For 40 years, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) has prohibited disability-based discrimination in air travel and required airlines to provide accessibility for and accommodations to passengers with disabilities. PVA led the advocacy efforts for passage of the ACAA based on the experiences our members encountered while traveling by air, including being refused passage simply because of their disability. Despite the progress that has come from this law, too many travelers with disabilities continue to consistently encounter significant barriers. The current air travel experience for passengers with disabilities, particularly wheelchair users, is often frustrating and unsafe. Wheelchair users must navigate damaged wheelchairs and scooters, improperly trained assistance with boarding and deplaning, and even bodily harm.

The Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2026 (H.R. 9373/S. 4829) would protect and expand the rights of air passengers with disabilities and improve air travel safety by:

• Strengthening enforcement of the law by requiring the Department of Transportation (DOT) to levy civil penalties for mishandled wheelchairs, physical harm to a passenger with a disability, lack of proper aisle chair assistance, improperly denied boarding for a passenger with a disability, inappropriately denied access for a service animal, and gross negligence;
• Requiring the DOT Secretary to refer complaints to the Department of Justice when there is reasonable cause to believe that violations of the law are a pattern or practice or if it “raises an issue of general public importance;”
• Granting individuals with disabilities a private right of action in civil court; and
• Expressing to Congress that legislation is necessary to ensure that individuals with disabilities have adequate remedies available when airlines violate their rights.

 

PVA Position: 

Congress must pass the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2026 (H.R. 9373/S. 4829) to create safer travel experiences for passengers with disabilities. This legislation would protect and expand the rights of flying passengers with disabilities, which will improve their safety and protect their dignity.