The Department of Transportation has set some new rules about accessible travel, so here’s what you need to know.
In the next three years, all air carriers that fly to and from the United States will have to make online information accessible to passengers with all types of disabilities. That includes blindness and low vision, deafness, and learning disabilities. You should expect to see changes within the next two years on the airlines’ main pages, according to the new rules.
If your disability makes it impossible to access the website, ticket agents have to disclose the same travel deals and discounts that are available online. The rules also require that at least 25 percent of automated airports kiosk be accessible to passengers with disabilities.
And while airlines already store wheelchairs in compartments on a first-come, first served basis, the new rules will allow them to strap wheelchairs across seat rows. That means more space for more wheelchairs on board.
And believe me, the DOT is paying attention. They recently fined US Airways a whopping $1.2 million for not providing adequate wheelchair assistance. The biggest fine of its kind so far.
For more information on disability travel, visit the accessible travel archives.
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