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Access to Air Travel for Disabled
Persons and Persons with ReducedMobility – Code of Practice
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AccesstoAirTravelforDisabled
PersonsandPersonswithReducedMobility–CodeofPractice
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DepartmentforTransportGreatMinsterHouse76MarshamStreetLondonSW1P4DRTelephone02079448300Websitewww.dft.gov.uk
©Crowncopyright,2008
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publication specified.
Furthercopiesofthisdocumentareavailablefrom: DepartmentforTransport POBox236 Wetherby WestYorkshire LS237NB
Tel:08701226236 Fax:08701226237 Email:[email protected]
ThisdocumentisalsoavailableontheDfTwebsite:www.dft.gov.uk
Alternativeformatsofthispublicationareavailablefrom:
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Tel:02079442753
PublishedbytheDepartmentforTransport. PrintedintheUK,July2008onmaterialcontainingatleast75%recycledfibre
Thanks to: BAA, Manchester International Airport, Birmingham International
Airport, Guide Dogs for the Blind and OCS for their assistance in obtaining photographs.
ISBN9781904763994
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Contents
Section1–IntroductionandGeneralPrinciples 5 PurposeofCode 6 Legalframework 7 Otherprinciples 9
Section2–Training 13
Section3–Pre-journey 18 Provisionofinformation 18 Bookingfacilities 19 Rulesoncarriageofdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobility 21 Obtaininginformationfromcustomers 24 Seatreservations 27
Additionalseats 28 Transmissionofinformation 29
Section4–Arrivalattheairport 31
Bycar 35 Bytaxi 40 Byhirecar 41 Bybusortrain 41 Routestotheterminal 42
Section5–Movingthroughtheairportandboardingtheaircraft 43 Assistance 43 Designofinfrastructure 49
Landside 50
Checkinfacilities 50 Selfserviceequipment 52 Reservedseatingareas 53
Accesstoinformation 54 Publicfacilities 55
Assistancedogs 55
Airside 56 Security 56 CustomsandVATreclaim 57
Reservedseatingareas 58 Shopping,catering,andotherpublicfacilities 59 Information 59
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AccesstoAirTravelforDisabledPersonsandPersonswithReducedMobility–CodeofPractice
Boarding 60 Gatefacilities 60
Loadingwheelchairsandothermobilityequipment 61 Boardingwheelchairusers 63 Transmissionofinformation 65
Section6–Aircraftdesign 66
Section7–Onboardtheaircraft 70 Training 71 Seatallocation 71 Information 72
Entertainment 73 Catering 73 Movingthroughtheaircraftcabin 73
Assistancedogs 74 Carriageofmedicalandmobilityequipment 75
Section8–Disembarkation,transferarrangementsandleavingtheairport 77 Transferarrangements 79 Baggageretrieval,immigrationandcustoms 79
Lossordamagetomobilityequipment 81 Facilitiesforassistancedogs 82 Customerfeedbackandhandlingcomplaints 83
Annexes
Annex1 MembersoftheAirAccessWorkingGroup 85
Annex2 SummaryofECRegulation’sProvisions 87
Annex3 DutiesunderPart3oftheDisabilityDiscriminationAct1995 88
Annex4 InternationalAirTransportAssociation(IATA)codesapplyingtopeoplerequiringassistance 90
Annex5 ABTAChecklistfordisabledandlessmobilecustomers 92
Annex6 EuropeanCivilAviationConference(ECAC)adviceonhandlingofsecuritychecksinvolvingdisabledpeople 102
Annex7 Informationonsourcesofdisabilityawareness/ equalitytraining 105
Annex8 Criteriaforworkingwithorganisationsofdisabledpeople 108 Annex9 Usefulpublicationsandotherrelevantinformation 109
Annex10 Usefulcontacts 114
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Section1
IntroductionandGeneral
Principles
1.1 Opportunitiesforairtravelhavegrownsignificantlyinrecentyears,withcheaperflightsservingawiderrangeofdestinations.Formanypeople,thishasmadeflyingamorecommonexperience.Itisamatterofequalitythatdisabledpeopleandpeoplewithreducedmobility
shouldhaveopportunitiesforairtravelcomparabletothoseofotherpeople.However,forpeoplewithadisabilityormobilitydifficulty,theprospectofattemptingatripbyaircanseemfraughtwithpotentialdifficulties.Onebadexperiencecanputoffapotentialcustomerfromflyingagain.
1.2 Servingtheneedsofdisabledpeopleandpeoplewithmobilitydifficultiesmakesgoodbusinesssense.Itisestimatedthataround20%oftheUK’sadultpopulationhassomeformofdisability.
EstimatesaresimilarforEuropeasawhole.Thereisalsoaclosecorrelationbetweendisabilityandage–nearlyhalfofdisabledpeople
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areoverstatepensionage1.Thenumberofpeopleover65yearsinEuropealmostdoubledbetween1960and2001.By2030thisgroupis
expectedtorepresentnearlyathirdofthetotalpopulation2.Peoplewhoareeitherdisabledorolder,orboth,willrepresentaround35%ofthefuturepopulationofEurope.Withhigherexpectationsamongthatgroupfortravel,thereisahugepotentialmarketfortheaviationindustrytotapinto.Infact,thecollectivespendingpowerofdisabledpeopleintheUKisestimatedtobearound£80billionayear 3.
PurposeofCode
1.3 ThepurposeofthisCodeofPracticeistoimprovetheaccessibilityofairtraveltodisabledpeopleandpeoplewithreducedmobility.Itcoversthewholejourneyexperience,fromaccessinginformationatthebookingstagethroughtoarrivingatthefinaldestination.
1.4 Itisaimedatallthoseinvolvedinprovidingservicesrelatedtoairtravel,includingtravelagents,touroperators,UKairlines(scheduledcarriers–bothfullserviceandnofrills–andchartercarriers),aircraftdesigners,UKairports,groundhandlingcompaniesandretailers.Itis
notintendedasaguideforpassengers,forwhomseparateinformationhasbeenissued.Theterminologyusedfollowsaviationconvention.
1.5 SincetheCodewasfirstpublishedin2003,therehavebeenanumberoflegalandpolicydevelopmentsinthisfieldwhichhavemadeitnecessarytoupdatetheCode.Inaddition,theDepartmentforTransportcommissionedastudyintocompliancewiththeCode4,anditsfindingshavebeenreflectedinthisupdatedversion.
1.6 TheCodesetsoutbothlegalrequirements(indicatedbyapurpleboxandwhitetext),andrecommendations(indicatedbyagreenboxandblacktext)supportedbyexplanatorytext.TheGovernmentexpectstheairtravelindustrytoadopttheserecommendationswhereverpossibleandunlesstherearepracticalreasonswhichmakeitunreasonabletodoso.Asnotedin1.11below,insomecasesitmaybenecessarytodosotocomplywiththeDisabilityDiscriminationAct.Thoseinvolvedareencouragedtoexceedthesestandardswhereveritispracticaltodoso,andtoconsulttheavailable
1 Source:DepartmentforWorkandPensions,FamilyResourcesSurvey200506.2 Source:ThesocialsituationintheEuropeanUnion,2003,EuropeanCommission.
3 Source:DepartmentforWorkandPensions,2006.
4 http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/aviationshipping/accesstoairtravelfordisabled5974
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IntroductionandGeneralPrinciples
guidancereferencedintheCode.TheDisabledPersonsTransport AdvisoryCommittee(DPTAC)shouldbeconsultedwherethereis
difficultymeetingorapplyingthestandards,oronmorestrategicissues,forexample,thedevelopmentofnewairportterminals,ortheintroductionofnewgroundhandlingsystems.
1.7 TheCodehasbeenproducedbytheDepartmentforTransport(DfT),supportedbyaworkinggroupincludingrepresentativesoftheBritish
AirTransportAssociation(BATA),EuropeanLowFaresAirlines Association(ELFAA),representativesfromairports,ABTALtd,theDisabledPersonsTransportAdvisoryCommittee(DPTAC),theCivil
AviationAuthority(CAA),theHealthandSafetyExecutive(HSE)andtheDevolvedAdministrations.ThefullmembershipoftheworkinggroupisatAnnex1.
1.8 ToensuretheCoderemainsascurrentaspossible,detailedguidancedocumentswillbelinkedtothewebversionofthisdocumentandupdatedasnecessary.
Legalframework
1.9 EuropeanRegulation(EC)No1107/2006of5July2006,concerningtherightsofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilitywhentravellingbyair,imposeslegalobligationsonairportmanagingbodies,aircarriers5,theiragentsortouroperatorsinrespectoftheservicetheyprovidetodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.TheRegulationisdirectlyapplicableinUKlaw.AsummaryoftheRegulation’sobligationsisatAnnex2and,whererelevant,theseobligationsarequotedinfullthroughoutthisdocument.TheCivil
AviationAuthorityhaspowerstoenforcetheRegulationintheUKandanycompanyfoundtobeinbreachofitsobligationscouldbesubjecttoprosecution.
1.10 TheUKDisabilityDiscriminationAct1995(DDA)appliestoairtravelinrelationtotheuseofbookingservicesandairportfacilitiesandservices.Theactualmeansoftransport–theaircraft–isexemptfromtheAct’sprovisions.So,forexample,shopsandcheckinfacilitiesintheairportarecoveredbytheAct,butinflightservicesorentertainmentontheaircraftarenot.TheDDAmakesitunlawfulfor
organisationswhichprovideservicestothepublictodiscriminate
5 TheCodealsousestheterm'airlines'whenreferringtoaircarriers.
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AccesstoAirTravelforDisabledPersonsandPersonswithReducedMobility–CodeofPractice
againstdisabledpeopleinthewaytheyprovideordonotprovidethoseservices.TheDDAalsorequiresserviceproviderstolookat,and
makereasonableadjustments,toanypolicies,proceduresorpracticesthatmightmakeaccesstotheirserviceimpossibleorunreasonablydifficultbydisabledpeople.AmoredetailedexplanationoftherelevantdutiesisatAnnex3.SincenooverlapispermittedbetweendomesticandEuropeanlaw,theECRegulationwilltakeprecedenceinasituationwherebothlawscouldapply.Anexampleofthismightbechargingforassistanceatanairport.
1.11 ThisCodewillhelpthosewhoareaffectedbytheECRegulationand
theDDAtomeettheirlegalobligations.However,theCodedoesnothaveaformallegalstatus,norisitanauthoritativestatementofthelaw–thisisamatterforthecourts.ItshouldbenotedthatthecourtsmayconsidersomerecommendationsinthisdocumenttoconstituteareasonableadjustmentundertheprovisionsoftheDDA;conversely,somerecommendationsmaygofurtherthanwhatwouldberequiredundertheAct.
1.12 WhilsttheDDAonlycoverspeoplewhoare‘disabled’6,itshouldbe
notedthat,inadditiontodisabledpersons,theECRegulationalsocovers“personswithreducedmobility”(PRMs).ThedefinitionusedintheRegulationislikelytocoverawiderangeofconditions,includingpeoplesuchasthosewithatemporarymobilitydifficulty.
“Disabledperson”or“personwithreducedmobility”meansanypersonwhosemobilitywhenusingtransportisreducedduetoanyphysicaldisability(sensoryorlocomotor,permanentortemporary),
intellectualdisabilityorimpairment,oranyothercauseofdisability,orage,andwhosesituationneedsappropriateattentionandtheadaptationtohisorherparticularneedsoftheservicemadeavailabletoallpassengers.
