DOT again postpones enforcement of airline wheelchair protection rules
The DOT has once again delayed enforcement of regulations finalized late in the Biden administration that were designed to protect flyers who use wheelchairs.
In a regulatory filing, the department explained that enforcement won't begin before Aug. 1. The delay will give the Trump administration more time to determine if the regulations are consistent with the law and administration policies to consider issues raised by airlines in a Feb. 18 lawsuit challenging the rules, the notice reads.
What the regulations say
The regulations clarify the definition of a mishandled wheelchair, making it easier for the DOT to fine airlines for not returning chairs to customers in the same condition in which they were received.
The rules also require annual training for airline workers who load wheelchairs onto aircraft or who help transport flyers in wheelchairs. Workers would have to complete their initial training prior to performing wheelchair-related duties.
In addition, the regulations stipulate stiffer requirements on airlines for replacing or repairing damaged wheelchairs and for reuniting travelers with lost or delayed wheelchairs. They also require airlines to provide prompt service for assisting travelers in wheelchairs with boarding, deplaning and making flight connections.
The rules stipulate that airlines must prominently publish dimensions of the cargo hold, so that travelers can determine if their chair will fit onto an aircraft before they book. And they require airlines to reimburse travelers for any fare difference when a disabled flyer must pay more to book on a plane with large enough cargo holds.
Regulations had been set to take effect in January
In their February lawsuit, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United and the trade group Airlines for America (A4A) said that the regulations exceed the DOT's statutory authority.
A4A said in a statement at the time that it has been supportive of some of the requirements and that the suit only seeks to curtail areas of overreach.
The first of the new regulations had been scheduled to take effect on Jan. 16, with provisions gradually going into force from then through June of next year, when training-related rules were to go online.
The Trump administration had previously announced that it wouldn't enforce the wheelchair rules until March 20 of this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
10 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Food giant Kraft Heinz vows to stop using artificial dyes
Kraft Heinz promised Tuesday to purge certain artificial food dyes from its products by the end of 2027, a move that follows pressure from the Food and Drug Administration over the issue. The company said it will replace food, drug and cosmetic (FD&C) dyes with natural versions when possible; create new colors and shades, if necessary; or simply remove colors in some cases.
Washington Post
10 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Which countries currently have nuclear weapons?
Nine countries currently either say they have nuclear weapons or are believed to possess them. The first to have nuclear arms were the five original nuclear weapons states — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. All five are signatories to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which commits countries that don't have nuclear arms not to build or obtain them, and those that do to 'pursue negotiations in good faith' aimed at nuclear disarmament.
Fast Company
12 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Amazon Prime Day 2025: What to know about the new dates, deals, expansion, costs, and more
The most inaccurately named sale of the year will soon be held again—so get your wallets ready. Amazon has announced that its annual Amazon Prime Day sales event will take place next month from July 8-11. Yes, Amazon Prime 'Day' is now four days long—twice as long as in previous years. Here's everything you need to know about the summer's biggest shopping event. Amazon Prime 'Day' is now closer to a week long Back on July 15, 2015, Amazon held its first Amazon Prime Day. The now-annual event sees millions of items on Amazon go on sale for Prime members. It's a way to reward them for subscribing to Amazon's subscription delivery service, and the event also acts as a promotion for the service and an incentive to get other Amazon shoppers to subscribe. The inaugural 2015 Amazon Prime Day was true to its name— the event lasted just one day. It also lasted just one day when it was held the following year in 2016. But from 2017 until last year, Amazon extended Amazon Prime Day into a two-day sales event. So I know what you're thinking: This year Amazon has stretched Amazon Prime 'Day' to three days, right? Wrong. Amazon has now announced that Amazon Prime 'Day' is now a four-day event. Yep, in Amazon's world, one day now equals 96 hours. From a math perspective, at this point it would just make more sense for Amazon to round up the 'Amazon Prime Day' moniker to 'Amazon Prime Week' instead of keeping the name rounded down. What are the new dates? Amazon Prime Day 2025 will kick off in the second week of July. The four-day event begins at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, July 8, and runs until Friday, July 11. 'With the summer shopping event returning, for the first time for 4 days, Prime members have double the time to shop millions of deals with savings on pantry staples and snacks for summer gatherings to home-improvement must-haves, back-to-school supplies, health and personal care finds, family-favorite toys, best-selling books, pet essentials, and even premium and luxury splurges,' Amazon said in its announcement. Does every country have Prime Day? Amazon will be holding Prime Day in most of the countries in which it operates. However, while some countries will see Prime Day 2025 fall on July 8-11 this year, other countries will need to wait until later in the year to experience Prime Day. Amazon says the countries that will have Prime Day on July 8-11 include: Australia Austria Belgium Canada Colombia France Germany Italy Ireland Japan Luxembourg The Netherlands Poland Portugal Singapore Spain Sweden Türkiye United States United Kingdom Prime Day 2025 will happen later in the year for additional countries. However, Amazon has not revealed an exact date. The company says Prime members in the following countries 'can shop Prime Day deals later this summer': Brazil Egypt India Mexico Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates What are the best Amazon Prime Day deals? Every Amazon Prime Day event sees millions of items go on sale for Prime members—from apparel to pet supplies to tech. But for this year's Amazon Prime Day, the company is also doing things a little differently. In addition to the regular swath of sale items, Amazon will also be holding time-limited deal sales during the event. These sales will be on select items and will be announced at midnight PDT on each day of the sales event. Amazon is calling these time-limited sales 'Today's Big Deals,' and says the items will only remain on sale while supplies last. In other words, this is Amazon's way of ensuring that people come back to its website repeatedly during the event—hoping they spend more each time. Amazon says its inaugural 'Today's Big Deals' items will include products from brands including Samsung, Kiehl's, and Levi's. How does Prime Day help Amazon's bottom line? While Amazon bills Prime Day as a sales event designed to celebrate and reward its Prime subscribers, the event naturally benefits its own already-deep pockets. Last year, Amazon announced that its 2024 Prime Day was its biggest ever, with the company selling more than 200 million items during the 48-hour event. As Prime Day has become more popular, Amazon's brick-and-mortar competitors have started to hold their own annual summer sales to coincide with Prime Day. However, many of these retailers, including Target and Walmart, hold their sales for a longer period than Amazon Prime Day's historic 48 hours. Sky Canaves, principal analyst at Emarketer, said in a research note, 'Amazon's competitors had piggybacked off its success by launching their own July sales events, often up to a week long, and their revenues during Prime Day had been growing at a faster rate than Amazon's.' Canaves went on to say that this year's doubling of the length of Amazon Prime Day 'will mark a major reversal in that trend.' 'With this year's expansion to four days, Amazon is shaking up what had become a fairly predictable Prime Day playbook,' Canaves said. 'We expect Amazon to capture 75% of US ecommerce sales during this period—compared with less than 60% in last year's two-day format.' According to Emarketer's data, Amazon two-day Prime Day sales totaled $8.47 billion last year. The research firm predicts that Amazon's four-day sales this year will generate $12.93 billion in sales over the 96-hour event. How much does Amazon Prime Day cost? To participate in Amazon Prime Day 2025, you'll need to be a current Amazon Prime subscriber during the period from July 8 to July 11. Amazon Prime subscriptions in the United States cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Amazon also offers a free 30-day trial for eligible customers. Even if you are a subscriber to Amazon Prime on a free trial offer, you'll still be able to take advantage of all the sales Amazon Prime Day offers.
