Notice2022-05422
Air Travel by Persons Who Use Wheelchairs; Notice of Public Meeting
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
March 15, 2022
Issuing agencies
Transportation Department
Abstract
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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 50 (Tuesday, March 15, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14616-14617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05422]
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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.
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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
<a href="https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_cWNvnWKRQ26J4X0sbJClrw">https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_cWNvnWKRQ26J4X0sbJClrw</a>.
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
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7e38120717101929170a1629161b1b121d161f170c0d3e1a110a50191108"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e0a68c99898e87b7899488b78885858c838881899293a0848f94ce878f96">[email protected]</span></a> 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
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4a0c263323242d1d233e221d222f2f2629222b2338390a2e253e642d253c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6b2d071202050c3c021f033c030e0e0708030a0219182b0f041f450c041d">[email protected]</span></a> 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 <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news">https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news</a> 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: <a href="https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_cWNvnWKRQ26J4X0sbJClrw">https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_cWNvnWKRQ26J4X0sbJClrw</a>. Attendance is open to the
public subject to any technical and/or capacity limitations. For
further information, please contact Chris Miller, Attorney-Advisor, by
phone at 202-366-4781, or by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bbf8d3c9d2c8cfd4cbd3dec995d6d2d7d7dec98afbdfd4cf95dcd4cd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d794bfa5bea4a3b8a7bfb2a5f9babebbbbb2a5e697b3b8a3f9b0b8a1">[email protected]</span></a>.
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.
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\1\ Pursuant 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 <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/air-travel-consumer-reports">https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/air-travel-consumer-reports</a>.
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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
[[Page 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
<bullet> What are the most significant problems that people with
disabilities are currently experiencing when traveling by air with
wheelchairs?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> How do these problems affect the ability or willingness of
people with disabilities to travel by air?
<bullet> What are the root causes of the problems associated with
traveling by air with wheelchairs?
<bullet> What are the wait times for assistance to deplane/
disembark aircraft for people who use wheelchairs?
<bullet> 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
<bullet> At what point(s) during the handling process are
wheelchairs damaged and what are the most common types of damage?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> What best practices or procedures (e.g., disassembly or
loading techniques) could be implemented by airlines to reduce the risk
of damaging a wheelchair?
<bullet> What additional information from passengers and device
manufacturers would be useful to airlines to aid their employees who
handle assistive devices?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> What are the root causes of wheelchairs becoming delayed
or lost during air transportation?
<bullet> What improvements can be made to airline procedures to
prevent or minimize the likelihood that a wheelchair is delayed or
lost?
<bullet> 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
<bullet> What problems do passengers who require physical
assistance encounter when traveling by air?
<bullet> What types of harm can result from inadequate or unsafe
physical assistance?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> What strategies are airlines or their contractors
implementing to ensure transfers to and from the aircraft seat are done
safely?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> What are the challenges and limitations associated with
the equipment currently used by airlines or their contractors (e.g.,
aisle chairs)?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> 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 hands-on training
programs?
Questions Relating to Best Practices for Assisting Passengers When a
Wheelchair Has Been Mishandled
<bullet> When a wheelchair has been mishandled, what resources or
equipment are necessary to timely and safely assist the passenger at
the airport?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> How do airlines train frontline employees to address the
needs of passengers whose wheelchairs were mishandled?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> 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?
<bullet> 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
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ed8f2e7f7f0f9c9f7eaf6c9f6fbfbf2fdf6fff7eceddefaf1eab0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b8fed4c1d1d6dfefd1ccd0efd0ddddd4dbd0d9d1cacbf8dcd7cc96dfd7ce">[email protected]</span></a> 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. 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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