Mon, Aug 07, 2006
British Airways is being assessed a
$50,000 fine for denying transportation to four passengers with
mobility-related disabilities on flights leaving the United States
under a settlement announced today by Acting Secretary of
Transportation Maria Cino.
Under the terms of the settlement, British Airways agreed to
provide new training programs designed to ensure that their
employees in the United States understand that they must accept
persons with mobility-related disabilities without an attendant
unless an attendant is necessary for safety. The airline will be
credited up to $45,000 of its penalty to fund the programs.
“The freedom to travel is one of the defining characteristics
of the liberties we hold dear and a primary reason for the
continued strength of the American economy,” said Acting
Secretary Cino. “This is precisely why we vigorously defend
every passenger’s right to have access to flights into and
out of the country, regardless of their age, race or physical
condition.”
Under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), airlines may not require a
disabled passenger to be accompanied by an attendant unless the
passenger’s lack of mobility is so severe that he or she
would be unable to assist in his or her own evacuation. In the
cases of the four British Airways passengers who filed complaints,
the Aviation Enforcement Office found that British Airways did not
attempt to determine if the passengers were able to safely help to
evacuate themselves from the plane during an accident.
Acting Secretary Cino noted that this order is the first ACAA
enforcement settlement involving a foreign air carrier’s
treatment of disabled passengers since the Wendell Ford Aviation
Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century was signed in April
2000. The act made foreign carriers subject to the ACAA for flights
to and from the United States.
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