Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Air Carrier Act Update: ALERT!

Please join the DBTAC - Southwest ADA Center at ILRU for a webcast on “The Air Carrier Access Act Update and Impending Changes”.

Bill Burnell, Manager of Customer First and Regulatory Programs, Continental Airlines Airport Services Policies and Procedures, will present the webcast on "The Air Carrier Access Act Update and Impending Changes” on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 2:00pm Central.

This session is will provide a brief overview of the new amendments to the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 (ACAA) and it’s implementing regulation, 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382) which will become effective on May 13, 2009. The ACAA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in commercial air transportation along with its implementing regulation, 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382).

Mr. Burnell will discuss how these new amendments apply to both U.S. and foreign carriers, airport accessibility and changes to common services such as flight reservations. He will also address specific changes that may affect passengers who use respiratory assistive devices and passengers who are deaf or hard-of hearing.

Bill Burnell is responsible for ensuring compliance to all regulations involving disability issues set forth by the government at Continental Airlines. Some of the current programs he has implemented include “Project Airport”, an airport tour program that Continental and Memorial Hermann-TIRR initiated at Houston’s Bush-IAH airport, and the “Customers with Disabilities Advisory Board”, a group comprised of several members of the community with disabilities that meets with members of various departments within Continental to offer suggestions and tips on how to better improve disability handling and the product the airline is offering.

To link to this webcast and download accompanying materials visit:
http://ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/calendar.html
Presentation slides are available in text and PDF as alternate formats.

For instructions on how to access a webcast visit:
http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/instructions.html

Please visit this site ahead of time to test and ensure your computer is configured and updated to participate in the webcast.

For technical assistance, please check out our FAQs (frequently asked questions) at:
http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/FAQ.html

Or contact a webcast team member at swdbtac@ilru.org or 713.520.0232 (v/tty).
This webcast is supported through the DBTAC - Southwest ADA Center, a project of ILRU. Southwest ADA Center (www.SouthwestADA.org) is one of ten Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to provide training, technical assistance and materials dissemination on the ADA and other disability-related laws. NIDRR is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

The opinions and views expressed are those of the presenters and no endorsement by the funding agency should be inferred.

We hope to see you on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009!

2 comments:

Anne-Kristine said...

American Airline just blew it with me big time.
I cannot walk more than 15 feet without stopping following a 3 level lumbar fusion with 2 newly implanted artificial discs.
I PAID for priority first class to make sure, I was comfortable and my left leg would be straight.
I ended up in row 15 in the middle seat because of a "mechanical problem" that made the flight delayed 12 times. The only part of the flight that was first class was the short flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Miami, After that, I was in the "back of the plane, in a MIDDLE SEAT! 2 1/2 hours in the most uncomfortable seat there is.
By the time we got to Miami, there was NO WHEELCHAIR waiting and I was ticketed all the way through as needing a wheelchair.
Some supervisor who refused to speak English put me in an electric cart, then he left me there for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, my husband was running around looking for someone to drive it.
If I had proper treatment under ADA, I would NOT have missed my connection.
That resulted in an overnight stay in Miami.
"Carter", who works for AA in the re-booking part of the airport, FAILED to give us a "distress" paper for a reduced hotel rate.
That cost us $168.00.
There is a total of 4 wheelchair pushers for all of Miami International airport. That is insane!.
I have contacted AA, and was told someone would get back to me by email or phone, but so, far, nobody has done either.
If they do nothing, not even a refund on the FIRST CLASS TICKET I paid for but did not get, I am getting an attorney.

Andy Kennedy said...

Anne I'm so sorry for your issues. Do you know about the Complaints Resolutions Officers at every airport? These "CROs" are trained to handle customers with disabilites and their issues, and every time something is reported to them, they report it to the reporting agency that handles complaints nationally, and if necessary, the airline gets fined. No this may not help you immediately, but it certainly helps our cause in the long run, and it urges the airport and the airline for change.
As this issue has already passed, I suggest you mail in your complaint to American Airlines and the Miami Airport directly.