14616 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 50 / Tuesday, March 15, 2022 / Notices 

1Pursuant to 14 CFR part 234, U.S. airlines 

classified as ‘‘reporting carriers’’ are required to 

report to the Department monthly data on the 

number of wheelchairs and scooters they transport 

in the aircraft cargo compartment and the number 

of wheelchairs and scooters that are mishandled 

(i.e., damaged, delayed, lost, or pilfered). This 

reporting requirement has applied to reporting 

carriers for their operations on and after December 

4, 2018. In addition, reporting carriers have been 

required to report for the operations of their 

branded codeshare partners on and after January 1, 

2019. Mishandled wheelchair and scooter data are 

published monthly in the Department’s Air Travel 

Consumer Report (ATCR) along with information 

on the number of disability-related complaints that 

aviation consumers file with the Department against 

airlines. The ATCRs are available on the 

Department’s aviation consumer protection website 

at https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/ 

aviation-consumer-protection/air-travel-consumerreports. 

diversity characteristics, and the overall 

balance of industry representation. 

Each application should include the 

applicant’s name and organizational 

affiliation; a cover letter describing the 

applicant’s qualifications and interest in 

serving on TRACS; a curriculum vitae or 

resume of the applicant’s qualifications; 

and contact information including the 

applicant’s address, phone number, fax 

number, and email address. Selfapplication and application through 

nomination of others are acceptable. 

FTA prefers electronic submissions for 

all applications, via email to TRACS@

dot.gov. Applications will also be 

accepted via mail at the address 

identified in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

notice. 

FTA expects to nominate up to 25 

representatives from the public 

transportation safety community for 

immediate TRACS membership. The 

Secretary, in consultation with the 

Administrator, will make the final 

selection decision. 

This notice is provided in accordance 

with the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 5 U.S.C. App. 2). 

Please see the TRACS website for 

additional information at https://

www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-andguidance/safety/transit-advisorycommittee-safety-tracs. 

Nuria I. Fernandez, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05448 Filed 3–14–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket No. DOT–OST–2022–0014] 

Air Travel by Persons Who Use 

Wheelchairs; Notice of Public Meeting 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

public meeting of the U.S. Department 

of Transportation (Department or DOT), 

to be held virtually, on the difficulties 

encountered during air travel by persons 

who use wheelchairs. 

DATES: The virtual meeting will be held 

on Thursday, March 24, 2022, from 

10:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight 

Time. The meeting is open to the public, 

subject to any technical and/or capacity 

limitations. Requests to attend the 

meeting must be submitted to https://

usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/ 

WN_cWNvnWKRQ26J4X0sbJClrw. We 

encourage interested parties to register 

by Monday, March 21, 2022. 

Communication Access Real-time 

Translation (CART) and sign language 

interpretation will be provided during 

the meeting. Requests for additional 

accommodations because of a disability 

must be received at 

FlyingWithWheelchairs@dot.gov by 

March 21, 2022. If you wish to speak 

during the meeting or have written 

materials you submit discussed during 

the meeting, you should submit a 

request at FlyingWithWheelchairs@

dot.gov no later than March 21, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: The virtual meeting will be 

open to the public and held via the 

Zoom Webinar Platform. Virtual 

attendance information will be provided 

upon registration. A detailed agenda 

will be available on the Department’s 

Office of Aviation Consumer Protection 

website at https://

www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/ 

latest-news and placed in the docket in 

advance of the meeting. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

register and attend this virtual meeting, 

please contact the Department at: 

https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/ 

register/WN_

cWNvnWKRQ26J4X0sbJClrw. 

Attendance is open to the public subject 

to any technical and/or capacity 

limitations. For further information, 

please contact Chris Miller, AttorneyAdvisor, by phone at 202–366–4781, or 

by email at Christopher.miller1@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Air travelers with disabilities who use 

wheelchairs often face serious problems 

when traveling that could impact their 

safety, including mishandled 

wheelchairs and scooters and improper 

transfers to and from aircraft seats. 

