§ 382.40 - Boarding assistance for small aircraft.

(a) Paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section apply to air carriers conducting passenger operations with aircraft having 19-30 seat capacity at airports with 10,000 or more annual enplanements.

(b) Carriers shall, in cooperation with the airports they serve, provide boarding assistance to individuals with disabilities using mechanical lifts, ramps, or other suitable devices that do not require employees to lift or carry passengers up stairs.

(c)(1) Each carrier shall negotiate in good faith with the airport operator at each airport concerning the acquisition and use of boarding assistance devices. The carrier(s) and the airport operator shall, by no later than September 2, 1997, sign a written agreement allocating responsibility for meeting the boarding assistance requirements of this section between or among the parties. The agreement shall be made available, on request, to representatives of the Department of Transportation.

(2) The agreement shall provide that all actions necessary to ensure accessible boarding for passengers with disabilities are completed as soon as practicable, but no later than December 2, 1998 at large and medium commercial service hub airports (those with 1,200,000 or more annual enplanements); December 2, 1999 for small commercial service hub airports (those with between 250,000 and 1,199,999 annual enplanements); or December 4, 2000 for non-hub commercial service primary airports (those with between 10,000 and 249,999 annual enplanements) . All air carriers and airport operators involved are jointly responsible for the timely and complete implementation of the agreement.

(3) Under the agreement, carriers may require that passengers wishing to receive boarding assistance requiring the use of a lift for a flight using a 19-30 seat aircraft check in for the flight one hour before the scheduled departure time for the flight. If the passenger checks in after this time, the carrier shall nonetheless provide the boarding assistance by lift if it can do so by making a reasonable effort, without delaying the flight.

(4) Boarding assistance under the agreement is not required in the following situations:

(i) Access to aircraft with a capacity of fewer than 19 or more than 30 seats;

(ii) Access to float planes;

(iii) Access to the following 19-seat capacity aircraft models: the Fairchild Metro, the Jetstream 31, and the Beech 1900 (C and D models);

(iv) Access to any other 19-seat aircraft model determined by the Department of Transportation to be unsuitable for boarding assistance by lift on the basis of a significant risk of serious damage to the aircraft or the presence of internal barriers that preclude passengers who use a boarding or aisle chair to reach a non-exit row seat.

(5) When boarding assistance is not required to be provided under paragraph (c)(4) of this section, or cannot be provided as required by paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section for reasons beyond the control of the parties to the agreement (e.g., because of mechanical problems with a lift), boarding assistance shall be provided by any available means to which the passenger consents, except hand-carrying as defined in § 382.39(a)(2) of this part.

(6) The agreement shall ensure that all lifts and other accessibility equipment are maintained in proper working condition.

(d)(1) The training of carrier personnel required by § 382.61 shall include, for those personnel involved in providing boarding assistance, training to proficiency in the use of the boarding assistance equipment used by the carrier and appropriate boarding assistance procedures that safeguard the safety and dignity of passengers.

(2) Carriers who do not operate aircraft with more than a 19-seat capacity shall ensure that those personnel involved in providing boarding assistance are trained to proficiency in the use of the boarding assistance equipment used by the carrier and appropriate boarding assistance procedures that safeguard the safety and dignity of passengers.