Air Travel is Still a Nightmare for Many with Disabilities

In 2018, Congress demanded that airlines and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) make flying better for people with disabilities — but three years later, National Public Radio (NPR) found, passengers report the same problems keep occurring.

NPR received more than 225 responses to a request asking people with disabilities to share their experiences at airports; almost everyone responded with horror stories. Among them: wheelchairs broken in transit; airport escorts who never show up; children with autism separated from their parents at security gates; rough pat-downs; being forced to stand for long periods of time; and being told by a TSA agent to take the harness, leash and collar off of a service dog.

At an event marking the 35th anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said there was a "moral imperative and an economic imperative" to make flying a better experience for passengers with disabilities.

For more information, read the article "Despite calls to improve, air travel is still a nightmare for many with disabilities".