Article 2(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
6 DefinitionofdisabilityinDDA:Ingeneral,apersonisconsidereddisabledforthepurposesoftheActif
hehasa“physicalormentalimpairmentwhichhasasubstantialandlongtermadverseeffectonhis
abilitytocarryoutnormaldaytodayactivities."However,specialrulesapplytocertainimpairments,
suchasprogressiveconditions,andsomepeoplearedeemedtobedisabledforthepurposesoftheAct.Forexample,peoplewithcancer,HIVandmultiplesclerosisareprotectedeffectivelyfromthepointof
diagnosis.Inaddition,thereisnorequirementforamentalillnesstobe“clinicallywellrecognised”before
itisjudgedtobeamentalillnessforthepurposesoftheAct.
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IntroductionandGeneralPrinciples
1.13 Inadditiontotheselegalrequirements,thereareanumberofinternationalstandardsandrecommendationsthathavebeen
developedinthisareabytheEuropeanCivilAviationConference(ECAC)andtheInternationalCivilAviationOrganisation(ICAO).Inparticular,Section5ofECACPolicyStatementintheFieldofCivil
AviationFacilitation(ECACDocNo.30Part1)containsguidanceonfacilitationofthetransportofpersonswithreducedmobility.ThisCodeofPracticesupportstheagreedinternationalpositionbutaddsfurtherdetailswheretherearegaps.AirlineswillalsoneedtobeawareofrelevantaccessibilitylegislationincountriesoutsidetheEUwhichcouldimpactontheservicestheyoperatetoandfromthosecountries.
Otherprinciples
1.14 Responsibilityformeetingtheneedsofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithmobilityshouldbeacceptedatthehighestlevelsanddelegatedtopeoplewiththeskillsandauthoritytoinfluencethedesignandoperationofaircraftandairportterminalsortoalterprocedures.
1.15 Meetingtheneedsofpeoplewithadisabilityorreducedmobilityisbothapersonalandcorporateresponsibility.Everyoneinanorganisationhasaresponsibilitytoensuretheymeettheneedsoftheircustomers.Atthepersonallevelitinvolvesawarenessofthepotentialneedsandrequirementsofdisabledandreducedmobilitypassengersandtheabilitytocommunicateeffectively.Thoseinvolvedinthedesign,managementanddeliveryofservicesshouldhaveaclearunderstandingofhowtheirroleaffectsdisabledpeople,andtheknowledge,skills,abilitiesandcommitmenttoensurethatdisabled
peopleareincluded.
1.16 Companiesshouldreviewtheirpolicies,proceduresandpracticestoensurethattheymeettheneedsofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.
1.17 SuchareviewwillbenecessarytoensurethatcompaniescomplywiththeDisabilityDiscriminationAct.Thereviewshouldincludenotonlythephysicalaccessandeaseofuseoffacilitiesbutalsooperational
manuals,emergencyprocedures,evacuationarrangements,safetyinformationandotherdocuments.Itwillalsoneedtotakeaccountofnewpracticesandtechnologies.
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AccesstoAirTravelforDisabledPersonsandPersonswithReducedMobility–CodeofPractice
Indecidingonthedesignofnewairportsandterminals,andaspart
ofmajorrefurbishments,managingbodiesofairportsshould,wherepossible,takeintoaccounttheneedsofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.Similarly,aircarriersshould,wherepossible,takesuchneedsintoaccountwhendecidingonthedesignofnewandnewlyrefurbishedaircraft.
Recital 11 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
1.18 TheGovernmenthasmadeacommitmentthataccessfordisabledpeoplewillbeaconditionofnewpublicinvestmentintransport.TheGovernment,andtheDisabledPersonsTransportAdvisoryCommittee,wouldencouragetheairtransportindustrytoadoptasimilarinvestmentprinciple.
1.19 Itiscosteffectivetoensurethataccessfordisabledpeopleandthosewithreducedmobilityisincludedfromtheoutsetaspartoftheinitialdesignofanaircraftandairportterminal.Thisdirectlybenefitsallcustomers.
1.20 Toensureaccessibilityisfactoredintodesign,itisessentialthatarchitectsanddesignershavebeentrainedinthebroadrangeofinclusivedesignissues.Itwouldalsobebeneficialtoengagetheexpertiseofaspecialistaccessconsultant.
1.21 Disabledpeoplearenotahomogenousgroupandhaveverydifferentneeds.Somepeoplewillhavemorethanonedisability.Somepeoplearevisiblydisabled,suchassomeonewhousesawheelchairorawhitecane,butmanyhavedisabilitieswhicharenotimmediately
obvious,suchaslearningdifficulties.Somesymptomsofdisabilitiesmaybeintermittent,suchthatindividualsmaybeeffectivelydisabledorhavereducedmobilityatonetimeandyetwillappeartobecapableatothertimes.Thefollowingfiguresillustratethenumbersinvolvedandprovideexamplesoftheimprovementsfromwhichtheywouldbenefit:
l 9milliondeafandhardofhearingpeople7,including2millionhearingaidusers,wouldbenefitfromvisualinformationsystems;
l 7.5millionpeoplewitharthritis8wouldbenefitfromlevelsurfaces,
seating,handrailsetc;
7 Source:RNID
8 Source:Arthritis:TheBigPicture,ArthritisResearchCampaign(2002)
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IntroductionandGeneralPrinciples
l around2millionpeoplewithasightproblem9wouldbenefitfromcolourcontrast,tactilesurfacesaswellasaudibleinformation
systems;
l 1.2millionwheelchairusers10wouldbenefitfromliftsandramps;
l over1millionpeoplewithlearningdisabilities11wouldbenefitfromclearerinformation.
1.22 Heavydoorsandpoorsignagearetwoexamplesofhowtravellingcanbemadedifficultfordisabledpeople.Ifbarrierssuchastheseareremovedandimprovementsmadetotransportsystems,aperson’s
disabilitybecomesirrelevanttotheirabilitytomakeajourney,andthisallowsthemtoparticipatemorefullyinsociety.
1.23 Disabledpeopleandpeoplewithreducedmobilityneedtoknowbeforetheystartoutthatthefacilities,servicesandinfrastructureonajourneyareaccessible.Thelackofanaccessibletaxi,ortheabsenceofanymeanstocallforassistanceonarrivalatanairportcanpreventadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityfromusingairservices.
1.24 Inadditiontoanaccessiblephysicalenvironment,asuccessfuljourneydependsonthequalityofserviceprovided,inparticular,bycustomerfacingstaffalongthevariouspointsofthejourney.Forthisreason,trainingisessentialtoensurestaffarewellbriefedontheirlegalresponsibilitiesandhowtomeettheneedsofdisabledorreducedmobilitypassengers(seeSection2).
1.25 Anindividualwithadisabilityormobilitydifficultyknowsbesthowtheirneedscanbemet.Staffshouldalwaysseektounderstandthisthroughdialoguewiththepassenger,ratherthanmakingassumptions.Passengersshouldbeallowedtoexerciseselfreliancewhereverpossible.Forexample,ablindpersonwhoisabletowalkthroughanairportshouldnotbeforcedtoacceptwheelchairassistance.
1.26 Toenableaseamlessjourneyandensureappropriateassistanceisprovidedatairports,disabledpersonsandpersonswithreduced
9 Source:RNIB10Source:ImprovingServicesforWheelchairUsers,DepartmentofHealth(2004).
11Source:FoundationforPeoplewithLearningDifficulties/InstituteforHealthResearch,Lancaster
University(2004)
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12
1.28
1.27 Toensurethattheassistancerequestedisdelivered,itisvitalthattheinformationispassedonaccuratelyfrombookingagentstothoseinvolvedinprovidingtheassistance.
1.29 Thehealthandsafetyofbothstaffandpassengersmustalwaysbe
consideredinallactivities.
mobilityareexpectedtogiveadvancenotice(ofatleast48hours)oftheirassistanceneeds.Passengerswillbeadvisedthatfailuretodoso
willmeanthattherecanbenoguaranteeofassistance,thoughtheRegulationrequiresthatreasonableeffortsaremadetoprovidetheassistancewherethisnoticehasnotbeengiven.
ItisarequirementundertheECRegulationtotransmittherelevant
information.Whenthingsgowrongitcanbecostly,bothfinancially,andtoacompany’sreputationifacustomerisunabletotaketheirflightthroughnofaultoftheirown.Forexample,failuretoprovidetherequestedassistancetohelpapassengermovethroughtheairportcouldleadtoadelayinthedepartureofaflight.Forthisreason,itisinthecommercialinterestofairportsandairlinestoensurethatthesystemforassistingdisabledorreducedmobilitypassengersworkssmoothly.
1.30 Therearespecificdutiesunderhealthandsafetylegislationonemployers,theselfemployedandemployees,aimedatreducingtheriskofworkrelatedinjuryorillhealthtoallconcerned.Thesedutiesmustbeconsideredwhenplanningallworkactivities.
1.31 TheHealthandSafetyExecutive(HSE)recognisesthepossiblerisksassociatedwithassistingpassengers,includingthepossibleneedfor
manualliftingandhandlingofpeopleandequipmentinsomesituations,andthatabalancehastobestruckbetweenensuringthesafetyoftheemployeeperformingthetaskandmeetingtheneedsofthepassenger,whilstrespectingthehumanrightsofthepassenger(andcarerwhereapplicable).However,HSEbelievesthatiftherisksaremanagedproperly,suchabalancecanbeachievedwithoutexposingemployeestoanunacceptablelevelofrisk.
1.32 Aviationsafetyandsecurityruleswillbeparamountandcannotbecompromised.However,careshouldbetakentoensurethattheimplementationofsuchrules,whereverpossible,takesaccountoftheparticularneedsofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityanddoesnothaveadisproportionateimpactontheirabilitytotravel.
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Section2
Training
Aircarriersandairportmanagingbodiesshall:
(a) ensurethatalltheirpersonnel,includingthoseemployedbyanysubcontractor,providingdirectassistancetodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityhaveknowledgeofhowtomeettheneedsofpersonshavingvariousdisabilitiesormobilityimpairments;
(b) providedisabilityequalityanddisabilityawarenesstrainingtoalltheirpersonnelworkingattheairportwhodealdirectlywiththetravellingpublic;
(c) ensurethat,uponrecruitment,allnewemployeesattenddisabilityrelatedtrainingandthatpersonnelreceiverefreshertrainingcourseswhenappropriate.
Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
2.1 Staffattitudestowardsdisabledcustomersareoftencitedasthesinglemostimportantaspectdeterminingsatisfactionwithaservice.Goodtrainingwillensurethatdisabledandreducedmobilitypassengersaremorelikelytoreceiveahighlevelofcustomerservice,totravelmoreeasilyandtotakeawayafavourableimpressionoftheorganisation.
2.2 Humanerrorisaseriousrisktoacompany’scompliancewithitsobligationsundertheECRegulationortheDisabilityDiscriminationAct(DDA).Successfulcompliancedependstoagreatextentonstaffbeing
awareoflegalobligationsandhowtheycanbestmeettheneedsofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.Adequatetrainingisthebestmeansofmitigatingthisrisk.CompaniesshouldalsonotethatfailuretoprovidetrainingwouldinitselfbeabreachoftheECRegulationandcouldbesubjecttoprosecution.TheDDAsaysthatserviceprovidersarelegallyresponsiblefortheactionsoftheiremployeesinthecourseoftheiremployment.
