Here’s what you need to know about the Disabled Passenger Bill of Rights that the US Department of Transportation is pushing forward

In the midst of the recent summer travel surge this year, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) is making a push for airlines to provide more reliable and equitable services to ALL passengers. 

… and by “all,” the department means every kind of passenger, including those with a disability. 

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced two initiatives planned by the department: A bill of rights for disabled passengers and a notice urging airlines to prioritize seating families together in a plane. He said these are meant to provide flyers with a better experience while traveling through an aircraft. 

What is contained in the Disabled Passenger Bill of Rights? 

The bill contains a summary of existing laws that protect disabled airline passengers in the US. These include: 

• The right to be treated with dignity and respect
• The right to receive information about services and aircraft capabilities and limitations
• The right to receive information in an accessible format
• The right to accessible airport facilities
• The right to assistance at airports
• The right to assistance on aircrafts
• The right to travel with an assistive device or a service animal
• The right to receive seating accommodations
• The right to accessible aircraft features
• The right to resolution of a disability-related issue

According to the DOT, these laws apply to all airlines operating domestically or internationally out of any US airport. All foreign-based airlines operating within the country are still subject to the same standard. 

There are instances where the DOT approves some airlines’ alternative methods to comply in providing the same level of accessibility to disabled passengers or meeting the objective of Part 382. This means an alternative method can only be allowed by the DOT if it provides equal accessibility and assistance to people with a physical or mental impairment. 

Lots of Disability Rights activists and groups applauded the DOT’s move. According to Judy Heumann, a Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund Board Member: 

“I would like to thank the US DOT for putting this document together. Please share it far and wide, remembering that many people who should be aware of it might not consider themselves to have a disability and need to be alerted what their rights are. I encourage all to exercise the Right to Resolution of a Disability-Related Issue when you are experiencing poor service, such as not bringing your wheelchair to the door of the plane, damaging your equipment and not letting you know, etc.” 

Others also gave their opinion about the topic, saying that while there are still lots of actions that have to be taken for air travel to be a truly accessible environment for all, the Disabled Passenger Bill of Rights gives them hope for the future. 

As for the second initiative, the DOT is urging airlines to seat travelers 13 years old and below with their guardians at no extra charge. This has become a more high-profile issue nowadays because basic economy tickets, which do not include advanced seat selection in the package, become more common. The DOT is pushing for this policy for additional safety purposes. 

The Frequent Flyer Bill of Rights 

For decades, many airlines have been successful at keeping regulators and courts away by claiming they are protected by the Airline Deregulation Act. However, as technology continues to evolve, it’s time to reevaluate the effectiveness of this act. 

The original goal of the Airline Deregulation Act was to make members of a frequent flyer program loyal to that program. But with the coming of travel points’ transfer availability, a lot of passengers nowadays don’t even care what airline they’re flying on. They just care that they can pay for their travel tickets using their accrued points. 

This is where the issue comes in: Some airlines hide behind that “free” label to let themselves treat passengers on award tickets differently than those on paid tickets. That’s why there’s also a push for a Frequent Flyer Bill of Rights to ensure transparency between airlines and passengers, and the protection of consumers. 

Here are 8 suggested metrics for the Transparency section of the Bill of Rights: 

• Availability Index
• Point Value Index
• Usability Index
• Taxes/Fees Index
• Number of destinations available on the network covered by mileage programs
• Numbers of flights offered annually in the frequent flyer program
• Number of airlines available
• Number of transfer partners available

The last 4 metrics can be more or less static throughout the year and do not necessarily need to be measured at the time of points redemption. They are generally designed to give passengers an idea on the redemption opportunities offered by a certain frequent flyer program. 

Meanwhile, these are the set of principles that airlines should implement to boost consumer confidence: 

• A 1-year period to opt-in existing balances based on a frequent flyer program’s changes
• Re-accommodations under the regular IROP procedures
• Miles balance protection
• Consumer data protection

These suggestions are all laid out with a goal to make a passenger’s overall travel experience better. Hopefully, the travel and airline industry won’t turn a blind eye to these matters; instead, they should use these recommendations to show how their program is better than others. 

With today’s changing travel industry, the nature of loyalty programs and passengers’ bill of rights must change as well to adapt to the current landscape. As the DOT Secretary Buttigieg said: 

“Today’s announcements are the latest steps towards ensuring an air travel system that works for everyone. Whether you’re a parent expecting to sit together with your young children on a flight, a traveler with a disability navigating air travel, or a consumer traveling by air for the first time in a while, you deserve safe, accessible, affordable, and reliable airline service.” 

Hopefully, these bills of rights become industry standards. Together, let’s design an air travel marketplace of the future that is fair and works for everyone!