Traveling with disabilities is not easy. As we’ve written in the past, traveling with a disability or with a disabled travel companion generally requires an extra level of planning.
But the United States Transportation Department is trying to make it a little easier. Monday they unveiled new regulations that require airlines to update their websites and airport kiosks to better accommodate the disabled. Among the new requirements:
- Within two years, airline websites need to have critical travel info accessible to the disabled.
- Within three years, the entirety of airline websites must be disabled-accessible.
- Airline ticket agents will need to offer web-based discount fares to disabled customers unable to use their sites.
- Airlines and airports will need to make automated boarding pass kiosks accessible to the disabled. This change needs to be implemented as new equipment is purchased. If nothing new is purchased, 25 percent of kiosks need to be accessible for the disabled within 10 years.
- There are also new rules on how to stow wheelchairs, giving them priority over other baggage.
Photo courtesy of AT Network Blog.
