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THE AIR CARRIER ACCESS ACT
The Air Carrier Access Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel and requires U.S. air carriers to accommodate the needs of passengers with disabilities.
The Department of Transportation has a rule defining the rights of passengers and the obligations of air carriers under this law. Click on the link below to read a helpful and easy to read summary of the main points of the DOT rule (Title 14 CFR, Part 382).
ONLINE SUMMARY
Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Transportation
ONLINE DETAIL OF THE REGULATION
Information For the Air Traveler with A Disability
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All About Traveling With Oxygen |
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The Airlines, as well as all public transportation facilities, are regulated by D.O.T.(Department of Transportation), most of which are mandated to provide service and facilities for the handicapped, with no margin for options. The D.O.T. has a regulation, (14CFRpart382), which implements the “Air Carrier Access Act” and which PROHIBITS airlines from discriminating against passengers on the basis of disability.
However it does not require carriers to arrange for supplemental medical oxygen for disabled passengers, either during flight or in the airport between flights.
This Federal Regulation blatantly allows any air carrier the option to discriminate by not having to provide in flight oxygen to the handicapped oxygen deficient air traveler. This is found to be most prevalent on the low airfare carriers such as Song, Southwest, Jet Blue, American West, A.T.A., and Air Tran. Those that do provide oxygen service are American, United, U.S. Air, Northwest, Continental, and Delta.
F.A.A. Regulation (14CFR part 121.574) prohibits airlines from allowing passengers to carry their personal oxygen equipment on board an aircraft. The airlines that provide oxygen service for their passengers will need to be notified 48 hours in advance of your departure and provided with your Doctors name and Telephone number and the number of liters that you require.
If you make your reservations through an Internet provider, be sure to confirm with your airline selection that oxygen will be provided and what needs to be done if it's not a direct/non-stop flight to your destination. |
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