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2.3 Itisacorporateresponsibilitytoensurethatdisabilityrelatedtraining
whichisfitforpurposeisprovidedtoallstaffaspartofinductiontraining,andrefreshertrainingisprovidedatappropriateintervalsthroughouttheircareers.Itisparticularlyimportantthatairportmanagingbodiesensurethatadequatetrainingisprovidedbytheirsubcontractorsresponsibleforassistanceservices.
2.4 AlthoughtheobligationintheECRegulationappliesonlytoaircarriersandairportmanagingbodies,trainingshouldbeprovidedforallstaffintheairtransportindustry.
2.5 Inadditiontothelegalrequirement,itisrecommendedthatallstaffshouldreceiveminimumlevelsoftrainingsincecommitmenttomeetingtheneedsofdisabledpassengerstranscendsalllevelsintheorganisationandshouldbeseentodoso.Formanagers,itisparticularlyimportantthattheyhaveanappreciationofhowtheirdecisionsaffectdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility,forexample,howdesigndecisionsaffectaccessibility.Itisessentialtoensurethatstaff,includingnoncustomerfacingstaff,understandtheir
legalresponsibilitiesundertheECRegulationandtheDisabilityDiscriminationAct.
2.6 Disabilityawarenesstrainingprovidespracticaladviceandisrelevantinparticulartothoseprovidingassistancetodisabledpeople.Itshouldincreaseunderstandingofthewholerangeofimpairments,toensurethatstaffareawareofhowtointeractwithdisabledcustomersandtotacklenegativeperceptionsandattitudestowardsdisabledpeople.
Awarenesstrainingdoesnotneedtobedeliveredbyadisabledperson
butshouldbedesignedwithinputfromdisabledpeoplewherepossible.Ifnot,organisationsofdisabledpeoplecanprovideinvaluableinsights.Disabilityequalitytrainingisamoreindepthcoursewhichfocusesonorganisationalissuesandassuchisparticularlyrelevanttomanagers.Itshouldnormallybedeliveredbysomeonewithpersonalexperienceofdisability.
2.7 ThisCoderecognisesthatsmallbusinesses,suchasindependenttravelagents,maynotbeabletodeliverindepthdisabilitytrainingaspartofinductiontraining.Itisvitalinsuchinstancesthatthereisatleastoneseniorstaffmemberavailablewhohasbeentrainedandisabletoofferadvicetolessexperiencedemployeesandtocustomers.
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Training
2.8 Staffmaylackconfidenceorfeeluncertainabouthowbesttoassistdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.Forexample,
theymaybeunsureaboutthepreferredmeansofcommunicatingwithcustomerswhohavespeechorhearingimpairments,ortheymaynotknowwhattypeofquestionstoasksomeonewhohasreducedmobility.Disabilityequalityandawarenesstrainingwillequipstaffwiththenecessaryskillsandconfidencetoensurethatallstagesofthecustomer’sjourneyaretroublefreeandmadeaseasyaspossible,frommakingthebookingtosettingoutontheirjourney.
2.9 Organisationsofdisabledpeopleshouldbeinvolvedinthe
developmentandimplementationofthesetrainingprogrammes.
2.10 Thetrainingshouldinvolvedisabledpeople,whounderstandandcansharethewiderangeofneedsandchallengesfaced.Thishastheaddedvalueofgivingstaffdirectcontactwithdisabledpeople.Smallbusinessesshouldalsoinvolvedisabledpeoplewherepossible,butmayneedtoconsultandconsideralternativetrainingmethodsavailable,suchaspaperbasedorelectronicmediabasedtraining,inordertoachievethebasicrecommendations.
2.11 Trainingshouldbetailoredtotheparticularjobfunctionrequirementsandwillneedtotakeaccountoftherelevantlegalduties.Ingeneral,programmesshouldinclude(asappropriate):
l barriersfacedbydisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility,includingattitude,environmentandorganisation,andsuggestionsforremovingsuchbarriers;
l principlesofaccessibilityaudits;
l informationontherangeofdisabilities,includinghiddenorlessvisibledisabilities;
l theskillsneededforassistingdisabledorreducedmobilitypassengers;
l enablingstafftodealwithunexpectedoccurrences–to“thinkontheirfeet”;
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l communicationandinterpersonalskillsforinteractingwith
disabledpeople,inparticularthosewhoaredeaf,haveahearingorspeechimpairmentorlearningdifficulties;
l generalawarenessoftheECRegulation,theDisabilityDiscriminationActandECACDoc30.
2.12 ECACDoc30AnnexNcontainsguidelinesonawarenessanddisabilityequalityforallairportandairlinepersonneldealingwiththetravellingpublic.Itincludesusefulhintsonhowbesttoprovideaservicetopeoplewiththefollowingdisabilities:
l wheelchairusers;
l peoplewithwalkingdifficulties;
l peoplewhoaredeaforhardofhearing;
l peoplewhoareblindorpartiallysighted;
l peoplewhoaredeafblind;
l peoplewithimpairedspeech;
l peoplewithlearningdifficulties;
l peoplewithinvisibledisabilities.
2.13 Thesuccessfuldeliveryofassistancetodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilitydependsonpassengersnotifyingtheirneedsatleast48hoursbeforetheirscheduledtimeofdeparture,andthetransmissionofthisinformationtothoseinvolvedinprovidingtheassistance.Bookingagentshaveavitalroleinthisprocessand
shouldreceivespecifictrainingonhowtoseekandrecordthisinformationandtoensurethatitispassedoncorrectly.
2.14 Inadditiontogeneraltraining,airportmanagingbodies,aircarriersandassistanceprovidersshouldprovidespecifictrainingforpersonnelwhomayberequiredtoprovidedirectassistancetodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.Forexample,guidingandmanuallifting,drivingspecialistvehiclesandusingspecialistequipmentsuchaswheelchairs.Asaminimum,trainingfor
personnelprovidingassistanceshouldcoverthetopicslistedinSection2.2ofAnnexKtoECACDoc30.Trainingshouldalsocoverhealthandsafetyinformationandguidancewhereappropriate.
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2.15 Exceptincaseswherestaffare‘shadowing’aspartoftheirinduction,alltrainingshouldbecarriedoutbeforecommencingduties.Training
shouldberefreshedatappropriateintervalsthereafter.AnnexKofECACDoc30recommendsthatallstaffdealingdirectlywiththepublicshouldreceiverefreshertrainingatleasteverytwoyears,andstaffwhosedutiesincludeassistingdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobilityshouldreceiverefreshertrainingonanannualbasis.
Alltrainingshouldberecorded.
2.16 Cabincrewaretrainedinsafetyproceduresatregularintervalsthatareapprovedbysafetyregulators.Inordertocomplywiththelegal
requirement,thistrainingshouldbecombinedwithdisabilityawarenessandhowtoassistdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityinthecabinenvironment.
2.17 Securitycheckscanbeaparticularsourceofconcernfordisabledpeople,becauseofissuessuchassensitivityaroundphysicalsearchesorhandlingofspecialistmobilityormedicalequipment.TrainingforsecuritystaffshouldtakeaccountofguidancecontainedinAnnexFtoECACDoc30andguidanceissuedinsupportoftheUK’sNationalAviationSecurityProgrammebytheDepartmentforTransport’sTransportSecurityandContingenciesDirectorate(TRANSEC).
2.18 TheDisabledPersonsTransportAdvisoryCommittee(DPTAC)hasproducedadisabilityandequalityawarenesstrainingframeworkfortransportstaffwhichisdesignedtobeusedbyallthoseinvolvedinthedeliveryorcommissioningoftrainingfortransportstaffintheUK.Inaddition,ABTA,inassociationwiththeformerDepartmentforEducationandEmploymentandtheRoyalNationalInstituteofBlindPeople,hasproducedadviceontourismandtheDDAwhichplacesparticularemphasisontraining.SourcesofdisabilityequalityandawarenesstrainingaregiveninAnnex7ofthisdocument.Annex8containsguidancetoindustryonworkingwithorganisationsofdisabledpeople.
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Section3
Prejourney
Provisionofinformation
Anaircarrieroritsagentshallmakepubliclyavailable,inaccessibleformatsandinatleastthesamelanguagesastheinformationmadeavailabletootherpassengers,thesafetyrulesthatitappliestothecarriageofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility,aswellasanyrestrictionsontheircarriageoronthatofmobility
equipmentduetothesizeofaircraft.Atouroperatorshallmakesuchsafetyrulesandrestrictionsavailableforflightsincludedinpackagetravel,packageholidaysandpackagetourswhichitorganises,sellsoroffersforsale.
Article 4.3 of Regulation. (EC) No 1107/2006
3.1 Itisacknowledgedthatitmaynotbepracticalfortravelagentsortouroperatorstoholdinformationaboutthesafetyrulesorrestrictionsofall
aircarrierswhoseservicestheysell(includingonconnectingflights).Whereinformationisnotheld,itisimportantthatagentsortouroperatorsknowwheretofindsuchinformationsothatitcanbeprovidedonrequest.Aircarriersshouldpublishsuchinformationontheirwebsites.
3.2 Inadditiontosafetyrules,aircarriers,touroperatorsandtravelagents,shouldmakeavailableinaccessibleformatsbothgeneralinformation,aswellasspecificinformationaboutservicesor
arrangementsfordisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.
3.3 Languageshouldbesimpleandclear,withappropriateillustrations.InlinewiththeDisabilityDiscriminationAct(DDA),allreasonablestepsshouldbetakentoensurethatsuchinformationismadeavailableinalternativemediasuchaslargeprint,audioformatsorcomputerdisk.
Althoughdemandmaybelowerthanforotherformats,itwouldbegoodpracticetohaveBrailleversionsavailableonrequest,particularlyfordocumentswhichhaveawidecirculationandwhosecontentdoes
notchangefrequently.TheRoyalNationalInstituteofBlindPeoplehaspublishedgeneraladviceonaccessibleformatsin“Seeitright”(see
Annex9forfurtherdetails).Informationpublishedontheinternet
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shouldcomplywithwebsiteaccessibilityguidelines(seeAnnex9fordetailsoftheWorldwideWebConsortium’sguidance).
3.4 Thepreciseformofthisinformationwillbeappropriatetotheapplication.Intourbrochures,forexample,itislikelytobemorebeneficialtoallpartiesiftheinformationfordisabledpeopleisincorporatedintothestandardbrochurebutwithappropriatesupportforthosewhoareunabletoreadstandardtext.However,insomecases,itmaybemorereasonableandpracticaltoproduceseparateinformationleafletsfordisabledpeople.
Bookingfacilities
Aircarriers,theiragentsandtouroperatorsshalltakeallmeasuresnecessaryforthereceipt,atalltheirpointsofsaleintheterritoryoftheMemberStatestowhichtheTreatyapplies,includingsalebytelephoneandviatheInternet,ofnotificationsoftheneedforassistancemadebydisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobility.
Article 6.1 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
Thisnotificationshallalsocoverareturnflight,iftheoutwardflightandthereturnflighthavebeencontractedwiththesameaircarrier.
