DISABLED AIR ACCESS

The UK’s voluntary Air Access Code is currently being revised following a two-year review which showed much room for improvement and recommended greater regulation as the only way to achieve this. The Code is designed to improve access to air travel for disabled people and sets out the steps that agents, operators, airports and airlines should take to make their services more accessible. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) has recommended that the current exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) which aviation enjoys should be removed and aviation be brought within the scope of the Act.

The Department for Transport (DfT) in turn liaises with the EU through the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and the US Department for Transport (DOT) on their own versions.

ABTA’s Position

ABTA is represented on the DfT drafting group for the revised Code and takes the view that regulation is not needed. We can help Members improve services for disabled customers through information and guidance. ABTA’s view on the DPTAC recommendation is that the problems highlighted in the DfT review signal lapses in services already covered by the DDA rather than problems with the aircraft and transport services themselves, so lifting the exemption is not necessary, particularly bearing in mind the new EC Regulation which came into force in July 2007 (see Disabled Travellers: Persons with Reduced Mobility). ABTA is also updating its own Checklist for Disabled and Less Mobile Passengers which is currently an annex to the DfT Air Access Code.

Last updated: 8 April 2008