AMID BUSY HOLIDAY TRAVEL, CONGRESSMAN RYAN CALLS ON TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY TO ENFORCE CONSUMER PROTECTIONS FOR AIRLINE PASSENGERS USING WHEELCHAIRS

Amid Busy Holiday Travel, Congressman Ryan Calls on Transportation Secretary to Enforce Consumer Protections for Airline Passengers Using Wheelchairs

“The choice to not enforce the critical elements of the 2024 wheelchair rule, in addition to the decision by the Administration to roll back consumer protections requiring airlines to compensate passengers when flight disruptions are caused by air carriers, creates an environment that is not friendly to all travelers,” the members write

WASHINGTON, DC  –  Amid busy holiday travel, fourteen House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Democrats led by U.S. Congressmen Pat Ryan and Greg Stanton called on the Trump Administration to enforce consumer protections for disabled passengers using wheelchairs, including veterans.

Under Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, airlines were required to reimburse the 1 in 100 wheelchair users who had their chair or scooter damaged by the airline while traveling by plane. 

Trump’s Department of Transportation Secretary – former airline lobbyist Sean Duffy – has announced that his DOT would not enforce this provision, following a February lawsuit by five major airlines challenging the rule that forces them to pay back customers whose mobility aids they damage or lose. When pressed by Congressman Ryan at a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing in July, Secretary Duffy was unable to defend the decision, deflecting the question. You can view the exchange here.

“Under Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the United States saw our most pro-traveler Transportation Department in history. It made it easier for folks to get refunded, to travel with their families, and instated new protections for disabled travelers. What we’re seeing now is a sharp reversal, and a total betrayal of millions of Americans,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “That’s because, while Secretary Buttigieg understood that disabled Americans, including veterans, deserve to fly safely and with dignity, Trump’s DOT Secretary – former airline lobbyist Sean Duffy –  is selling out consumers to line the pockets of the guys who used to sign his paychecks. It’s peak corruption, and an abject abandonment of the American people. We have to be loud and relentless in fighting back. I’m joining my colleagues in demanding Secretary Duffy side with the American people and enforce this provision.”

Joining Ryan and Stanton in the effort are Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Representatives André Carson (D-IN), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jared Huffman (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC). 

The full letter is HERE and below. 

Secretary Duffy:

We write in opposition to your decision not to enforce key provisions of the Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers with Disabilities Using Wheelchairs regulations. We urge the Administration to reverse course and uphold these essential consumer protections.

These standards ensure that passengers with disabilities can travel safely and with dignity. While progress has been made since both the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Air Carrier Access Act decades ago, there is still a long road ahead to eliminate barriers and make air travel more accessible for travelers with disabilities. In the last few years, we have seen too many instances of the mishandling of wheelchairs. Recent reports found that airlines

damaged or lost more than 11,000 passenger wheelchairs between 2023 and 2024. And this is not just a number on a page – losing access to a wheelchair or assistive device can have harmful impacts on a person’s mobility, livelihood and independence.

Issued in December 2024, in alignment with the requirements of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization law, the Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers with Disabilities Using Wheelchairs rule included common sense provisions that keep passengers with wheelchairs safe and improve the accessibility of air travel. For example, the rule requires airlines to promptly return checked wheelchairs or other assistive devices in the same condition as when they are dropped off. In addition, airlines must notify passengers whose wheelchairs have been mishandled, as well as provide loaner chairs, and quickly repair or replace the damaged devices. The rule also requires airlines to reimburse passengers for transportation costs incurred as a result of a passenger’s wheelchair being delayed by the airline.

However, instead of working to uphold the strong protections in the December 2024 rule, this Administration has decided to significantly delay its enforcement. According to a recent notice in the Federal Register, the Administration now plans to reevaluate key provisions including the ability to hold airlines accountable for damaged or delayed wheelchairs and reimbursement for passengers when an aircraft cannot accommodate their assistive device and they are forced to rebook—among other requirements. More than 5.5 million Americans depend on mobility devices for their daily lives. These devices are expensive with prices ranging into tens of thousands of dollars depending on the complexity of the device.

When families book plane tickets, they expect to get where they’re going safely, on time and at a reasonable cost. Passengers with disabilities have so much more to consider as they travel and we must do what we can to make their travel as seamless as possible. The choice to not enforce the critical elements of the 2024 wheelchair rule, in addition to the decision by the Administration to roll back consumer protections requiring airlines to compensate passengers when flight disruptions are caused by air carriers, creates an environment that is not friendly to all travelers. Furthermore it adds undue burden on air travelers with disabilities.

These consumer protections to help the traveling public have gone through public comment and will ensure the safety of families in our districts. We strongly urge the Department to reverse course and fully enforce the Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers with Disabilities Using Wheelchairs rule without delay. We look forward to your prompt attention to this matter.

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