Article 7.1 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 (extract)
3.5 Toensureimprovedprenotificationtoaircarriersandairportmanagingbodiesandtoenablemaximumaccessibilityfordisabledpersonsand
personswithreducedmobility,customersshouldbeabletomakebookingseitherbytelephoneortheinternet.Manypeoplerequestingassistancewillprefertoexplainthisinpersonbytelephoneandinsomecasesaircarrierswillwishtospecifythismeansofcommunication.Thisallowsbookingagentstoaskappropriatequestionsandbetterunderstandthecustomer’sassistanceneeds.
3.6 Considerationshouldbegiventotheprovisionofatextphone(suchasaMinicom),includingappropriatelytrainedstaff,toallowaccessibility
fordeafandhearingimpairedpeople.Textphonesaredevicesusedviathetelephonenetworktoallowpeopletocommunicatebytext.StaffshouldalsobetrainedtoacceptTypetalkcalls,thetelephonerelay
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servicefordeafandhardofhearingpeople.TheRoyalNationalInstituteforDeafPeople(RNID)haspublishedguidanceforbusiness
andorganisationsprovidingcontactdetailsaboutcommunicationchannelsthatareusablebydeaf,hardofhearingandspeechimpairedpeople.
3.7 Easilyaccessiblelinksshouldbemadeavailableonthehomepageofwebsitesandanypagesdedicatedtodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.Websitesshouldclearlyindicatetotheuserhowtheyshouldrecordandnotifytheirrequestsforassistance.
3.8 Asonlinebookingprocessesdonotnormallyinvolveadialoguewithcustomers,websitesshouldencouragecustomerstoprovideasmuchdetailasisnecessaryabouttheirparticularassistanceneeds.Itisimportantthatcustomersmakingonlinebookingscanbecontactedwherefurtherinformationorclarificationisrequired.
3.9 Companieswhichencouragecustomerstobookexclusivelyonawebsiteshouldbeawarethatofferswhichareonlyavailabletointernet
usersmayinfringetheDDAassomedisabledpeoplemaybeunabletousewebsitesforareasonrelatedtotheirdisability.Requiringcustomerstousepremiumratephonelinestodiscussassistanceneedsisequallylikelytobediscriminatorywheredisabledpeoplehavenootherrealisticalternativebuttousethismethodofcommunicationforareasonrelatedtotheirdisability.
3.10 Disabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityshouldnothavetoincurextrachargesasaresultofhavingtoexplaintheirassistance
needs.Inlinewithgoodpracticeinotherservicesectors,aircarriers,travelagentsandtouroperatorsshouldconsidermakingavailableadedicated‘freephone’(0800)numberforcustomerswhowishtonotifyordiscussrequestsforassistance.Wherethephonelineisageneralnumberusedforallformsofbookingenquiriesandthetimetakentodiscussthecustomer’srequirementsaddssignificantlytothelengthofthecall,itwouldbegoodpracticeforthebookingagenttoringthecustomerbacktoavoidthecustomerincurringdisproportionateextracharges.
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3.11 Aircarriers,touroperatorsandtravelagentswhosepremisesare
opentothepublictoallowbookingstobemadeinpersonshouldensurethatthesepremisesareaccessibletodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.
3.12 Part3dutiesundertheDDAapplyhere(seeAnnex3).Insomecasestherearealsostatutoryrequirementstobemetinrelationtotheaccessibilityofbuildings.Anumberoforganisationshaveproducedguidanceonbuildingdesignwhichcoverawiderangeofissuesfromtheuseofcolourandtonalcontrasttoassistblindandpartiallysighted
people,tothedesignofstairs,liftsandescalators.ForalistofthosepublicationsandotherrelevantinformationseeAnnex9.
Rulesoncarriageofdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobility
Preventionofrefusalofcarriage
Anaircarrieroritsagentoratouroperatorshallnotrefuse,onthegroundsofdisabilityorofreducedmobility:
(a)toacceptareservationforaflightdepartingfromorarrivingatanairporttowhichthisRegulationapplies;
(b)toembarkadisabledpersonorapersonwithreducedmobilityatsuchanairport,providedthatthepersonconcernedhasavalidticketandreservation.
Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
Derogations,specialconditionsandinformation
1.NotwithstandingtheprovisionsofArticle3,anaircarrieroritsagentoratouroperatormayrefuse,onthegroundsofdisabilityorofreducedmobility,toacceptareservationfromortoembarkadisabledpersonorapersonwithreducedmobility:
(a)inordertomeetapplicablesafetyrequirementsestablishedbyinternational,Communityornationallaworinordertomeetsafetyrequirementsestablishedbytheauthoritythatissuedtheairoperator’s
certificatetotheaircarrierconcerned;
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(b)ifthesizeoftheaircraftoritsdoorsmakestheembarkationor
carriageofthatdisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityphysicallyimpossible.
Intheeventofrefusaltoacceptareservationonthegroundsreferredtounderpoints(a)or(b)ofthefirstsubparagraph,theaircarrier,itsagentorthetouroperatorshallmakereasonableeffortstoproposeanacceptablealternativetothepersoninquestion.
Adisabledpersonorapersonwithreducedmobilitywhohasbeendeniedembarkationonthegroundsofhisorherdisabilityorreducedmobilityandanypersonaccompanyingthispersonpursuantto
paragraph2ofthisArticleshallbeofferedtherighttoreimbursementorreroutingasprovidedforinArticle8ofRegulation(EC)No261/2004.Therighttotheoptionofareturnflightorreroutingshallbeconditionaluponallsafetyrequirementsbeingmet.
2.Underthesameconditionsreferredtoinparagraph1,firstsubparagraph,point(a),anaircarrieroritsagentoratouroperatormayrequirethatadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilitybeaccompaniedbyanotherpersonwhoiscapableofprovidingtheassistancerequiredbythatperson.
3.[seeabove]
4.Whenanaircarrieroritsagentoratouroperatorexercisesaderogationunderparagraphs1or2,itshallimmediatelyinformthedisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityofthereasonstherefor.Onrequest,anaircarrier,itsagentoratouroperatorshallcommunicatethesereasonsinwritingtothedisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobility,withinfiveworkingdaysoftherequest.
Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006Beforeacceptingreservationsfromdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobility,aircarriers,theiragentsandtouroperatorsshouldmakeallreasonableeffortstoverifywhetherthereisareasonwhichisjustifiedonthegroundsofsafetyandwhichwouldpreventsuchpersonsbeingaccommodatedontheflightsconcerned.
Recital 2 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
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Prejourney
3.13 TheCivilAviationAuthority(CAA)hasissuedguidancetoUKaircarriersonthecircumstancesinwhichanaircarriermayrefusetoembark
adisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobility(seeAnnex9).Theguidancestatesthat,whilstitisnotpossiblefortheCAAtodeterminewhatisthemaximumnumberofPRMsthatmaybecarriedonanyparticularflight,itseemsunlikelythatanoperatorwillbeinapositiontorefusetocarryaPRMonlargeraircraftbecausetheJAROPSlimithasbeenreached.
3.14 Aircarriersshouldonlyrequireapersonalassistanttoaccompanyadisabledpersonwhenitisevidentthatthepersonisnotselfreliant
andthiscouldposearisktosafety.Inpractice,thismeansanyonewhoisunabletounfastentheirseatbelt,leavetheirseatandreachanemergencyexitunaided,retrieveandfitalifejacket,donanoxygenmaskwithoutassistance,orisunabletounderstandthesafetybriefingandanyadviceandinstructionsgivenbythecrewinanemergencysituation(includinginformationcommunicatedinaccessibleformats).Insomecases,morethanoneassistantmaybenecessary,forexample,whereliftingisrequired.
3.15 Article4.2oftheECRegulationallowsaircarrierstorequirethatadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilitybeaccompaniedbyanotherpersonwhoiscapableofprovidingtheassistancerequiredbythatperson,inordertomeetapplicablesafetyrequirements.Whereaircarriershavesucharequirement,thisshouldbeexplainedintheirrulesonthecarriageofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility(seeSection3.1).
3.16 Whereapersonalassistantisrequired,anaircarriermaywishto
considerofferingadiscountedrateforthatperson.Itisacknowledgedthatthisarrangementisunlikelytobeviableorpracticalinmanycircumstances,suchaswheretheairlineseatissoldaspartofaholidaypackage.
3.17 Airlinecabincrewshouldnotbeexpectedtoprovidepersonalcaretopassengers.Forthisreason,passengersshouldbeinformedthattheywillalsoneedtobeaccompaniedbyapersonalassistantiftheyrequireassistanceinanyofthefollowingareas:
l breathing(relianceonsupplementaryoxygen);
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l feeding.Cabincrewshould,however,bewillingtoassistwithopeningfoodcontainersanddescribingcateringarrangements
toblindpeople;
l toileting(ifthepassengerisincapableofusingthetoiletfacilitiesunaided).Cabincrewcan,however,beexpectedtoassistapassengertomovethroughthecabininanonboardwheelchair(whereinstalled);
l medicating(ifthepassengerisincapableofadministeringtheirownmedicinesandmedicalprocedures).
3.18 Aircarriersshouldonlyrequiredisabledpassengerstoobtainamedicalclearanceincasesofamedicalconditionwhereitisclearthatthepassenger’ssafetyorwellbeing,orthatofotherpassengerscannotbereasonablyassured.Medicalclearanceformsshouldnotberequiredjusttoproveaneedforassistance.
3.19 TheECRegulationspecifiesthatanaircarrierwillpermitthecarriageoftwoitemsofmobilityequipmentfreeofcharge.Itisgenerallyacceptedthatthismeansmobilityequipmentneededbythepassenger
forthepurposeofthejourneybyair,forexampleawheelchairandwalkingframe.Mobilityequipmentnotessentialforthejourneythatwouldnormallybeavailableforhirewouldnotformpartofthefreeallowance,forexample,amotorisedscooterbeingcarriedinadditiontoamotorisedwheelchair.Aircarriersshould,however,consider,onacasebycasebasis,anyrequestsforessentialequipmentneededbythepassengerduringhisstay,forexampleaportabledialysismachine.SeeSection7forguidanceoncarriageofmedicalequipmentandoxygen.
Obtaininginformationfromcustomers
3.20 Travelagents,touroperatorsandaircarriers’staffshouldactivelyenquireduringallbookingtransactionswhethertherewillbeanyoneinthepartywhomayrequireassistanceattheairportand/orinflight.
3.21 Apassenger’srighttoassistanceundertheECRegulationissubjecttotheirprovidingnotificationoftheirneedforsuchassistanceatleast
48hoursbeforethepublishedtimeofdepartureoftheflight.Advancenoticeshouldideallybegivenatthetimeofbooking,althoughtheremaybecircumstanceswheretheneedforassistancechangesoronly
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Prejourney
arisesafterthebookingismade.However,whereflightsarechangedatshortnoticebytheaircarrier,orpeoplemakebookingsatshort
notice,theremaynotbesufficienttimeforthepersontomeettherequirementforadvancenotice.Insuchcases,anairportmanagingbodyisrequiredundertheRegulationtomakeallreasonableeffortstoprovidetheassistance.
