DisabledTravelers.com Travel Blog

Accessible airlines are ready to fly!
Photo by: Michael Towse (Stock Exchange)

A few weeks ago, the Disabled Travelers blog reported on an important new initiative from the U.S. Department of Transportation that will extend valuable accessibility features throughout airport terminals and on airline websites.

In that post, I mentioned that it’s critical Disabled Travelers fans participate in the federal government’s public comments on the measure, which are still ongoing.

This is so important to me that I’ve been keeping up with it, and there’s been some movement — so I’d like to take this time to inform disabled travelers and their travel companions about the progress.

Thanks to Regulation Room, a service of Cornell University Online, interested parties can now find out everything there is to know about the ongoing discussion surrounding new accessibility rules. The website combines news functions with social features that allow you to get a feel for how others understand the situation. I think Disabled Travelers readers can really make a positive difference by helping to explain to others, who might not have contact with disabled people in their family or social circle, just how vital it is to empower everyone to enjoy safe, efficient, friendly air travel.

Also remember that there are already a huge number of resources in place to help with airline accessibility. Air Accessibility at the Department of Transportation is a good capsule overview of how federal laws protect disabled travelers in the air. This includes guidelines on how security screenings can be modified to meet the needs of disabled travelers as well as facts on filing a complaint and understanding the responsibilities that each airline has toward every passenger. If you haven’t gotten involved with the public comments or the chatter on Regulation Room, I urge you to make a quick visit! It could really spell the difference in helping airlines serve you better.

For another quick treat for disabled air travelers, here’s an article originally from TravelLuxe e-Magazine: Who Really Offers Accessible Travel? It is a plug for one of our favorite sites, Accessible Journeys, but also outlines some of the best and most trusted airlines in the accessibility arena. There are some more detailed insights available from this article at Boots n’ All, which bills itself as a “One-Stop Indie Travel Guide” established all the way back in the internet’s wilderness days: 1998.

Tune in next week for more accessible travel news, destinations, and access guides from your world traveling blogger, Si. Don’t forget, you can get in touch with me any time; just leave me a note down below in the comments section and I’ll be in touch promptly! Some of our bests posts at Disabled Travelers have come directly from your suggestions and feedback. Hope to visit with you again next Friday!

Si

I stumbled into your blog tonight, and I’m finding it absolutely wonderful. I like to pose one question back to you. Where are we with traveling with our battery power chairs, from storing them currently underneath the aircraft, as we do now, to when we will be able to use them as a lock down seat for the future.