Airlines must accommodate the needs of air travelers with disabilities. The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) is a law that makes it illegal for airlines to discriminate against passengers because of their disability.
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Airlines are also required to provide passengers with disabilities many types of assistance, including wheelchair or other guided assistance to board, deplane, or connect to another flight; seating accommodation assistance that meets passengers' disability-related needs; and assistance with the loading and stowing of ...
Under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) certain airlines are required to provide certain seating accommodations to qualified passengers with disabilities who self-identify as needing to sit in a certain seat in order to better accommodate their disability-related needs.
A person with a disability may have a physical or mental impairment that impacts a major life activity - such as walking, hearing, or breathing. This may be on a permanent or temporary basis. For example, a person with a temporary disability may have a broken leg that is temporarily fused or immobilized.
If you have a disability and would prefer or need a certain type of seating accommodation, you should contact the airline at the time you make your reservation to learn more about the method that the airline uses to make arrangements for a seating accommodation.
Generally, airline personnel may not ask what specific disability the person has, but they can ask questions regarding the person's ability to perform specific air travel-related functions, such as boarding, deplaning or walking through the airport.
Skip the queuesIf you have a disability, you can ask to skip the queue at security as part of your Special Assistance. Alternatively, you can pay a small fee to use priority or 'fast track' security lanes at many airports. It's often cheaper to book this in advance by contacting the airport.
Also, keep in mind that wheelchair users exit the aircraft last. The deplaning process can easily take 25 minutes or more, so when booking a connecting flight, always allow ample time.
If you self-identify as a passenger with a disability who needs additional time or assistance to board the airplane, the airline must allow you to board the airplane before other passengers.
Special assistance is available to passengers who may need help to travel such as the elderly, those people with a physical disability, such as wheelchair users, and those who have difficulty with social interaction and communication, such as those with autism or dementia.
Please note that calls can be recorded for both formative and qualitative. Call records are kept for at least 90 days. Chat with a Special Assistance Agent for free.
In the United States, airlines are not allowed to keep passengers on the tarmac for more than three hours on domestic flights and four hours on international flights without allowing them to disembark. After this time, the airline must either return to the gate or provide alternate transportation.
Airport assistance is a free service the U.S. Department of Transportation requires airlines to provide – so don't be shy about asking for assistance. Airport floors are shiny and generally level, perfect for the wheels on suitcases and wheelchairs.