Hotline for Air Travelers with Disabilities
June 2003
Editor: With the summer vacation season at hand, many of us will be
flying somewhere in the next few months. The U.S. Department of
Transportation has set up a hotline for travelers with disabilities. It
can be used to get information before traveling or to resolve issues
that arise during a trip. If you're planning on flying somewhere this
summer, you might want to save this article. Or at least jot down the
number and schedule!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The U.S. Department of Transportation is calling on all disability
organizations to promote public education about its Toll Free Hotline
for air travelers with disabilities through their organization
newsletters, list-serves and sponsored events.
The Toll Free Hotline for disabled air travelers has been in
operation since August 2002 and is available for callers from 7 a.m. to
11 p.m. Eastern Time, seven days a week. It is currently not being fully
utilized. The Hotline serves two main purposes: (1) education and (2)
assistance in resolving disability-related air travel problems.
*Many disabled air travelers are not aware of their rights and the
Hotline, in part, exists as an educational service to inform air
travelers with disabilities about their rights under the Air Carrier
Access Act and the Department's implementing regulations 14 CFR Part 382
(Part 382). Hotline operators are well versed in the ACAA and Part 382
and can provide callers with on the spot general information about the
rights of air travelers with disabilities. The Hotline operators also
respond to requests for printed consumer information about air travel
rights of the disabled.
*The Hotline can also assist air travelers with disabilities in
resolving real time or upcoming issues with air carriers. The purpose of
"real-time" assistance is to facilitate airline compliance
with DOT's rules by suggesting to the passenger and the airline involved
alternative customer-service solutions to the problem. The airline
remains responsible for deciding what action will be taken to resolve
the issue in accordance with the ACAA and Part 382. Generally, if a
caller has a real time problem or an upcoming issue with an air carrier,
a Hotline Duty Officer will contact that air carrier and attempt to
resolve the issue. For example, there have been a number of incidents in
which Hotline Duty Officers have contacted air carriers and convinced
them to accept service animals and electric wheelchairs on board
flights, to stow folding wheelchairs in the cabin, and to provide
requested wheelchair assistance.
Air travelers who want information about the rights of persons with
disabilities in air travel or who experience disability-related air
travel service problems may call the Hotline to obtain assistance at:
1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY).
Air travelers who want DOT to investigate a complaint about a
disability-related issue still must submit their complaint in writing
via e-mail at airconsumer@ost.dot.gov or postal mail to: Aviation
Consumer Protection Division U.S. Department of Transportation 400 7th
Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590
To request flyers promoting the Hotline to distribute to your
membership, contact (202) 366-1617 (voice) or (202) 366-0511 (TTY)
