Disabled Flyers May Get More Bathroom Access on Many U.S. Jets

(Bloomberg) -- Airlines would be required to offer lavatories accessible to disabled passengers on more aircraft under a proposal released Monday by the U.S. Transportation Department.

The plan would require airlines to ensure that new, single-aisle jets with at least 125 seats have accessible toilet seats, assist handles, faucets, door locks and other features of aircraft lavatories, the department said in a press release. In addition, airlines would be required to train flight attendants on how to assist disabled passengers going between lavatories and their seats.

U.S. rules currently don’t require single-aisle aircraft to have accessible lavatories, even as those aircraft are increasingly used for long-haul flights, according to the department.

“The inability to use the lavatory on long flights can present significant challenges to passengers with disabilities, and poses a deterrent for some passengers with disabilities to travel by air,” the department said in its statement announcing the proposal.

The plan does not propose making lavatories larger, said the department, which will soon begin a 60-day period for public comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Beene in Washington at rbeene@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, John Harney

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