Hours after publishing the newest challenge of the Wheelchair Journey E-newsletter, wherein I known as out the USDOT for failing to publish the November 2023 Air Journey Shopper Report, the doc was launched (on December 1).
Within the October article Checking in on Wheelchair Harm: How Airways Are Doing, I dedicated to monitoring wheelchair harm statistics and reporting on new knowledge factors every month, together with an up to date year-to-date common. Knowledge supplied within the month-to-month Air Journey Shopper Experiences lags by two months, that means the just lately launched November 2023 ATCR comprises wheelchair harm knowledge for the month of September 2023. The next chart outlines the place carriers stand via September:
In September 2023, reporting carriers checked a complete of 72,976 wheelchairs and scooters, mishandling 1,035 of them for a fee of 1.42% mishandled mobility gadgets, barely greater than the year-to-date common of 1.40%.
Primarily based on YTD knowledge for the primary three quarters of 2023, here’s a rating of airways based mostly on the speed (frequency) of wheelchair harm or delay:
- Allegiant Air — 0.07%
- Delta Air Traces — 0.69%
- United Airways — 1.21%
- Hawaiian Airways — 1.42%
- Southwest Airways — 1.65%
- JetBlue Airways — 1.68%
- American Airways — 1.82%
- Frontier Airways — 1.86%
- Alaska Airways — 1.87%
- Spirit Airways — 5.83%
Via the primary three quarters of 2023, airways carried almost 1,000 extra wheelchairs than in 2022, however the frequency of harm has remained degree — 1.41% in 2022 and 1.40% in 2023.
Some outliers on this knowledge set increase questions. Why is Spirit Airways treating wheelchairs so badly? Allegiant Air has reported mishandling simply 10 wheelchairs this yr, regardless of carrying greater than 15,000. How has Allegiant carried out so nicely, even with out lots of the instruments different airways use to forestall wheelchair harm? How reliable is any of this self-reported knowledge?
On this month’s ATCR, the DOT included the next assertion outlining further work that it’s doing or intends to do in response to boundaries confronted by disabled passengers:
To deal with lots of the vital boundaries and challenges skilled by passengers who use wheelchairs, the Division has initiated a rulemaking proposing that, if adopted after public remark would, amongst different actions, make it an computerized violation of the Division’s Air Service Entry Act rules for airways to mishandle a passenger’s wheelchair. This Discover of Proposed Rulemaking would additionally improve coaching necessities for airline personnel who present hands-on switch help to passengers and deal with wheelchairs. This rulemaking is presently below evaluate by the Workplace of Info and Regulatory Affairs.
As rulemaking progresses, we’ll think about what affect this might have on passengers, if any in any respect — the query has been requested beforehand, what good is a civil proper, rule or regulation if it isn’t enforced?
