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.

FMI: http://dms.dot.gov, docket OST-2006-23528.