Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel; Correction of Effective Date Under Congressional Review Act (CRA)

Résumé

On May 3, 2001, the Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) published a final rule amending its rules implementing the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 (ACAA) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require airports and air carriers to provide boarding assistance to individuals with disabilities by using ramps, mechanical lifts, or other suitable devices where level-entry boarding by loading bridge or mobile lounge is not available on any aircraft with a seating capacity of 31 or more passengers. This document corrects the effective date of the final rule published on May 3, 2001, to be consistent with the Congressional Review Act (CRA), enacted as part of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1966, 5 U.S.C. 801, 808. It does not change the implementation dates in the rule. Carriers and airports must still sign a written agreement no later than March 4, 2002 allocating responsibility for meeting the boarding assistance requirements, and the agreement must still provide that all actions necessary to ensure accessible boarding for passengers with disabilities are completed no later than December 2, 2002.