3.22 Therequirementforadvancenoticeshouldallowaircarriers,airportmanagingbodiesandtheirserviceproviderstoplanaheadtoensurethatdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobilityreceivetheassistancetheyneed.Conversely,companieswhichfailtofacilitate
prenotificationofassistanceneeds,orwhichfailtopassoninformation,riskdeliveringalowerstandardofservicetotheircustomersandpossibleprosecution.Inextremecases,thiscouldresultincustomersbeingunabletotaketheirflights.
3.23 Itisvitalthatbookingagentsasktherightsortofquestionstoestablishthenatureofassistancerequiredandareawareofanyrulesandrestrictionswhichmightpreventcarriageofthepersonortheprovisionoftheassistancerequired,includingonanyconnectingflightsforwhich
aticketisbeingsold.Forexample,ifthecustomerortheirmobilityequipmentisparticularlyheavyandmayrequirespecialistequipment,ifthecustomerwishestotravelwithatypeofwheelchairwhichcannotfitintotheaircrafthold,isunabletotravelwithoutapersonalassistantorhasaparticularlyunusualrequest.
3.24 Itisgoodpracticeforaircarrierstohavestaffwithexpertiseinhandlingbookingrequestsfrompassengerswithassistanceneeds.Wherethisisthecase,bookingagentsshouldnotacceptabookinguntilithasbeenclearedbythesespecialistcolleagues.Wherethereisanyuncertainty,agentsshouldalwaysseekfurtheradviceratherthanacceptabookingwhichitmaynotbepossibletohonour.
3.25 Agentsshouldadviseonthelimitsofanaircarrier’sliabilityoncarriageofmobilityequipment,sothatcustomerscanconsidertakingouttheirowninsurance.Agentsshouldalsoalertcustomerstocheckthecurrentstatusofsecurityrestrictionsasthesecouldimpactonthecarriageofmedicalormobilityequipment.
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3.26 Toassistwiththeprocessofgatheringrelevantdata,ABTAhasprovideditsmemberswithasimplechecklisttobecompletedbythe
agent,operatororcustomeratthetimeofbooking.AnoutlineofthatchecklistisprovidedatAnnex512.Usingachecklistmaymakestaffmorecomfortableindealingwithsuchpersonalinformationandmoreconfidentthattheyhavecoveredalltherelevantissues.
3.27 Atypicalquestionthatcouldbeaskedis“wouldanymemberofyourpartyhavedifficultywalking500metres?”Thiswouldaddressthedifficultiesthatmightariseforthosewithwalkingdifficultiesgoingbetweencheckinandthegate,anditwouldalsocapturethosepeople
whodonotconsiderthemselvesdisabledbutwhowouldhavedifficultyintheairportenvironment.
3.28 Itisrecognisedthattherearedifferenttimepressureswherebookingsaremadebytelephone,butitisstillimportanttoestablishwhat,ifany,assistancewillberequired.Failuretodosocouldprovecostlytoresolveatalaterstageifthingsgowrong.
3.29 WhereareservationisrefusedinaccordancewithArticle4.1oftheEC
Regulation,itisessentialthatreasonsaregiven,asrequiredbyArticle4.4.Itwouldbegoodpracticeforthesereasonstoberecorded,notleastbecausethisinformationwillbeneededincaseofanydispute.
3.30 ThereisnorequirementtoprovedisabilityorreducedmobilityinordertoclaimrightsundertheDisabilityDiscriminationActortheECRegulation.Itisgoodpracticetoacceptthatsomeoneisadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityandevidence,suchasGP’sletter,shouldonlyberequestedwhenfraudissuspected,notleastbecausethisislikelytoincuracharge.However,itmaybereasonabletoaskforevidencewhereaserviceisofferedwhichgoesbeyondapassenger’slegalrights.Anexampleofthiswouldbediscountedsecondseats(seeSection3.37below).InadditiontoaGP’sletter,aBlueBadgeorothersuitableevidencecouldbeaccepted.
12Checklistwascorrectattimeofpublicationbutmaybesubjecttofuturechanges.PleasecontactABTA
forlatestversion.
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Prejourney
Seatreservations
Assistancetobeprovidedbyaircarriersincludes:
“Themakingofallreasonableeffortstoarrangeseatingtomeetthe
needsofindividualswithdisabilityorreducedmobilityonrequestandsubjecttosafetyrequirementsandavailability.”
AnnexIIofof Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 (extract)
3.31 Aircarrierswhichallocateseatsbeforetheflightshouldallowdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilitytoprebookseatswhichbestmeettheirneeds,subjecttosafetylimitations.Thosearrangementsshouldbecommunicatedtoassistanceprovidersattheairportandcabincrew,forbothoutwardandreturnflights.Aircarrierswhichdonotallocateseatsshouldallowdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilitytopreboard,inordertochooseseatswhichbestmeettheirneeds,subjecttosafetylimitations.
3.32 Inallcircumstancesitshouldbemadecleartothedisabledpassengerthatseatingallocationscannotbeguaranteedsinceoperationaldifficulties,forexample,achangeofaircraft,mayaffect
theseatingplan.Insuchcircumstances,however,everyeffortshouldbemadetoaccommodatedisabledpassengers’needs,forexample,bytryingtoallocateacomparableseat.
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3.33 Therehavebeenoccasionswhendisabledpeoplehaverequestedaseatinaparticulararea(forexample,inabulkheadseat)andhave
thenbeenadvisedthattheirseatmaybeallocatedtosomeoneelseatshortnotice.Thisshouldonlyoccurwhentheairlineregardssomeoneelseashavingagreaterneed.Careshouldbetakentoensurethatbookingsarenottakenifallsuitableseatshavealreadybeenallocated.
3.34 CurrentEuropeanRegulationsoncarriageofpersonswithreducedmobilitystatethatsuchpersonsshouldnotbeallocatednoroccupyseatswheretheirpresencecouldimpedethecrewintheirduties,
obstructaccesstoemergencyequipment,orimpedetheemergencyevacuationoftheaircraft.
3.35 Whereverpossible,peoplewhorequiretransferfromwheelchairsshouldbeallocatedseatswithmoveablearmrestsorseatswherethereissufficientlegroomwhichallowsforeaseofmovementinfrontoftheseats,subjecttotherestrictionsin3.34.
3.36 Airportcheckinstaffshouldbemadeawareofanypreallocated
seatreservationstoensurethataseatallocatedtoadisabledorreducedmobilitypassengerisnotreallocatedbeforetheminimumcheckintimefortheflight.Cabincrewshouldbeadvisednottoreallocateaseatonboardunlesstheseatisoccupiedbyanondisabledpassengerandadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityneedstheseat.
Additionalseats
3.37 Where,becauseofthenatureoftheirdisabilityorreducedmobility,adisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityrequirestwoseats(ormore),aircarriersshouldconsiderofferingthesecond(andthird)seatatadiscountedrate.Thiswouldalsoapplytoassistancedogswhereasecondseatisrequested.Theaircarriershouldhaveitsownpolicyinplacefordealingwithsuchrequestsandshouldinformdisabledpassengersaboutthesupportingevidencerequired.
3.38 Itisacknowledgedthatthisarrangementisunlikelytobeviableor
practicalinmanycircumstances,suchaswheretheairlineseatissoldaspartofaholidaypackage.Forreasonsofviability,theairlinecanrestrictthenumberofsuchbookingsthattheycanacceptonany
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Prejourney
particularflight.Thiswillbeparticularlyimportantforchartercompaniesthatarelikelytohaveahigherproportionofdisabledpassengers.
Passengersshouldbeexpectedtoprovideproofoftheirneedfortwoseats.
Whereadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityisassistedbyanaccompanyingperson,theaircarrierwillmakeallreasonableeffortstogivesuchapersonaseatnexttothedisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobility.
AnnexIIofof Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 (extract)
Transmissionofinformation
2. Whenanaircarrieroritsagentoratouroperatorreceivesanotificationoftheneedforassistanceatleast48hoursbeforethepublisheddeparturetimefortheflight,itshalltransmittheinformationconcernedatleast36hoursbeforethepublisheddeparturetimefortheflight:
(a) tothemanagingbodiesoftheairportsofdeparture,arrivalandtransit,and
(b)totheoperatingaircarrier,ifareservationwasnotmadewiththatcarrier,unlesstheidentityoftheoperatingaircarrierisnotknownatthetimeofnotification,inwhichcasetheinformationshallbetransmittedassoonaspracticable.
3. Inallcasesotherthanthosementionedinparagraph2,theaircarrieroritsagentortouroperatorshalltransmitthe
informationassoonaspossible. Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 (relevant extracts)
3.39 Itisvitalthatinformationrelatingtopassengers’assistancerequirementsisrecordedaccurately.Itistheresponsibilityofaircarriers,theiragentsandtouroperatorstotransmitinformationinaccordancewiththetimesspecifiedtoensurethatassistanceisprovidedasrequested.Anaircarrier,agentortouroperatormaywish
toexceedthe36hourdeadlinefortransmittingassistanceinformation.Thiswillbenecessaryincaseswhereofficesarenotopenatweekends.
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3.40 Theinformationprovidedshouldberecordedandtransmittedtothe
operatingaircarrier(whererelevant)andairportmanagingbodiesusingtheinternationallyagreedcodes(seeAnnex4fordetails)andintheagreedPAL/CALIATAstandardisedformat.
3.41 ItisimportantforallbusinessestocomplywiththerequirementsoftheDataProtectionAct1984(DPA).Informationaboutphysicalormentalhealthisconsidered“sensitivepersonaldata”undertheDPA.WhendealingwithsensitivepersonaldatatheActrequiresexplicitconsenttobegivenbytheindividual.Mostassistancerequestsare
unlikelytorequiredataofthisnaturetoberecorded,butwhereitisconsiderednecessarytocapturesuchdata,itisimportantthatthepassengerunderstandsthattheinformationwillneedtobepassedontootherpartiesforthepurposeofprovidingtherequestedassistance.Ifpassengersobjecttothis,theyshouldbemadeawarethataircarrierswillbeunabletotransmittheirrequirementsandconsequentlytherecanbenoguaranteethatthesewillbemet.Aircarriersmaywishtoexplorethepossibilityofstoringdataforfutureuse,particularlyforfrequentcustomers.
3.42 Whereitisgenuinelynotpossibletoobtaintheexplicitconsentoftheactualcustomertowhomthesensitivepersonaldatarelates,itmightbepossibletoobtainthatconsentfromsomeoneactingontheirbehalf.Businessesshouldensure,however,thattheyhavereasonablegroundsforbelievingthatthepersonwithwhomtheyaredealingdoesactuallyhaveauthoritytogiveconsentonbehalfofthedatasubject,andthatthisoptionisusedonlyasalastresort.
3.43 Itisgoodpracticefortouroperatorsandaircarrierstoconfirmthat
requestsforassistancehavebeenreceivedandtokeeprecordsinordertodemonstratethatrequestshavebeentransmitted.
3.44 Providingconfirmationtothecustomerinaformattheycaneasilyunderstandwillassistinreassuringthemthattheirrequesthasbeenrecorded.Keepingasimpleaudittrailthatassistancerequestshavebeentransmittedwillhelpcompaniesinsuchcaseswheredisputesariseinrespectoffailuretoprovidetherequestedassistance.Recordsshouldbekeptforanappropriatetimetoprovideevidenceincaseof
latercomplaints.