Since December 2018, the largest U.S. 

airlines have collectively mishandled 

more than one in every one-hundred 

wheelchairs they transported.1

Damaged, delayed and lost wheelchairs 

affect the mobility, independence, 

quality of life and, at times, health of 

people with disabilities. The 

Department is committed to improving 

the accessibility of air transportation for 

people with disabilities and is actively 

seeking information from the public to 

determine what appropriate steps can be 

taken to improve accessibility for 

wheelchair users. 

Disability rights advocates have raised 

concerns with the Department about 

unsafe transfers to and from aircraft 

seats. These transfers are the most 

physically intensive type of assistance 

provided by airline personnel and 

contractors. The Department does not 

have data on the number of transfers or 

the number of passengers with 

disabilities injured during the transfer 

process. While complaints to the 

Department alleging assistance that 

jeopardizes the safety of passengers with 

disabilities are not as common as other 

types of wheelchair assistance-related 

complaints, these types of incidents can 

cause serious harm to passengers. 

Successful assistance is often dependent 

on sufficiently trained personnel with 

adequate strength, skill, knowledge, and 

available equipment. 

Disability rights advocates have also 

expressed increased dissatisfaction with 

the level of accessibility during air 

travel for wheelchair users. On 

December 16, 2021, during a joint DOT 

and U.S. Access Board meeting about 

access to lavatories for on-board 

wheelchairs on single aisle aircraft, we 

announced that the Department would 

host a public meeting on the difficulties 

facing people who use wheelchairs 

during air travel. This public meeting 

will be an important step to tackle these 

challenges. 

During this meeting, there will be an 

opportunity to listen to and learn from 

people who use wheelchairs on the 

difficulties that they encounter during 

air travel. There will also be an 

opportunity for airlines to discuss both 

the actions they are taking to provide 

accessible air transportation and the 

challenges they face in making these 

improvements. The Department will 

also request and gather relevant 

information from the public attendees 

on four different topics (listed below). 

The information gathered during the 

meeting will enable the Department to 

move more expeditiously on actions to 

advance safe accommodations for air 

travelers with disabilities using 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 50 / Tuesday, March 15, 2022 / Notices 14617 

wheelchairs. We specifically invite 

people with disabilities, disability 

advocates, airlines, aircraft 

manufacturers, wheelchair 

manufacturers, flight attendant 

associations, and other stakeholders to 

participate in the public meeting. 

II. Announcement of Public Meeting 

The March 24, 2022 meeting will be 

divided into a morning session and an 

afternoon session. In the morning, 

beginning at 10:15 a.m. EST, opening 

remarks and presentations on relevant 

regulations and the current state of 

affairs will be provided by the 

Department, advocates for people with 

disabilities, industry stakeholders, and 

the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) 

Advisory Committee. In the afternoon, 

there will be a question and answer 

session to help inform appropriate next 

steps for addressing the concerns of 

wheelchair users. The Department seeks 

information on the following: 

Questions Relating to Challenges 

Encountered During Air Travel by 

Persons Who Use Wheelchairs and the 

Impacts of Unsafe or Inadequate 

Assistance 

• What are the most significant 

problems that people with disabilities 

are currently experiencing when 

traveling by air with wheelchairs? 

• How frequently do people with 

disabilities who use wheelchairs 

experience problems when traveling by 

air and what is the severity of physical 

harm or damages that can result? 

• How do these problems affect the 

ability or willingness of people with 

disabilities to travel by air? 

• What are the root causes of the 

problems associated with traveling by 

air with wheelchairs? 

• What are the wait times for 

assistance to deplane/disembark aircraft 

for people who use wheelchairs? 

• What changes to air travel are 

needed to address the problems 

encountered by people with disabilities 

who use wheelchairs? 

Questions Relating to Actions To 

Prevent or Minimize Likelihood of 

Mishandled (Damaged, Delayed, and 

Lost) Wheelchairs 

• At what point(s) during the 

handling process are wheelchairs 

damaged and what are the most 

common types of damage? 

• What financial costs (medical, 

transportation, lost wages, etc.), if any, 

do people who use wheelchairs incur 

due to damage to their wheelchair 

during air travel? 

