(a) As a carrier, you must not do any of the following things, either directly or through a contractual, licensing, or other arrangement:

(1) You must not discriminate against any qualified individual with a disability, by reason of such disability, in the provision of air transportation;

(2) You must not require a qualified individual with a disability to accept special services (including, but not limited to, preboarding) that the individual does not request. However, you may require preboarding as a condition of receiving certain seating or in-cabin stowage accommodations, as specified in §§ 382.83(c), 382.85(b), and 382.123(a) of this part.

(3) You must not exclude a qualified individual with a disability from or deny the person the benefit of any air transportation or related services that are available to other persons, except where specifically permitted by this Part. This is true even if there are separate or different services available for individuals with a disability, except when specifically permitted by another section of this Part; and

(4) You must not take any adverse action against an individual (e.g., refusing to provide transportation) because the individual asserts, on his or her own behalf or through or on behalf of others, rights protected by this part or the Air Carrier Access Act.

(b) As an indirect carrier, you must comply with §§ 382.17 through 382.157 of this part when providing facilities or services to passengers that would have otherwise been provided by a direct air carrier.

(a) As a carrier, you must modify your policies, practices, and facilities when needed to provide nondiscriminatory service to a particular individual with a disability, consistent with the standards of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended.

(b) This requirement is part of your general nondiscrimination obligation, and is in addition to your duty to make the specific accommodations required by this part.

(c) However, you are not required to make modifications that would constitute an undue burden or would fundamentally alter your program.

(a) As a carrier, you must make sure that your contractors that provide services to the public (including airports where applicable) meet the requirements of this part that would apply to you if you provided the services yourself.

(b) As a carrier, you must include an assurance of compliance with this part in your contracts with any contractors that provide services to the public that are subject to the requirements of this part. Noncompliance with this assurance is a material breach of the contract on the contractor's part.

(1) This assurance must commit the contractor to compliance with all applicable provisions of this Part in activities performed on behalf of the carrier.

(2) The assurance must also commit the contractor to implementing directives issued by your CROs under §§ 382.151 through 382.153.

(c) As a U.S. carrier, you must also include such an assurance of compliance in your contracts or agreements of appointment with U.S. travel agents. You are not required to include such an assurance in contracts with foreign travel agents.

(d) You remain responsible for your contractors' compliance with this part and for enforcing the assurances in your contracts with them.

(e) It is not a defense against an enforcement action by the Department under this part that your noncompliance resulted from action or inaction by a contractor.

As a carrier, you must not limit the number of passengers with a disability who travel on a flight. (See also § 382.27(c)(6) of this part.)

(a) As a carrier, you must not refuse to provide transportation to a passenger with a disability on the basis of his or her disability, except as specifically permitted by this part.

(b) You must not refuse to provide transportation to a passenger with a disability because the person's disability results in appearance or involuntary behavior that may offend, annoy, or inconvenience crewmembers or other passengers.

(c) You may refuse to provide transportation to any passenger on the basis of safety, as provided in 49 U.S.C. 44902 or 14 CFR 121.533, or to any passenger whose carriage would violate FAA or TSA requirements or applicable requirements of a foreign government.

(1) You can determine that there is a disability-related safety basis for refusing to provide transportation to a passenger with a disability if you are able to demonstrate that the passenger poses a direct threat (see definition in § 382.3). In determining whether an individual poses a direct threat, you must make an individualized assessment, based on reasonable judgment that relies on current medical knowledge or on the best available objective evidence, to ascertain:

(i) The nature, duration, and severity of the risk;

(ii) The probability that the potential harm to the health and safety of others will actually occur; and

(iii) Whether reasonable modifications of policies, practices, or procedures will mitigate the risk.

(2) If you determine that the passenger does pose a direct threat, you must select the least restrictive response from the point of view of the passenger, consistent with protecting the health and safety of others. For example, you must not refuse transportation to the passenger if you can protect the health and safety of others by means short of a refusal.

(3) In exercising this authority, you must not act inconsistently with the provisions of this part.

(4) If your actions are inconsistent with any of the provisions of this part, you are subject to enforcement action under Subpart K of this part.

(d) If you refuse to provide transportation to a passenger on his or her originally-scheduled flight on a basis relating to the individual's disability, you must provide to the person a written statement of the reason for the refusal. This statement must include the specific basis for the carrier's opinion that the refusal meets the standards of paragraph (c) of this section or is otherwise specifically permitted by this part. You must provide this written statement to the person within 10 calendar days of the refusal of transportation.

(a) You must not do any of the following things on the basis that a passenger has a communicable disease or infection, unless you determine that the passenger's condition poses a direct threat:

(1) Refuse to provide transportation to the passenger;

(2) Delay the passenger's transportation (e.g., require the passenger to take a later flight);

(3) Impose on the passenger any condition, restriction, or requirement not imposed on other passengers; or

(4) Require the passenger to provide a medical certificate.

(b) In assessing whether the passenger's condition poses a direct threat, you must apply the provisions of § 382.19(c)(1)-(2) of this subpart.

(1) In making this assessment, you may rely on directives issued by public health authorities (e.g., the U.S. Centers for Disease Control or Public Health Service; comparable agencies in other countries; the World Health Organization).

(2) In making this assessment, you must consider the significance of the consequences of a communicable disease and the degree to which it can be readily transmitted by casual contact in an aircraft cabin environment.

(c) If a passenger with a communicable disease meeting the direct threat criteria of this section gives you a medical certificate of the kind outlined in § 382.23(c)(2) describing measures for preventing transmission of the disease during the normal course of the flight, you must provide transportation to the passenger, unless you are unable to carry out the measures.

(d) If your action under this section results in the postponement of a passenger's travel, you must permit the passenger to travel at a later time (up to 90 days from the date of the postponed travel) at the fare that would have applied to the passenger's originally scheduled trip without penalty or, at the passenger's discretion, provide a refund for any unused flights, including return flights.

(e) If you take any action under this section that restricts a passenger's travel, you must, on the passenger's request, provide a written explanation within 10 days of the request.

(a) Except as provided in this section, you must not require a passenger with a disability to have a medical certificate as a condition for being provided transportation.

(b)(1) You may require a medical certificate for a passenger with a disability—

(i) Who is traveling in a stretcher or incubator;

(ii) Who needs medical oxygen during a flight; or

(iii) Whose medical condition is such that there is reasonable doubt that the individual can complete the flight safely, without requiring extraordinary medical assistance during the flight.

(2) For purposes of this paragraph, a medical certificate is a written statement from the passenger's physician saying that the passenger is capable of completing the flight safely, without requiring extraordinary medical assistance during the flight.

(3) To be valid, a medical certificate under this paragraph must be dated within 10 days of the scheduled date of the passenger's initial departing flight.

(c)(1) You may also require a medical certificate for a passenger if he or she has a communicable disease or condition that could pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others on the flight.

(2) For purposes of this paragraph, a medical certificate is a written statement from the passenger's physician saying that the disease or infection would not, under the present conditions in the particular passenger's case, be communicable to other persons during the normal course of a flight. The medical certificate must state any conditions or precautions that would have to be observed to prevent the transmission of the disease or infection to other persons in the normal course of a flight. A medical certificate under this paragraph must be dated within 10 days of the date of the flight for which it is presented.

(d) As a carrier, you may require that a passenger with a medical certificate undergo additional medical review by you if there is a legitimate medical reason for believing that there has been a significant adverse change in the passenger's condition since the issuance of the medical certificate or that the certificate significantly understates the passenger's risk to the health of other persons on the flight. If the results of this medical review demonstrate that the passenger, notwithstanding the medical certificate, is likely to be unable to complete the flight without requiring extraordinary medical assistance (e.g., the passenger has apparent significant difficulty in breathing, appears to be in substantial pain, etc.) or would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of other persons on the flight, you may take an action otherwise prohibited under § 382.21(a) of this part.