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Section4
Arrivalattheairport
4.1 Regardlessofhowadisabledpassengerorpassengerwithreducedmobilityarrivesattheairport,theaimshouldbetoprovideaseamlessservice.TheECRegulationimposesspecificobligationswithregardtothedesignationofpointsofarrivalanddepartureattheairport.Itdoesnotcoverthevariousmodesofsurfacetransportwhichmaybeusedtoarriveattheairport,butDisabilityDiscriminationActdutieswillapplytothese.
4.2 Whendisabledpassengersorpassengerswithreducedmobilityarriveattheairport,signageshouldbeclearandunambiguoustoenablethemtofindtheirwayeasilytothecorrectpartoftheairportandtocontinuetheirjourney.
4.3 Everyonearrivingatanairportshouldbeabletoidentifyeasilyandquicklywheretheyneedtogoandhowtogetthere.Designingthesignageandwayfindingsystemswiththeneedsofdisabledpeoplein
mind–includingthosewithlearningdisabilitiesorvisionloss–willensurethatallpassengers,regardlessofdisability,moreeasilyunderstandthesignage.Itisimportantthatairportmanagingbodies
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understandtheirobligationtoinvolvedisabledusersthroughouttheprocessinordertovalidatepossibleaccessibledesignoptions.See
Annex8foradviceonworkingwithorganisationsofdisabledpeople.SourcesofguidanceonmakingsignsaccessibleareinAnnex9.TheDepartmentforTransport’sguide‘InclusiveMobility’providesbestpracticeadviceonaccesstopedestrianandtransportinfrastructure.Thiswillberelevanttothedesignofallairportfacilities.
4.4 Informationaboutthelayoutandfacilitiesatanairport,includingspecificfacilitiesandservicesfordisabledpassengersandpassengerswithreducedmobility,shouldalsobeavailableonairports’websitesfor
passengerstoconsultbeforetheirjourney.Tohelppassengersassesswhethertheywouldneedassistance,thisinformationshouldincludesuchthingsasaveragewalkingtimesfromdepartureloungestogatesandanyobstructionssuchasstepsornarrowdoorways.Itwouldbehelpfultoincludeasimpleprocessmaptoexplainwherepassengersneedtogoateachstageandwhatisrequired.Thiswillbenefitinparticularthosewithlearningdifficultiesaswellasanyoneunfamiliarwiththeairport.
Designationofpointsofarrivalanddeparture1. Incooperationwithairportusers,throughtheAirportUsers
Committeewhereoneexists,andrelevantorganisationsrepresentingdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility,themanagingbodyofanairportshall,takingaccountoflocalconditions,designatepointsofarrivalanddeparturewithintheairportboundaryoratapointunderthedirectcontrolofthemanagingbody,bothinsideandoutsideterminalbuildings,atwhichdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreduced
mobilitycan,withease,announcetheirarrivalattheairportandrequestassistance.
2. Thepointsofarrivalanddeparturereferredtoinparagraph1,shallbeclearlysignedandshallofferbasicinformationabouttheairport,inaccessibleformats.
Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
4.5 TheECRegulationplacesalegalobligationonairportmanagingbodiestoensuretheprovisionofofficialdesignated‘arrivalanddeparturepoints’withintheirairportboundary.Thesewillbeparticularlyimportantfordisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobilitywho
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Arrivalattheairport
aretravellingunaccompaniedandwhoneedtoknowwheretheyshouldsummonandwaittoreceiveassistance.
Thesepointsshouldbedesignatedatleastatthemainentrancestoterminalbuildings,inareaswithcheckincounters,intrain,lightrail,metroandbusstations,attaxiranksandotherdropoffpoints,andinairportcarparks.
Recital 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 (extract)
4.6 ‘Arrival’pointinthiscontextshouldbetakentomeanthepointwherepassengersarriveattheairporttotakeflights.SuchpointswillnotgenerallybefoundonArrivalsconcoursesaspassengersneedingassistanceondisembarkationwillreceivethisonleavingtheaircraft.However,whereArrivalsandDeparturesareasarelocatedincloseproximityanditisnotpracticabletopositionapointintheDeparturesarea,adesignatedpointmaybepositionedintheArrivalsarea.Insuchcases,itisimportantthatsuchpointsareclearlysignedandeasytofind.
4.7 Publictransportinterchangesarenotalwaysunderthedirectcontroloftheairportmanagingbody.Incaseswheretheyarenotanditisnotfeasibletoincludeadesignatedpointattheinterchange,aprocedureshouldbeagreedwiththeinterchangeoperatortoensurethatassistanceisprovidedtothenearestarrivalpointattheairportboundaryandideallytothecheckin(orbeyond)(seealsoSection4.43below).
4.8 Itisnotnecessaryforallfacilitieswithintheairportboundaryorunder
thedirectcontroloftheairportmanagingbody,suchashotels,tohavedesignatedarrival/departurepoints.However,inthesecasesitwouldbehelpfulforstafftobeawareofacontactnumberfromwhereinformationaboutassistanceattheairportcanbeobtained.
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4.9 Automatedarrival/departurepointsshouldfollowthedesignspecificationsfordesignatedpointsincarparksorpublictransportinterchanges(seeSections4.23and4.25below).Inadditiontothespecificationsrequiredforuseincarparks,itisparticularlyimportantthatarrival/departurepointsareaccessibletopeoplewithavisualimpairment.Airportmanagingbodiesshouldprovideseatingatthesepointsandclearsignageshouldindicatethattheseatingisonlyfortheuseofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilitywhoarewaitingforassistance.Sheltershouldbeprovidedwherethis
seatingisoutdoors.
4.10 Basicinformationtobeprovidedatthearrival/departurepointscouldincludeamapoftherelevantairportterminal(s)andalistofkeyfacilities,suchascheckinareas,toiletsandrestaurants.Theinformationdisplayedshouldfollowguidanceonaccessiblesignage.
AlthoughprovisionoftactilemappingorBraillesignagecouldalsobeconsideredinrelationtotheDDAdutytomakereasonableadjustments,itismorelikelythatpassengerswithavisualimpairment
wouldseekinformationorallyfromthearrival/departurepoint.Forthisreason,atelephonewillberequiredwherethepointisnotstaffed.
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4.11 Wheremorethanoneassistanceproviderisinvolved(forexample
wheredifferentprovidersservedifferentterminalswithinthesameairport),aprocedureshouldbeagreedbetweenproviderstoensurethesmoothtransferofpassengerswhoneedtomovebetweenterminals.
Bycar
4.12 Inallcarparksthedesignofentryequipmentshouldallowuseby
driverswhoaredisabled,includingwheelchairusers,andshouldconsiderpositioning,height,ticketissueandprovisionfordeafandhearingimpairedpeople.Aneasytooperatehelpbuttonshouldbeprovidedattheentrance.
4.13 Itshouldbepossibletoreachalloftheentryequipmentcontrolsfromthedriver’swindow,withouttheneedtoopenthedoororgetoutofthevehicle.Allcontrolsshouldbeeasytouserequiringanoperatingstrengthofnomorethan15Newtons.Thecontrolsshouldcontrast
withtheirsurroundsandwheretheyrequireoperationbypushingactiontheyshouldbeabletobeoperatedbyusingthepalmofthehand.
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4.14 Theticketissueshouldprovideasufficientlengthoftickettoenablethedrivertograspholdofiteasily,anditshouldrequireminimum
efforttoremovetheticket.Provisionshouldbemadeforpeoplewhoareunabletousetheirarms.ThismayinvolveconsiderationoftheinstallationofCCTVcamerasatthebarriers,orothersystemswhichwillalertstafftotheneedforassistance.
4.15 Wherenewsystemsareintroducedavisualindicationshouldbeincorporatedtonotifytotheuserthattheirrequestforassistancehasbeenreceived.
4.16 Wherevehicleheightbarriersareinstalledaverticalclearanceof2.6mfromgroundlevelwillberequiredtoallowaccesstohightopconversionvehicles.Alternatively,afacilityshouldexisttoallowtheusersofsuchvehiclestomakearrangementstopass.Theverticalclearanceshouldbemaintainedfromtheentrancetothecarparkto(andincluding)thedesignatedparkingspacesandexitsfromthosespaces.
4.17 Somedisabledpeoplehavevehicleswhichallowthemtodrivefrom,ortravelin,theirownwheelchair.Thesevehiclesareconvertedfromstandardproductionvansorpeoplecarriersandmayhaveahigherthanaverageroofheighttoaccommodateapersonsittinginawheelchair.
4.18 Spacesreservedfordisabledpeople(usingrecognisedbluedisabledpersons’parkingbadges)shouldbeclearlysignedfromthecarparkentrance.Thespacesshouldbeneartoterminalaccesspointsand
paymentfacilitiesandshouldbedesignedtofacilitateaccessfromthesideandrearofthevehicle.
4.19 Itisimportantthatthespacesfordisabledpeoplearedesignedtomeettheneedsofthoseusingthem.Forexample,thereshouldbesufficientnumbersprovided,theyshouldbeclearlysignedandspacesshouldbewideenoughthattheyallowsufficientclearanceforwheelchairusers.Theuseofsuchspacesshouldbemonitoredonaregularbasistoensurethatprovisionissufficienttomeetdemand.Adviceonlayout
andnumbersofspacesneededisgiveninTrafficAdvisoryLeaflet5/95andBS8300(seeAnnex9).TheuserswillnormallybeholdersoftheUK’snationalblueparkingbadgefordisabledpeople.AstheBlue
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BadgeisnowtheEuropeanCommunitystandardisedparkingcardforpeoplewithdisabilities,withreciprocalarrangementsextendingtoall
otherEUcountries,usersmayalsoholddisabledpersons’parkingcardsissuedbythosecountries.TheseshouldbeofasimilardesigntotheUKBlueBadge,althoughthedetailsshouldstillbecheckedtoensurevalidity.
4.20 Airportmanagingbodiesshouldputinplaceproceduresforcarparkstafftofollowintheeventthatthereareinsufficientdisabledspaces.Clearadviceshouldbeprovidedtodriverswhoenterthecarparkbutareunabletofinddisabledspacesfromwheretheycancallfor
assistance.Forexample,informationcouldbedisplayedinproximitytothedisabledspacestoexplainwhatactiontheyshouldtakeiftherearenosuitablespacesavailable.
4.21 Inordertoreducethedistancetotravel,parkingfordisabledpeopleisoftenlocatedinshorttermcarparks(whicharegenerallythoseclosesttotheterminalbuildings).Thisisnotnecessary,provided:
l longandmidtermcarparksareservedbywheelchairaccessible
buses;l thereservedspacesareclosetoandhaveunobstructedaccessto
thebusstops;
l thebusstopsareaccessibletowheelchairusers;
l ahelpbuttonorsimilarsystemisprovidedfordisabledpassengerstocallforassistancewithbaggageormobility.
4.22 TheCoderecognisesthatinsomeairportstheaccessiblebusesmay
operateonspecialservicesdedicatedtodisabledpeople.However,inthosecases,theservicesprovidedshouldbeatleastasgoodasthoseprovidedtootherpassengers,i.e.disabledpeople,havingadvisedoftheirpresence,shouldnothavetowaitlongerfortheservice.Contactdetailsforthoseservicesshouldbeclearlydisplayedatpickuppoints.
