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Flying With Disability
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If you are a disabled traveller and feel that you have been treated unfairly, then there are a number of avenues to pursue to resolve your grievance.
All air carrier are legally required to have a Complaints Resolution Official (CRO) available to travellers around the clock, even if only by telephone. The CRO's job is to resolve any disagreements which may arise between disabled travellers and their carrier.
If you feel discriminated, then you will be able to automatically contact the CRO to resolve the situation.
If a carrier is to deny the passage of a disabled traveller on the basis of their disability, then a written statement must be provided ten days prior to flying outlining their reasoning.
If the CRO agrees that a passenger has been experienced mistreatment, then the officer will provide the disabled traveller outlining the situation, along with those steps the airline should carry out in response to the action.
Conversely, if no breach appears to have taken place, then the CRO must again provide a full statement outlining his or her conclusions.
It is the CRO's job to try and provide his conclusions as quickly as possible, and if not on the day of flying, then within 10 days from the original date of flying.
If you wish to make a formal complaint to an airline, following contact with the CRO, then you must quote the date of the incident along with the name of the officer who dealt with the problem.
An airline does not have to respond to any complaints issued 45 days after the original violation; so if you feel that you have been mistreated - always make your dissatisfaction sooner rather than later, or your legal standing may diminish.
The airline will then have 30 days to respond to the complaint, whereupon they will have the opportunity to outline their position in the situation and what the airline plans to do to resolve the problem in the future.
If you feel that you have been mistreated, and wish to pursue a matter further, do not hesitate to contact the Department of Transport at the following address:
United States:
Department of Transportation
Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
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