• What best practices or procedures 

(e.g., disassembly or loading techniques) 

could be implemented by airlines to 

reduce the risk of damaging a 

wheelchair? 

• What additional information from 

passengers and device manufacturers 

would be useful to airlines to aid their 

employees who handle assistive 

devices? 

• In circumstances where the 

passenger has not requested the return 

of the wheelchair at the baggage claim 

area, what are the wait times for 

wheelchairs to be returned to passengers 

at the gate? 

• What are the root causes of 

wheelchairs becoming delayed or lost 

during air transportation? 

• What improvements can be made to 

airline procedures to prevent or 

minimize the likelihood that a 

wheelchair is delayed or lost? 

• Does hands-on training for 

employees who handle mobility aid 

devices lead to fewer cases of 

mishandled wheelchairs and, if so, what 

are the costs and benefits of hands-on 

training programs? 

Questions Relating to Actions To Ensure 

Safe Transfers to and From the Aircraft 

Seat 

• What problems do passengers who 

require physical assistance encounter 

when traveling by air? 

• What types of harm can result from 

inadequate or unsafe physical 

assistance? 

• What financial costs (medical, 

transportation, lost wages, etc.), if any, 

do people who use wheelchairs incur 

due to unsafe physical assistance or 

other injuries sustained when traveling 

by air? 

• What strategies are airlines or their 

contractors implementing to ensure 

transfers to and from the aircraft seat are 

done safely? 

• What new or additional practices or 

procedures could be implemented by 

airlines or their contractors to increase 

safety and reduce risks of harm when 

physically assisting passengers? 

• What are the challenges and 

limitations associated with the 

equipment currently used by airlines or 

their contractors (e.g., aisle chairs)? 

• What new technologies or 

equipment exist that may improve 

safety for passengers who require 

physical assistance and for airline 

personnel, and what are the costs and 

benefits of implementing such new 

technologies or equipment? 

• What data exist that show the 

effects of hands-on training for 

employees who physically assist 

persons with disabilities on safety, and 

what are the costs and benefits of handson training programs? 

Questions Relating to Best Practices for 

Assisting Passengers When a 

Wheelchair Has Been Mishandled 

• When a wheelchair has been 

mishandled, what resources or 

equipment are necessary to timely and 

safely assist the passenger at the airport? 

• What types of wheelchairs are 

currently made available for passengers 

to temporarily use at the airport when 

their wheelchairs are mishandled and 

unavailable for use? 

• How do airlines train frontline 

employees to address the needs of 

passengers whose wheelchairs were 

mishandled? 

• What physical harm may result to 

people with disabilities when they 

cannot access their wheelchairs, and 

what measures can be implemented to 

prevent or reduce such harm? 

• Do airlines have wheelchair repair/ 

rental vendors that can assist with 

obtaining loaner chairs and with 

customized features and, if so, what are 

the associated costs? 

• What improvements could be made 

to the damage claim, repair, and return 

process so that wheelchairs can be 

quickly returned or replaced? 

Requests to make oral comments 

during the meeting or submit written 

materials to be reviewed during the 

meeting should be sent to 

FlyingWithWheelchairs@dot.gov no later 

than March 21, 2022. When making 

advance requests for oral comments, 

please identify which of the four topics 

identified above you wish to address. If 

there is an interest in addressing a topic 

not identified above but related to travel 

by individuals with disabilities who use 

wheelchairs, please identify that topic 

in your request. If time allows, 

questions or comments by those who 

did not make an advance request for 

oral comments will also be permitted. 

Participants may also submit comments 

or questions through Zoom’s Chat 

feature to be addressed during the 

meeting as time permits. 

III. Viewing Documents 

You may view documents associated 

with this meeting at https://

www.regulations.gov. After entering the 

docket number (DOT–OST–2022–0014), 

click the link to ‘‘Open Docket Folder’’ 

and choose the document to review. 

Issued in Washington, DC, this 10th day of 

March 2022. 

John E. Putnam, 

Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Department of 

Transportation. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05422 Filed 3–14–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


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