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The Department of Transportation announced new protections for commercial airline travelers with disabilities on Monday, finalizing a series of proposals that were first floated earlier this year.

Under the new rules, airlines must meet new minimum standards to accommodate passengers using mobility devices such as wheelchairs, as well as training requirements for staff to help passengers if something goes wrong – such as a lost or damaged wheelchair. .

The rules will come into effect from January 16.

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“Every passenger deserves a safe, dignified journey when they fly — and we’ve taken unprecedented steps to hold airlines accountable when they don’t treat passengers with disabilities,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “With the new protections we’re announcing today, we’re setting a new standard for air travel – with clear and complete guidelines for airlines so passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity.”

The DOT first proposed the sweeping new rules in February of this year, touting them as “the largest expansion of rights for airline passengers who use wheelchairs since 2008.” The rules essentially set a framework for how the agency applies parts of the Air Carrier Access Act, which prohibit airlines from discriminating against passengers because of a disability. In February, Buttigieg said violations could result in fines of more than $100,000 per incident.

The final rules oblige airlines to provide “safe and dignified” assistance for passengers with mobility impairments and “prompt” assistance for boarding, deplaning and making flight connections. Airlines will also be required to promptly return lost or damaged wheelchairs and provide prompt repairs or replacements when necessary.

The rules go further by calling on airlines to provide suitable loaner wheelchairs when necessary and reimburse the fare difference if a passenger pays more to fly on a larger aircraft with enough space in the cargo hold for a larger wheelchair.

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While most wheelchairs reach their destinations safely — in 2023, according to DOT data, 835,327 wheelchairs were transported by the 10 largest airlines, and 11,527, or 1.38 percent, were damaged, lost or significantly delayed. – Any mishandling can have serious consequences for passengers. , especially those who use customized or more advanced wheelchairs.

Malpractice rates have decreased slightly from 2022 to 2023, a persistent problem in the travel world. In recent years the DOT has proposed various new regulations regarding wheelchair travel, while airlines and aerospace companies have introduced various proposals and tools aimed at wheelchair users.

United Airlines introduced a tool earlier this year that allows passengers to enter the dimensions or specifications of their wheelchair when searching for a flight and filter results that include only aircraft large enough to accommodate the devices.

Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, is developing a new type of onboard seat that can secure certain types of wheelchairs while on board, allowing passengers to bring their wheelchairs into the cabin and sit in them during the flight. The design, which is under development by the airline’s subsidiary innovation studio Delta Flight Products, is currently in prototype form — TPG had a chance to see a prototype earlier this year.

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