Tag Archives: air travel

DOT Updates ACAA Service Animal Regulations

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In August 8, 2019 the Department of Transportation issued a “Final Statement of Enforcement Policies Regarding Service Animals on Flights”. This document, which clarifies some points in the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) in regards to service animals and emotional support animals, is the result of a public process which began in May 2018. This process was initiated after the DOT received a number of airline complaints about passengers who were skirting the rules and evading pet carrier fees by falsely claiming that their pets were needed for emotional support. Over 4,500 public comments were received after the Preliminary Rule was posted. Continue reading →

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IATA Passes Accessible Air Travel Resolution

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Early last month the The International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved an accessible air travel resolution at their 75th Annual General Meeting in Seoul, South Korea. The resolution calls upon governments to follow IATA’s core principles for accommodating disabled passengers, and hopes to bring the travel sector together with regulators in order to provide consistent air travel access regulations throughout the world. Continue reading →

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Hong Kong Airlines Denies Passage to Solo Wheelchair Passenger

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airplane cockpitEarly this month Hong Kong Airlines denied passage to a wheelchair-user who was traveling alone. Twenty-two year old Shen Chengqing was scheduled to travel from Hong Kong to Tianjin, but airport staff refused to check her in when they discovered she was traveling solo. According to Chengqing, she notified the reservation agent that she used a wheelchair when she bought her ticket.

So what happened? Continue reading →

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Clean Up in Aisle 5!

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1689934The day started out as a typical travel day for Matthew Meehan. That is until he boarded his Delta flight from Atlanta to Miami on November 1, 2018. As he settled into his seat he noticed an unpleasant odor, but it wasn’t until he reached underneath it to retrieve his errant charger that he discovered the source. Continue reading →

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Airline Organization Urges DOT to Redefine “Service Animal”

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New Service Animal FAQs from the DOJ

Airlines for America (AIA) — an airline industry group — recently announced that it had submitted a 222-page document to the Department of Transportation (DOT), in response to a call for input on possible revisions to the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). The group’s response included the suggestion that the DOT narrow the definition of “service animal” to “trained dogs that perform a task or work for an individual with a disability.” The document also included the recommendation that airlines should not be required to allow emotional support animals (ESOs) on board. Continue reading →

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UK Considering New Accessible Air Travel Regs

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airplane_landing_199029On the heels of Frank Gardner’s nearly two-hour wait to be reunited with his wheelchair at Heathrow International Airport, the British government is considering strengthening their almost non-existent accessible air travel regulations. In the US, disabled passengers are entitled to “prompt” deplaning, which according to the Department of Transportation means  “as soon as the rest of the passenger are deplaned”. Unfortunately that’s not the way things work in the UK. Continue reading →

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