Source: http://southwestada.org/html/topical/aircarrier/aircarrier_seating.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 00:23:34+00:00

Document:
14 C.F.R. § 382.81 For which passengers must carriers make seating accommodations?
(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.
(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.
14 C.F.R. § 382.83 Through what mechanisms do carriers make seating accommodations?
(1) You may "block" an adequate number of the seats used to provide the seating accommodations required by §382.81.
(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.
(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.
14 C.F.R. § 382.85 What seating accommodations must carriers make to passengers in circumstances not covered by § 382.81 (a) – (d)?
(i) When a passenger with a disability not described in §382.81(a) – (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.
(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).
14 C.F.R. § 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.

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