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4.23 InaccordancewiththeECRegulation,anarrival/departurepoint
shouldbeprovidedincloseproximitytothereservedspaces.Thispointshouldbeclearlysignedandshouldcontrastwithitssurroundings.Itscontrolsandcommunicationlinksshouldbelocatedbetween750mmand1200mmabovegroundlevel.Anymanuallyoperatedcontrolsshouldbecapableofbeingoperatedwiththepalmofthehandandshouldrequireaforcenotgreaterthan15Newtonstooperate.Thesystemshouldbeaccessibletodeafandhearingimpairedpeople.Asanalternativeatelephonebasedsystem(incorporatinganinductivecoupler)canbeused.Wherenewsystemsareintroducedavisualindicationshouldbeincorporatedto
notifytotheuserthattheirrequestforassistancehasbeenreceived.
4.24 Thesedesignatedpointscanbeusedtosummonassistanceinemergencies,buttheycanalsobeusedbythedisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilitytocallforsupporttoassistthemingettingfromthecarparktotheairportterminalbuilding.
4.25 Alldesignatedpoints,includingthoseusingtelephonesystems,shouldhaveamplification,inductivecouplers,andalightorothervisualdisplaytoassistdeafandhearingimpairedpeople.Atextphonewouldbenefitpeoplewhoareprofoundlydeafandunabletouseamplification.
4.26 Staffrespondingtoassistancerequestsshouldbetrainedtoassistwithliftingbaggageormobilityequipmentoutof(orinto)thecar,buttheyshouldnotbeexpectedtomanuallyhandlethedisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityoutof(orinto)theirvehicle.Where
assistanceisrequiredwithbothmobilityequipmentandbaggage,itmaybenecessaryformorethanonememberofstafftoassist.
4.27 Thesignageforallspacesreservedfordisabledpeopleshouldclearlyindicatethestatusofthosespacestodiscourageotherpassengersfromusingthem.Useofdisabledspacesshouldbemonitoredforabuse.AirportmanagingbodieswillalsoneedtomakearrangementsforpersonswithreducedmobilitywhoarenotBlueBadgeholderstoaccessdesignatedpointsincarparks.
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4.28 Carparkoperatorsshouldestablishasystemforcontinuingto
recognisedisabledpeople’svehiclesthatarenotdisplayingarecogniseddisabledperson’sparkingbadgebecausethepersonneedstousethebadgeattheirdestination.Informationshouldbeavailabletodisabledpeopleaboutsucharrangementsinadvanceoftheirjourney,includingonairports’websites,andclearremindersplacedinthecarpark,adjacenttothespaces.
4.29 InmanycountriesUKparkingbadgeholderscanenjoytheparkingconcessionsthataregiventoresidentdisabledpeopleinthose
countries.Inordertomakeuseofthoseconcessions,however,theyneedtodisplaytheirUKparkingbadge.Itisimportantthereforethatsomeadministrativearrangementsareinplaceatthedepartureairporttoensurethatthedisabledpersoncanparkinthespacesreservedforbadgeholdersbuttakethebadgewiththem.Anexampleofsuchanarrangementisshownbelow.
DISPLAY ON DASHBOARD Voucher No. 00001
ACCESSIBLE PARKING VOUCHER
Car Registration No……………….. Blue Badge Serial No……………………
BLUE BADGE RETAINED BY
OWNER FOR USE ABROAD
Valid from (date):………………………….Expires (date):……………………………
Issued by (signature):……………………………..
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4.30 Paymentmachinesshouldaimtobeaccessibletodisabledpeople,
oraconvenientalternativearrangementshouldbeinplacetofacilitatepayment.Provisionshouldalso,wherepossible,bemadeforpeoplewithhearingimpairmentsifthemachineincludesavoicetelephone/helpbuttonforemergencyuse,i.e.amplification,inductivecouplersandalightorsimplemessagedisplay.
4.31 Adviceonthedesignofpaymentmachines–location,heightofcontrols,etcisgiveninBS8300(seeAnnex9fordetails).Incircumstanceswherethepaymentmachinesdonotmeettheneeds
ofdisabledmotorists,aclearlysignedmanualpaymentsystemshouldbeprovided.
Bytaxi
4.32 Taxiranksshouldbewellsigned.Theyshouldallowdisabledpeopleorpeoplewithreducedmobilitytogetinandoutofthevehicleonthenearsideorrear,andshouldprovideunobstructed,stepfreeaccessto/fromtheterminalbuilding.Whereaccessrequirespassengersto
crossotherlanesoftraffic,footwaysatthosecrossingpointsshouldbeflushwiththeroadsurface(droppedkerborraisedcarriageway)andincorporatetactilepavinginaccordancewithDepartmentforTransportguidelines.
4.33 Whereairportmanagingbodieshaveenteredintoacontractwithafirmtoprovidetaxiservices,theyshouldincludeaconditionthatatleastsomeofthevehiclesservingtheairportshouldbeaccessibletodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility(whichincludes
–butisnotlimitedto–peoplewhoneedtotravelinawheelchair). Asystemshouldbeestablishedtoenablethosevehiclestobecalledtotherankorprebooked.
4.34 Intheabsenceofaconditiontoprovideaccessibletaxiservices,wheelchairusersmaynotbeabletoaccesstaxiservicesfromtheairport,ormayhavetowaitlongerthanotherpassengersforasuitabletaxi,whichwouldbeunacceptabletodisabledpeople.Itwillparticularlyinconvenienceforeignvisitors,orthosetravellingtotheairportfrom
otherpartsofthecountry,whomaybeunabletomakeadvancebookingfortheironwardjourney.
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4.35 Unlessthetaxirankisstaffedduringoperatinghours,adesignated
pointshouldbeprovidedtoenablecustomerstocallforassistance.SeeSection4.23fordetails.
Byhirecar
4.36 Thedropoffpointsshouldbeclearlysigned.
4.37 Thepremisesshouldbeaccessibletodisabledpeople.
4.38 ThephysicalaccessarrangementsarecoveredbyPart3oftheDDA(seeAnnex3).Thereisawealthofinformationavailableaboutmakingpremisesaccessibletodisabledpeople.ForalistofthosepublicationsandotherrelevantinformationseeAnnex9.
4.39 Hirecarcompaniesshouldensurethatanaccessibleshuttleservice,orspecialserviceisavailabletotransferdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobilityfromthehirecarpremisestotheairport
terminalbuildings.Alternativelyanothersystemtoallowdisabledpeopletodropoffclosetotheairportterminalbuildings,forexample,inthepickuparea,shouldbeprovided.
4.40 Wherepedestrianlinksareavailablebetweenthehirecarpremisesandtheairport,theairportmanagingbodyshouldensurethatthesearefullyaccessibletodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.
Bybusortrain
4.41 Wherethebus,trainortramstation(interchange)isownedoroperatedbytheairportmanagingbodytheyshouldensurethatthepremisesarefullyaccessible.Inothercircumstancestheairportmanagingbodyshouldliaisewiththeoperatoroftheinterchangetoencouragesuchprovision.
4.42 Guidanceonthedesignofinterchangesisprovidedin“InclusiveMobility–Aguidetobestpracticeonaccesstopedestrianandtransportinfrastructure”(seeAnnex9fordetails).
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4.43 Aprocedureshouldbeagreedbetweentheairportandthe
interchangeoperatortoensurethatdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityreceiveassistancebetweentheinterchangeandairportterminalbuilding.Ideallytheassistanceshouldbegivenbyoneproviderfrominterchangetocheckin(orbeyond)soastoprovideaseamlessservice.Wheremorethanoneproviderisinvolved,theprocedureshouldensurethatapassengerisneverleftwithoutassistancewherethisisneeded.
4.44 Adesignatedpointshouldbeprovidedattheexit/entranceandonplatformstoallowadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilitytosummonassistance.Itshouldbeclearlysignedandshouldcontrastwithitssurroundings.SeeSection4.23fordetails.
Routestotheterminal
4.45 Dropoffpointsforpassengersbroughtbyanotherdrivershouldhavethesamecharacteristicsasthetaxirankenvironment(seeSection4.32).Allpedestrianroutesbetweendropoffpointsandtheterminalshouldbewellsignedandfullyaccessibletodisabledpersonsand
personswithreducedmobility.Guidanceisprovidedin“InclusiveMobility–Aguidetobestpracticeonaccesstopedestrianandtransportinfrastructure”(seeAnnex9).
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Section5
Movingthroughtheairport
andboardingtheaircraft
Assistance
5.1 Inthepast,assistanceneededbydisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobilitytousetheairportandboardtheaircrafthasbeen
providedbybothairlinesandairports.Toensureaseamlessservice,theECRegulationplacesalegalobligationsolelyonairportmanagingbodiestoprovideassistance.However,thisdoesnotpreventairportmanagingbodiesfromcontractingwiththirdpartiestosupplythisassistance.
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Righttoassistanceatairports
1. Whenadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityarrivesatanairportfortravelbyair,themanagingbodyoftheairportshallberesponsibleforensuringtheprovisionoftheassistancespecifiedinAnnexIinsuchawaythatthepersonisabletotaketheflightforwhichheorsheholdsareservation,providedthatthenotificationoftheperson’sparticularneedsforsuchassistancehasbeenmadetotheaircarrieroritsagentorthetouroperatorconcernedatleast48hoursbeforethepublishedtimeofdepartureoftheflight.Thisnotificationshallalsocover
areturnflight,iftheoutwardflightandthereturnflighthavebeencontractedwiththesameaircarrier.
[2.– seesectionbelowonassistancedogs]
3. Ifnonotificationismadeinaccordancewithparagraph1,themanagingbodyshallmakeallreasonableeffortstoprovidetheassistancespecifiedinAnnexIinsuchawaythatthepersonconcernedisabletotaketheflightforwhichheorsheholdsareservation.
4. Theprovisionsofparagraph1shallapplyonconditionthat:(a)thepersonpresentshimselforherselfforcheckin:
(i) atthetimestipulatedinadvanceandinwriting(includingbyelectronicmeans)bytheaircarrieroritsagentorthetouroperator,or
(ii) ifnotimeisstipulated,notlaterthanonehourbeforethepublisheddeparturetime,or
(b)thepersonarrivesatapointwithintheairportboundarydesignatedinaccordancewithArticle5:
(i) atthetimestipulatedinadvanceandinwriting(includingbyelectronicmeans)bytheaircarrieroritsagentorthetouroperator,or
(ii) ifnotimeisstipulated,notlaterthantwohoursbeforethepublisheddeparturetime.
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5. Whenadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobility
transitsthroughanairporttowhichthisRegulationapplies,oristransferredbyanaircarrieroratouroperatorfromtheflightforwhichheorsheholdsareservationtoanotherflight,themanagingbodyshallberesponsibleforensuringtheprovisionoftheassistancespecifiedinAnnexIinsuchawaythatthepersonisabletotaketheflightforwhichheorsheholdsareservation.
6. OnthearrivalbyairofadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityatanairporttowhichthisRegulationapplies,
themanagingbodyoftheairportshallberesponsibleforensuringtheprovisionoftheassistancespecifiedinAnnexIinsuchawaythatthepersonisabletoreachhisorherpointofdeparturefromtheairportasreferredtoinArticle5.
