other carrier personnel to take, whatever action is necessary to ensure compliance with this part.
(b) If an alleged violation of a provision of this part has already occurred, and the CRO agrees that a violation has occurred, the CRO must provide to the complainant a written statement setting forth a summary of the facts and what steps, if any, the carrier proposes to take in response to the violation.
(c) If the CRO determines that the carrier's action does not violate a provision of this part, the CRO must provide to the complainant a written statement including a summary of the facts and the reasons, under this part, for the determination.
(d) The statements required to be provided under this section must inform the complainant of his or her right to pursue DOT enforcement action under this part. The CRO must provide the statement in person to the complainant at the airport if possible; otherwise, it must be forwarded to the complainant within 30 calendar days of the complaint.
§ 382.155   How must carriers respond to written complaints?
(a) As a carrier providing service using aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, you must respond to written complaints received by any means ( e.g., letter, fax, e-mail, electronic instant message) concerning matters covered buy this part.
(b) As a passenger making a written complaint, you must state whether you had contacted a CRO in the matter, provide the name of the CRO and the date of the contact, if available, and enclose any written response you received from the CRO.
(c) As a carrier, you are not required to respond to a complaint postmarked or transmitted more than 45 days after the date of the incident, except for complaints referred to you by the Department of Transportation.
(d) As a carrier, you must make a dispositive written response to a written disability complaint within 30 days of its receipt. The response must specifically admit or deny that a violation of this part has occurred.
(1) If you admit that a violation has occurred, you must provide to the complainant a written statement setting forth a summary of the facts and the steps, if any, you will take in response to the violation.
(2) If you deny that a violation has occurred, your response must include a summary of the facts and your reasons, under this part, for the determination.
(3) Your response must also inform the complainant of his or her right to pursue DOT enforcement action under this part.
§ 382.157   What are carriers' obligations for recordkeeping and reporting on disability-related complaints?
(a) For the purposes of this section, a disability-related complaint means a specific written expression of dissatisfaction received from, or submitted on behalf, of an individual with a disability concerning a difficulty associated with the person's disability, which the person experienced when using or attempting to use an air carrier's or foreign carrier's services.
(b) If you are a carrier covered by this part, conducting passenger operations with at least one aircraft having a designed seating capacity of more than 60 passengers, this section applies to you. As a foreign carrier, you are covered by this section only with respect to disability-related complaints associated with any flight segment originating or terminating in the United States.
(c) You must categorize disability-related complaints that you receive according to the type of disability and nature of complaint. Data concerning a passenger's disability must be recorded separately in the following areas: vision impaired, hearing impaired, vision and hearing impaired, mentally impaired, communicable disease, allergies ( e.g. , food allergies, chemical sensitivity), paraplegic, quadriplegic, other wheelchair, oxygen, stretcher, other assistive device (cane, respirator, etc.), and other disability. Data concerning the alleged discrimination or service problem related to the disability must be separately recorded in the following areas: refusal to board, refusal to board without an attendant, security issues concerning disability, aircraft not accessible, airport not accessible, advance notice dispute, seating accommodation, failure to provide adequate or timely assistance, damage to assistive device, storage and delay of assistive device, service animal problem, unsatisfactory information, and other.
(d) You must submit an annual report summarizing the disability-related complaints that you received during the prior calendar year using the form specified at the following internet address: http://382reporting.ost.dot.gov. You must submit this report by the last Monday in January of each year for complaints received during the prior calendar year. You must make submissions through the World Wide Web except for situations where you can demonstrate that you would suffer undue hardship if not permitted to submit the data via paper copies, disks, or e-mail, and DOT has approved an exception. All fields in the form must be completed; carriers are to enter “0” where there were no complaints in a given category. Each annual report must contain the following certification signed by your authorized representative: “I, the undersigned, do certify that this report has been prepared under my direction in accordance with the regulations in 14 CFR Part 382. I affirm that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, this is a true, correct, and complete report.” Electronic signatures will be accepted.
(e) You must retain correspondence and record of action taken on all disability-related complaints for three years after receipt of the complaint or creation of the record of action taken. You must make these records available to Department of Transportation officials at their request.
(f)(1) As either carrier in a codeshare relationship, you must comply with paragraphs (c) through (e) of this section for—
(i) Disability-related complaints you receive from or on behalf of passengers with respect to difficulties encountered in connection with service you provide;
(ii) Disability-related complaints you receive from or on behalf of passengers when you are unable to reach agreement with your codeshare partner as to whether the complaint involves service you provide or service your codeshare partner provides; and
(iii) Disability-related complaints forwarded by another carrier or governmental agency with respect to difficulties encountered in connection with service you provide.
(2) As either carrier in a codeshare relationship, you must forward to your codeshare partner disability-related complaints you receive from or on behalf of passengers with respect to difficulties encountered in connection with service provided by your code-sharing partner.
(g) Each carrier, except for carriers in codeshare situations, shall comply with paragraphs (c) through (e) of this section for disability-related complaints it receives from or on behalf of passengers as well as disability-related complaints forwarded by another carrier or governmental agency with respect to difficulties encountered in connection with service it provides.
(h) Carriers that do not submit their data via the Web shall use the disability-related complaint data form specified in appendix A to this part when filing their annual report summarizing the disability-related complaints they received. The report shall be mailed, by the date specified in paragraph (d) of this section, to the following address: U.S. Department of Transportation, Aviation Consumer Protection Division (C-75), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Room W96-432, Washington, DC 20590.
§ 382.159   How are complaints filed with DOT?
(a) Any person believing that a carrier has violated any provision of this part may seek assistance or file an informal complaint at the Department of Transportation no later than 6 months after the date of the incident by either:
(1) Going to the web site of the Department's Aviation Consumer Protection Division at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov and selecting “Air Travel Problems and Complaints,” or
(2) Writing to Department of Transportation, Aviation Consumer Protection Division (C-75), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
(b) Any person believing that a carrier has violated any provision of this part may also file a formal complaint under the applicable procedures of 14 CFR part 302.
(c) You must file a formal complaint under this part within six months of the incident on which the complaint is based in order to ensure that the Department of Transportation will investigate the matter.