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Airlines for America Marks Two Years of its Passenger Accessibility Commitment
October 18, 2024
This October, in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the 38th anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and the second anniversary of the Passenger Accessibility Commitment, Airlines for America (A4A) and our passenger carriers are reaffirming our shared commitment to advancing accessibility in air travel.
A4A passenger carriers are dedicated to ensuring that passengers with disabilities receive the highest quality of service and support throughout their journey. Whether addressing mobility, cognitive or social disabilities, our member airlines continually strive to enhance the travel experience for all passengers.
On October 18, 2022, A4A and our passenger airline CEOs took additional steps to improve accessible air travel through the Passenger Accessibility Commitment, a pledge made to improve accessible air travel. The commitment identified four key areas for improvement:
- Establishing a passenger accessibility advisory group within our airlines to work directly with the disability community to improve our policies and operations;
- Improving passenger transfers and the handling of personal mobility aids;
- Enhancing our accessibility services training for frontline workers and educating our employees about passengers with disabilities; and
- Supporting the continued study and development of safe and feasible aircraft accessibility features that broaden air travel opportunities for passengers with disabilities.
Since then, A4A member carriers have continued to make progress across all areas, with initiatives aimed at making every step of air travel—from ticket purchase to arrival—more accessible. Some notable examples include:
- Establishing passenger accessibility advisory groups to work directly with the disability community across all of A4A passenger carriers;
- Adding Braille signage across aircraft to aid visually impaired passengers;
- Rolling out automated mobility device tags, allowing front-line workers to quickly access information on passengers’ mobility devices;
- Introducing a sign language bar worn beneath employee name tags to indicate which front-line team members are proficient in one or more of over 300 sign languages;
- Implementing an app where passengers with mobility aids can enter wheelchair dimensions to ensure the aircraft can accommodate their wheelchair;
- Expanding accessible features in in-flight entertainment systems, including closed captioning;
- Supporting the development of a prototype seat that allows passengers to remain in their wheelchair during flight; and
- Providing additional training opportunities for front-line workers to better serve passengers with disabilities.
Additionally, A4A’s Deputy General Counsel Graham Keithley now represents A4A and our passenger carriers on the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) Advisory Committee, which is responsible for assessing challenges passengers with disabilities face when traveling and identifying solutions to enhance their travel experience.
These initiatives reflect just a small portion of the efforts airlines have taken to create a more inclusive and accessible air travel experience. While we are proud of the strides made, we recognize there is more to be done. A4A remains dedicated to collaborating with industry partners, disability advocates and manufacturers to continue to improve air travel accessibility.
For more information on the industry’s accessibility efforts, visit airlines.org/accessibility or click on our member airlines’ accessibility pages below: