by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:00 PM ET, Sat November 22, 2025
A group of lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives called on the Trump Administration to enforce the Air Carrier Access Act that provided better consumer protections to disabled travelers, which started under President Joe Biden.
According to Reuters, fourteen Democrats wrote and cosigned a letter in opposition to an appeal by major air carriers United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways, advocating in favor of the Air Carrier Access Act.
"These standards ensure that passengers with disabilities can travel safely and with dignity," said the letter signed by the 14 Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee.
The major airlines filed the appeal in February, in which they complained that the rule set stricter standards for accommodating passengers with wheelchairs.
This follows the October, 2024 landmark penalty issue by the Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in which American Airlines was fined $50 million for its mishandling of wheelchairs and other mobility equipment.
In September, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation under Secretary Duffy told airlines it wouldn’t enforce the Air Carrier Access Act provisions pending a review.
The Air Carrier Access Act required airlines to reimburse passengers whose wheelchairs were damaged during transit and sets new standards for employee training, including new certification standards. The act also sets ground rules for how airlines are required to respond when a mobility device is damaged or delayed in transit, bringing better protections for disabled travelers.
The U.S. DOT data supporting the Air Carrier Access Act and the related Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights notes that at least one out of every 100 wheelchairs or mobility aids transported on domestic flights is either lost, delayed or damaged during transit—and approximately 5.5 million Americans use a mobility aid during travel.
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