As a carrier, you must not require a passenger with a disability to provide advance notice of the fact that he or she is traveling on a flight.

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section and §§ 382.75 and 382.133(e)(4), (5), (f)(5) and (6), as a carrier you must not require a passenger with a disability to provide advance notice in order to obtain services or accommodations required by this part.

(b)(1) You may require a passenger with a disability to provide up to 72 hours' advance notice and check in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to receive carrier-supplied in-flight medical oxygen on international flights, and 48 hours' advance notice and check-in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to receive carrier-supplied in-flight medical oxygen on domestic flights. This service is optional; you are not required to provide carrier-supplied in-flight medical oxygen, but you may choose to do so.

(2) You may require a passenger with a disability to provide 48 hours' advance notice and check-in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to use his/her ventilator, respirator, CPAP machine or POC.

(3) You may require a passenger with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal in the cabin of the aircraft to provide up to 48 hours' advance notice through submission of the forms identified in § 382.75 (a) and (b) as a condition of permitting the service animal to travel in the cabin if the reservation is made more than 48 hours prior to a flight's departure. In the alternative, you may require a passenger with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal in the cabin of the aircraft to provide the forms identified in § 382.75 (a) and (b) at the passenger's departure gate on the date of travel as a condition of permitting the service animal to travel in the cabin.

(c) You may require a passenger with a disability to provide up to 48 hours' advance notice and check in one hour before the check-in time for the general public to receive the following services and accommodations. The services listed in paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section are optional; you are not required to provide them, but you may choose to do so.

(1) Carriage of an incubator;

(2) Hook-up for a respirator, ventilator, CPAP machine or POC to the aircraft electrical power supply;

(3) Accommodation for a passenger who must travel in a stretcher;

(4) Transportation for an electric wheelchair on an aircraft with fewer than 60 seats;

(5) Provision of hazardous materials packaging for batteries or other assistive devices that are required to have such packaging;

(6) Accommodation for a group of ten or more qualified individuals with a disability, who make reservations and travel as a group; and

(7) Provision of an on-board wheelchair on an aircraft with more than 60 seats that does not have an accessible lavatory.

(8) Accommodation of a passenger who has both severe vision and hearing impairments (see § 382.29(b)(4)).

(d) If the passenger with a disability provides the advance notice you require, consistent with this section, for a service that you must provide (see paragraphs (b)(2) through (3) and (c)(4) through (8) of this section) or choose to provide (see paragraphs (b)(1) and (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section), you must provide the requested service or accommodation except to comply with any applicable safety regulations.

(e) Your reservation and other administrative systems must ensure that when passengers provide the advance notice that you require, consistent with this section, for services and accommodations, the notice is communicated, clearly and on time, to the people responsible for providing the requested service or accommodation.

(f) If a passenger with a disability provides the advance notice you require, consistent with this section, and the passenger is forced to change to another flight (e.g., because of a flight cancellation), you must, to the maximum extent feasible, provide the accommodation on the new flight. If the new flight is another carrier's flight, you must provide the maximum feasible assistance to the other carrier in providing the accommodation the passenger requested from you.

(g) If a passenger does not meet advance notice or check-in requirements you establish consistent with this section, you must still provide the service or accommodation if you can do so by making reasonable efforts, without delaying the flight.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, you must not require that a passenger with a disability travel with another person as a condition of being provided air transportation.

