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Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it will require bathrooms in new single-aisle aircraft to be wheelchair accessible.
The ruling will require bathrooms on any new single-aisle aircraft with 125 seats or more to be larger, wheelchair-accessible, and include features such as grab bars, accessible faucets and controls, and accessible call buttons and door locks, according to the DOT. Airlines won’t be required to retrofit existing aircraft, however, but will have to include accessibility features if a lavatory is replaced.
“Traveling can be stressful enough without worrying about being able to access a restroom; yet today, millions of wheelchair users are forced to choose between dehydrating themselves before boarding a plane or avoiding air travel altogether,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
“We are proud to announce this rule that will make airplane bathrooms larger and more accessible, ensuring travelers in wheelchairs are afforded the same access and dignity as the rest of the traveling public.”
Passengers flying with wheelchairs also must give up their wheelchairs in favor of airline-issued ones, which can make the travel process even more distressing. On top of the issues with inaccessible aircraft, many passengers with disabilities have also reported receiving broken wheelchairs at baggage claim and facing degrading treatment by airline and airport staff.
So, how will it play out? The accessible bathroom rule will go into effect for new planes ordered within 10 years or delivered in 12 years. Airlines will be required to add accessibility features on all new single-aisle planes delivered in three years. The DOT noted that accessible lavatories have been required on twin-aisle aircraft for years.
While some single-aisle aircraft do have large enough bathrooms, “the vast majority of aircraft lavatories are too small to accommodate on-board wheelchairs or attendants.”
In addition to upgrading the lavatories to be wheelchair accessible, airlines will also be required to provide annual training for crew members on how to stow wheelchairs properly and assist passengers to and from the lavatories.
These new rules come a year after the DOT published the first-ever bill of rights for airline passengers with disabilities, which outlined basic rights like airlines not refusing transportation due to disability.
Airlines for America, the trade group that represents the major U.S. airlines, said in a statement that it was committed to the rule; it also added that the DOT had reduced the timeline for the development of these accessible lavatories with the new rule.
“U.S. airlines fully support accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft and have been voluntarily working with the disability community, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders for seven years on solutions,” Airlines for America said in a statement.
Some airlines have also taken it upon themselves to make traveling with a disability easier. United Airlines has reportedly incorporated Braille to about a dozen of its planes on both individual rows and seat numbers, as well as inside and outside the lavatories. The airline hopes to retrofit its entire mainline fleet by the end of 2026.
In June, Delta Air Lines unveiled a new seat prototype that would allow travelers using powered wheelchairs to remain in their own wheelchairs during flights.
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