7. Theassistanceprovidedshall,asfaraspossible,beappropriatetotheparticularneedsoftheindividualpassenger.
Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
ANNEX I: Assistance under the responsibility of the managingbodies of airports
Assistanceandarrangementsnecessarytoenabledisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityto:
— communicatetheirarrivalatanairportandtheirrequestforassistanceatthedesignatedpointsinsideandoutsideterminalbuildingsmentionedinArticle5,
— movefromadesignatedpointtothecheckincounter,
— checkinandregisterbaggage,
— proceedfromthecheckincountertotheaircraft,withcompletionofemigration,customsandsecurityprocedures,
— boardtheaircraft,withtheprovisionoflifts,wheelchairsorotherassistanceneeded,asappropriate,
— proceedfromtheaircraftdoortotheirseats,
— storeandretrievebaggageontheaircraft,
— proceedfromtheirseatstotheaircraftdoor,
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— disembarkfromtheaircraft,withtheprovisionoflifts,
wheelchairsorotherassistanceneeded,asappropriate,— proceedfromtheaircrafttothebaggagehallandretrieve
baggage,withcompletionofimmigrationandcustomsprocedures,
— proceedfromthebaggagehalltoadesignatedpoint,
— reachconnectingflightswhenintransit,withassistanceontheairandlandsidesandwithinandbetweenterminalsasneeded,
— movetothetoiletfacilitiesifrequired.
Whereadisabledpersonorpersonwithreducedmobilityisassistedbyanaccompanyingperson,thispersonmust,ifrequested,beallowedtoprovidethenecessaryassistanceintheairportandwithembarkinganddisembarking.
Groundhandlingofallnecessarymobilityequipment,includingequipmentsuchaselectricwheelchairssubjecttoadvancewarningof48hoursandtopossiblelimitationsofspaceonboardtheaircraft,
andsubjecttotheapplicationofrelevantlegislationconcerningdangerousgoods.
Temporaryreplacementofdamagedorlostmobilityequipment,albeitnotnecessarilyonalikeforlikebasis.
Groundhandlingofrecognisedassistancedogs,whenrelevant.
Communicationofinformationneededtotakeflightsinaccessibleformats
ANNEX I of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
Responsibilityforassistanceatairports
1. ThemanagingbodyofanairportshallberesponsibleforensuringtheprovisionoftheassistancespecifiedinAnnexIwithoutadditionalchargetodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.
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2. Themanagingbodymayprovidesuchassistanceitself.
Alternatively,inkeepingwithitsresponsibility,andsubjectalwaystocompliancewiththequalitystandardsreferredtoin Article9(1),themanagingbodymaycontractwithoneormoreotherpartiesforthesupplyoftheassistance.Incooperationwithairportusers,throughtheAirportUsersCommitteewhereoneexists,themanagingbodymayenterintosuchacontractorcontractsonitsowninitiativeoronrequest,includingfromanaircarrier,andtakingintoaccounttheexistingservicesattheairportconcerned.Intheeventthatitrefusessucharequest,themanagingbodyshallprovidewrittenjustification.
3. Themanagingbodyofanairportmay,onanondiscriminatorybasis,levyaspecificchargeonairportusersforthepurposeoffundingthisassistance.
4. Thisspecificchargeshallbereasonable,costrelated,transparentandestablishedbythemanagingbodyoftheairportincooperationwithairportusers,throughtheAirportUsersCommitteewhereoneexistsoranyotherappropriateentity.Itshallbesharedamongairportusersinproportionto
thetotalnumberofallpassengersthateachcarriestoandfromthatairport.
5. Themanagingbodyofanairportshallseparatetheaccountsofitsactivitiesrelatingtotheassistanceprovidedtodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityfromtheaccountsofitsotheractivities,inaccordancewithcurrentcommercialpractice.
6. Themanagingbodyofanairportshallmakeavailabletoairport
users,throughtheAirportUsersCommitteewhereoneexistsoranyotherappropriateentity,aswellastotheenforcementbodyorbodiesreferredtoinArticle14,anauditedannualoverviewofchargesreceivedandexpensesmadeinrespectoftheassistanceprovidedtodisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobility.
Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
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Qualitystandardsforassistance
1. Withtheexceptionofairportswhoseannualtrafficislessthan150000commercialpassengermovements,themanagingbodyshallsetqualitystandardsfortheassistancespecifiedin
AnnexIanddetermineresourcerequirementsformeetingthem,incooperationwithairportusers,throughtheAirportUsersCommitteewhereoneexists,andorganisationsrepresentingdisabledpassengersandpassengerswithreducedmobility.
2. Inthesettingofsuchstandards,fullaccountshallbetakenof
internationallyrecognisedpoliciesandcodesofconductconcerningfacilitationofthetransportofdisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobility,notablytheECACCodeofGoodConductinGroundHandlingforPersonswithReducedMobility.
3. Themanagingbodyofanairportshallpublishitsqualitystandards.
4. Anaircarrierandthemanagingbodyofanairportmayagree
that,forthepassengerswhomthataircarriertransportstoandfromtheairport,themanagingbodyshallprovideassistanceofahigherstandardthanthestandardsreferredtoinparagraph1orprovideservicesadditionaltothosespecifiedinAnnexI.
5. Forthepurposeoffundingeitherofthese,themanagingbodymaylevyachargeontheaircarrieradditionaltothatreferredtoinArticle8(3),whichshallbetransparent,costrelatedandestablishedafterconsultationoftheaircarrierconcerned.
Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006
5.2 ECACDoc30AnnexJ(Codeofgoodconductingroundhandlingforpersonswithreducedmobility)setsoutguidanceonservicestandards.Theseareminimumstandardsandairportmanagingbodiesshouldbeencouragedtoexceedthesewhereverpossible,inconsultationwithairportusers.Smallerairportswhoseannualtrafficislessthan150,000passengermovementsshouldalsoconsidersettingqualitystandardsonavoluntarybasis.
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5.3 InaccordancewithArticle9.1oftheECRegulation,airportmanagingbodiesshouldconsiderhowtheycanbestinvolvedisabledpersons
andpersonswithreducedmobilityinsettingtheirqualitystandards.Thiscouldinvolveconsultationwithgroupssuchaslocalaccess/disabilitygroupswhosemembershipwouldincludeusersoftheairports.Annex8containsalistofquestionswhichcanhelpairportsinassessingthesuitabilityofsuchgroups.TheDisabilityRightsCommission(nowsubsumedbytheEqualityandHumanRightsCommission)producedguidanceforpublicauthoritiesonhowtoeffectivelyinvolvedisabledpeopleinputtingtogetheradisabilityequalityscheme(seeAnnex9).Someoftheprinciplesinthisguidance
mayalsobehelpfultoairportsastheyconsiderhowtoinvolveusers.
5.4 WheresuchaCommitteeexists,airportmanagingbodiesshouldalsokeeptheirAirportConsultativeCommitteeinformedoftheworktosetqualitystandards.
5.5 Airportmanagingbodiesshouldestablishanappropriateperformancemanagementprocesstomonitorperformanceagainstthestandards.
DesignofInfrastructure
5.6 Manydisabledpersonsorpersonswithreducedmobilitywillnotrequestspecificassistance,eitherbecausetheyareindependentorbecausetheyaretravellingwithanassistant.Itisparticularlyimportantforthesepeoplethattheairportenvironmentisdesignedtobe‘user-friendly’andeasytonavigate.
5.7 ThisCodeofPracticeisnotintendedtobeadesignguidefornewairportinfrastructure.Thedesignofinfrastructureisaspecialistareatowhichseparatelegislationapplies.Thereisawealthofdetailedguidanceonthistopic,suchas“InclusiveMobility–Aguidetobestpracticeonaccesstopedestrianandtransportinfrastructure”andBritishStandardsBS8300:2001–Designofbuildingsandtheirapproachestomeettheneedsofdisabledpeople–codeofpractice(seeAnnex9fordetails).
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5.8 Fromthefirstphaseofplanningnewpublicbuildingsorrefurbishing
existingones,airportmanagingbodiesshouldensurethattheneedsofdisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilityarecentraltothedesignbrief.Thisshouldincludeearlyinvolvementoflocalaccess/disabilitygroupsandengagementofanaccessconsultant.
LANDSIDE
5.9 Signagethroughoutthisareashouldbeclearandunambiguous.Whereverpossiblepictogramsshouldbeusedandwhereappropriate,tactilesymbolsshouldbeusedwherethesigniswithinreachofpassengers,forexampleattoiletfacilities.SourcesofguidanceonmakingsignsaccessibleareinAnnex9.
Check-infacilities
5.10 Checkinfacilitiesshouldbedesignedtobeaccessibletopassengersinwheelchairsaswellasambulantpassengers.Provisionshould
alsobemadetoensurethatstaffcancommunicatewithdeafandhearingimpairedpassengers.
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5.11 Whereassistanceisrequiredandthishasnotalreadybeenprovided
beforecheckin,checkinstaffshouldalerttheserviceproviderordirectpassengerstoahelppoint.Staffshouldalsodothiswhereassistancehasnotbeenrequestedbuttheyaremadeawareofaneedforassistance.CheckinstaffshouldpointouttoownersofassistancedogstherequirementtocarryacceptablepaperworkfortheirdogtoensureitisabletoenterthecountryofdestinationandreentertheUKunderthePetTravelSchemescheme(ifrequired).
5.12 InaccordancewithArticle7.3oftheECRegulation,airportmanaging
bodiesarerequiredtomake“allreasonableefforts”toprovideassistancewherethepassengerhasnotgivenatleast48hoursnoticeoftheirneedforassistance.Thisisespeciallyimportanttocaterforpassengerswhoneedtotravelwithlessthan48hoursnotice,forexample,becauseofafamilyemergency.
5.13 Whereapassengerhasidentifiedtheirrequirementsandseatsareassignedatcheckin,thecheckinstaffshould,beforeassigningthatpassengeraseat,informthepassengerofthoseavailableseatsthataremostsuitableandthenestablishwiththatpassengeranappropriateseatassignmentforthemandanyassistant.
5.14 InaccordancewithArticle4.1oftheECRegulation,ifitbecomesapparentatcheckin(oratthegate)thatapassengerisunabletobecarried,eitherbecauseofsafetyrequirements,orbecauseofthesizeoftheaircraftoritsdoors,thepassenger(andanyaccompanyingpersonrequiredtotravelbytheaircarrier)mustbeofferedreimbursementorrererouting.
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AccesstoAirTravelforDisabledPersonsandPersonswithReducedMobility–CodeofPractice
Self-serviceequipment
5.15 Whereselfservicecheckinfacilitiesareprovidedtheyshouldbesupportedbyastaffedcheckindeskforpassengerswhoareunabletoaccessselfserviceequipment.Theavailabilityofthatdeskshouldbeclearlyindicatedattheselfservicemachine.Wherenostaffarepresent,adesignatedpointsimilartothatdescribedatSection4.9shouldbeprovidedforthosewhomayexperiencedifficultywiththeselfserviceequipment.
5.16 Similarly,whereautomaticticketmachinesareprovided,theytoo
shouldbesupportedbystaffedticketdesksordesignatedpoints.
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Movingthroughtheairportandboardingtheaircraft
Reservedseatingareas
5.17 Whereseatingareasarereservedfordisabledpersonsandpersonswithreducedmobilitytheseshouldincorporatesignagetodiscourageothersfromusingthem.Suchareasshouldbewithincloseproximitytoastaffeddeskandshouldalsobereasonablycloset