Accessible travel: the flight, the hotel and your rights

Flying in the US: the Air Carrier Access Act rule

• Who it covers: the rule carries out the Air Carrier Access Act and applies to both U.S. and foreign airlines (14 CFR Part 382, 382.1).
• Advance notice: an airline cannot require you to tell it in advance that you are traveling with a disability (14 CFR Part 382, 382.25). For a few services it may ask for up to 48 hours’ notice, such as using your own ventilator, respirator, CPAP machine or portable oxygen concentrator on board, or traveling with a service animal in the cabin (14 CFR Part 382, 382.27).
• No extra charges for the facilities, equipment and services the rule requires (14 CFR Part 382, 382.31).
• Help at the airport: assistance boarding and leaving the plane, with staff, boarding wheelchairs, ramps or lifts as needed (14 CFR Part 382, 382.95), and help moving through the terminal to make a connection (14 CFR Part 382, 382.91).
• Your wheelchair: if you preboard, you can stow it in the priority cabin space ahead of other passengers’ items; if it goes in the hold, it has priority over other cargo and baggage (14 CFR Part 382, 382.123 and 382.125). Aircraft with more than 60 seats and an accessible lavatory carry an on-board wheelchair (14 CFR Part 382, 382.65).
• Service animals: under this rule, a service animal is a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability; emotional support animals are not service animals (14 CFR Part 382, 382.3).

Accessible hotel rooms

Under the 2010 ADA Standards, a hotel provides guest rooms with mobility features according to its size, and some of them have roll-in showers (2010 ADA Standards, table 224.2):

• Inside the room: accessible living and dining areas, clear floor space on both sides of at least one bed, a bathroom that meets the restroom requirements, and a turning space (2010 ADA Standards, 806.2).
• Communication features for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing: visible alarms where there is an emergency warning system, and visible notification of phone calls and door knocks. A hotel with 2 to 25 rooms needs 2 such rooms, and one with 51 to 75 needs 7 (2010 ADA Standards, 224.4 and 806.3).
• Choice: accessible rooms are spread among the different classes of room, with comparable choices of room type, number of beds and amenities (2010 ADA Standards, 224.5).

Every requirement, room by room, is in ADA hotel room requirements, and how to choose and book a wheelchair room, step by step, in wheelchair accessible hotels. What a roll-in shower measures, and its seat, grab bars and hand-held shower, are in ADA shower requirements.

What to ask before you book

• Does the accessible room have a roll-in shower or a tub, and how wide is the bathroom door?
• Is there a step-free route from the entrance to the room, the restaurant and the pool?
• If you are deaf or hard of hearing, does the room have visible alarms and notification devices?
• If you travel with a guide dog, what will staff ask? Under the ADA, only two questions (see guide dogs).
• If you need help at the airport, request it when you book your flight, and in Europe at least 48 hours before departure.
• If you drive, is there accessible parking near the entrance?

The full list of questions for the hotel, and what it has to do when you book, is in wheelchair accessible hotels. Going by sea? Cruise ships follow their own rule: see wheelchair accessible cruises. And for the day out once you arrive, from theme parks to national parks, see accessible tourist attractions. Getting around once you land? See wheelchair accessible taxis, and for buses and trains at home, ADA paratransit.

More accessibility guides

• Wheelchair accessible hotels: how to choose and book a room that works: roll-in shower or tub, the bed, turning space, what to ask and your rights under the ADA.
• ADA hotel rooms: how many accessible rooms and roll-in showers a hotel needs, rooms for deaf and hard of hearing guests, and what each room has inside.
• Wheelchair accessible cruises: which law covers a cruise ship, booking an accessible cabin, help boarding, wheelchairs on board, tenders and shore excursions.
• Accessible tourist attractions: what to check at a park, zoo, theme park or show: the entrance, the route, rides, tickets, services for blind and deaf visitors, and trails.
• Accessible parking: ADA parking requirements: how many spaces, how wide, the access aisle and the sign.
• Guide dogs: how they work, where they can go under the ADA, and how to act around one.
• Accessible beaches: beach access routes to the water: width, slopes and resting spaces under US federal standards, and what to check.
• Accessible museums: what makes a museum accessible: the route, objects you can touch, captions, assistive listening and seating.
• Wheelchair accessible taxis: what the ADA requires of cabs and drivers: no refusals, no higher fares, help stowing your wheelchair, and which vans need a ramp or a lift.
• ADA paratransit: who qualifies, the 3/4 mile service area, fares up to twice the bus fare, next-day booking, companions and how to apply.
• All accessibility guides