The country's largest airline is seeking to revoke new consumer protection rules for travelers with disabilities and argued in court documents that the U.S. Department of Transportation has exceeded its authority to enact them.
It is illegal in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The 2024 rules make unfortunate wheelchairs violate the Federal Airline Access Act.
The United States, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and the United Nations declined to comment, passing the request to American Airlines, which issued a statement saying the new requirements were unnecessary and promotional.
“Advances have been made in four key areas aimed at improving the travel experience for passengers with mobility AIDS – reducing examples of wheelchair improperness, advancing employee training and education programs, forming passenger accessibility advisory groups, and making inboard accessible Sex solutions are powered by,” said the author.
The Ministry of Transport did not respond to a request for comment.
When formulating the rules, then-Ship Transport Minister Pete Buttigieg worked with advocates with disabilities, including Samantha Jade Duran.
According to the point, an estimated 5.5 million Americans use wheelchairs, and many of them face difficulties in air travel. It said that in 2023, carriers who need to report the incident to federal agencies will mess up 11,527 wheelchairs and scooters.
The rule was finalized in December and required airlines to provide annual training for workers who interact with disabled passengers and to receive timely assistance on the go. If the wheelchair is inspected but is delayed, missing or damaged, the rules require the passenger to be informed of the options, including the right to file a claim or receive a loan device.
“For wheelchair and scooter users like me, our mobile devices are our freedom and independence, which is why an estimated 1 in 10 people with disabilities do not escape because they are afraid of causing damage to the equipment,” Maria Town President and CEO of the Americans with Disabilities said in a statement at the time.
In addition to challenging protections for wheelchairs and other travelers with disabilities, airlines have also challenged the recent requirement that carriers disclose the costs of checked baggage and change or cancel reservations, the rule is now on hold.
American Airlines agrees in October Pay a record $50 million To address DOT's claims, it cannot adequately and safely assist those using wheelchairs in wheelchairs between 2019 and 2023 and encountered thousands of wheelchairs between 2019 and 2023. The airline does not acknowledge any violations.
Americans are 2023 video shows crew members improper passenger wheelchairssend mobile devices down and on the ramp.