(b) You may require a passenger with a disability in one of the following categories to travel with a safety assistant as a condition of being provided air transportation, if you determine that a safety assistant is essential for safety:

(1) A passenger traveling in a stretcher or incubator. The safety assistant for such a person must be capable of attending to the passenger's in-flight medical needs;

(2) A passenger who, because of a mental disability, is unable to comprehend or respond appropriately to safety instructions from carrier personnel, including the safety briefing required by 14 CFR 121.571(a)(3) and (a)(4) or 14 CFR 135.117(b) or the safety regulations of a foreign carrier's government, as applicable;

(3) A passenger with a mobility impairment so severe that the person is unable to physically assist in his or her own evacuation of the aircraft;

(4) A passenger who has both severe hearing and severe vision impairments, if the passenger cannot establish some means of communication with carrier personnel that is adequate both to permit transmission of the safety briefing required by 14 CFR 121.57(a)(3) and (a)(4), 14 CFR 135,117(b) or the safety regulations of a foreign carrier's government, as applicable, and to enable the passenger to assist in his or her own evacuation of the aircraft in the event of an emergency. You may require a passenger with severe hearing and vision impairment who wishes to travel without a safety assistant to notify you at least 48 hours in advance to provide this explanation. If the passenger fails to meet this notice requirement, however, you must still accommodate him or her to the extent practicable.

(c)(1) If you determine that a person meeting the criteria of paragraph (b)(2), (b)(3) or (b)(4) of this section must travel with a safety assistant, contrary to the individual's self-assessment that he or she is capable of traveling independently, you must not charge for the transportation of the safety assistant. You are not required to find or provide the safety assistant, however.

(2) For purposes of paragraph (b)(4) of this section, you may require, contrary to the individual's self-assessment, that an individual with both severe hearing and vision impairments must travel with a safety assistant if you determine that—

(i) The means of communication that the individual has explained to you does not adequately satisfy the objectives identified in paragraph (b)(4) of this section; or

(ii) The individual proposes to establish communication by means of finger spelling and you cannot, within the time following the individual's notification, arrange for a flight crew member who can communicate using this method to serve the passenger's flight.

(3) If a passenger voluntarily chooses to travel with a personal care attendant or safety assistant that you do not require, you may charge for the transportation of that person.

(d) If, because there is not a seat available on a flight for a safety assistant whom the carrier has determined to be necessary, a passenger with a disability holding a confirmed reservation is unable to travel on the flight, you must compensate the passenger with a disability in an amount to be calculated as provided for instances of involuntary denied boarding under 14 CFR part 250, where part 250 applies.

(e) For purposes of determining whether a seat is available for a safety assistant, you must deem the safety assistant to have checked in at the same time as the passenger with a disability.

(f) Concern that a passenger with a disability may need personal care services (e.g., assistance in using lavatory facilities or with eating) is not a basis for requiring the passenger to travel with a safety assistant. You must explain this clearly in training or information you provide to your employees. You may advise passengers that your personnel are not required to provide such services.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this part you must not, as a carrier, impose charges for providing facilities, equipment, or services that this rule requires to be provided to passengers with a disability. You may charge for services that this part does not require.

(b) You may charge a passenger for the use of more than one seat if the passenger's size or condition (e.g., use of a stretcher) causes him or her to occupy the space of more than one seat. This is not considered a special charge under this section.

(a) As a carrier, you must not subject passengers with a disability to restrictions that do not apply to other passengers, except as otherwise permitted in this part (e.g., advance notice requirements for certain services permitted by § 382.27).

(b) Restrictions you must not impose on passengers with a disability include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Restricting passengers” movement within the terminal;

(2) Requiring passengers to remain in a holding area or other location in order to receive transportation, services, or accommodations;

(3) Making passengers sit on blankets on the aircraft;

(4) Making passengers wear badges or other special identification (e.g., similar to badges worn by unaccompanied minors); or

(5) Otherwise mandating separate treatment for passengers with a disability, unless permitted or required by this part or other applicable Federal requirements.

(a) As a carrier, you must not require passengers with a disability to sign a release or waiver of liability in order to receive transportation or to receive services or accommodations for a disability.

(b) You must not require passengers with a disability to sign waivers of liability for damage to or loss of wheelchairs or other assistive devices, or for the loss of, death of, or injury to service animals. Carriers may note pre-existing damage to an assistive device to the same extent that carriers do this with respect to other checked baggage.