DOT 85-06
Monday, August 7, 2006
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
DOT, British Airways Reach Settlement
Over Treatment of Passengers with Disabilities
British Airways is being assessed a $50,000 fine for denying transportation to
four passengers with mobility-related disabilities on flights leaving the United
States under a settlement announced today by Acting Secretary of Transportation
Maria Cino.
Under the terms of the settlement, British Airways agreed to provide new
training programs designed to ensure that their employees in the United States
understand that they must accept persons with mobility-related disabilities
without an attendant unless an attendant is necessary for safety. The airline
will be credited up to $45,000 of its penalty to fund the programs.
“The freedom to travel is one of the defining characteristics of the liberties
we hold dear and a primary reason for the continued strength of the American
economy,” said Acting Secretary Cino. “This is precisely why we vigorously
defend every passenger’s right to have access to flights into and out of the
country, regardless of their age, race or physical condition.”
Under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), airlines may not require a disabled
passenger to be accompanied by an attendant unless the passenger’s lack of
mobility is so severe that he or she would be unable to assist in his or her own
evacuation. In the cases of the four British Airways passengers who filed
complaints, the Aviation Enforcement Office found that British Airways did not
attempt to determine if the passengers were able to safely help to evacuate
themselves from the plane during an accident.
Acting Secretary Cino noted that this order is the first ACAA enforcement
settlement involving a foreign air carrier’s treatment of disabled passengers
since the Wendell Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century
was signed in April 2000. The act made foreign carriers subject to the ACAA for
flights to and from the United States.
The text of the order is available via the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov,
docket OST-2006-23528.
-END-
Briefing Room
