FlyerTalk Forums - News: Wheelchair athlete banned from plane 'because he couldn't walk'

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Originally Posted by flyingfran (Post 14082025)

Katja, Is this legal? It seems as if it would not be legal in the US. It is outrageous, but I appreciate the notification. It is an airline I will certainly avoid using.

It depends on the size of the airport (number of annual emplanements) and the size of the aircraft:

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382.95 What are carriers’ general obligations with respect to boarding and deplaning assistance? At U.S. airports with 10,000 or more annual enplanements, boarding assistance must be provided through the use of lifts or ramps, where level-entry boarding is not otherwise available

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382.97 To which aircraft does the requirement to provide boarding and deplaning assistance through the use of lifts apply? At U.S. airports where lift or ramp boarding is required, the requirement applies to aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, with a few stated exceptions. The Department reserves the option to expand the list of aircraft to which the requirement does not apply, if we determine that there is no model of boarding device on the market that will accommodate the aircraft without a significant risk of serious damage to the aircraft or injury to persons, or that there are internal barriers in the aircraft that would preclude passengers who use a boarding or aisle chair from reaching a non-exit row seat.

Additionally, even if the airline is required to provide boarding assistance, there are caveats about notification:

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Carriers may require passengers needing lift assistance for boarding to check in for the flight an hour before the standard check-in time for the flight.

There's more, of course. If you want to read the whole thing, it's at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules...20382-2008.pdf.

I'd like to see airlines observing the spirit of the law, not just the letter.