[Nfbf-l] Delta Fined $2 million for Disability Violations

Thu Feb 17 16:56:36 UTC 2011

____________________________________
 From: CGoldfarb at metroplanorlando.com
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Sent: 2/17/2011 11:33:37 A.M. Eastern Standard  Time
Subj: FW: Department of Transportation DOT News Update

DOT 22-11  
Thursday, February 17, 2011 
Contact: Bill Mosley 
Tel.: (202)  366-4570  
Delta Fined  for Violating Rules Protecting Air Travelers with Disabilities 

The U.S.  Department of Transportation (DOT) today assessed a civil penalty 
of $2  million against Delta Air Lines for violating rules protecting air 
travelers  with disabilities.  
This civil  penalty is the largest penalty ever assessed against an airline 
by the  Department of Transportation in a non-safety-related case.   
“Ensuring  that passengers with disabilities receive fair treatment when 
they fly is a  priority for the Department of Transportation,” said U.S. 
Transportation  Secretary Ray LaHood.  “We take our aviation disability rules 
seriously  and will continue to enforce them vigorously.”  
The DOT  requires airlines to provide assistance to passengers with 
disabilities while  boarding and deplaning aircraft, including the use of 
wheelchairs, ramps,  mechanical lifts and service personnel where needed.  Carriers 
also must  respond within 30 days to written complaints about their treatment 
of disabled  passengers, and specifically address the issues raised in the  
complaints.   In addition, airlines must properly code and record  their 
disability-related complaints in connection with required reporting to  the 
Department.  
An  investigation by the Department of Transportation’s Aviation 
Enforcement  Office of disability complaints filed with Delta and DOT revealed many  
violations of the requirement to provide assistance getting on and off the  
airplane.  The carrier’s complaint files also showed that it frequently  did 
not provide an adequate written response to disability complaints from  
passengers.  The Aviation Enforcement Office further found that Delta  also 
failed to properly report each disability complaint in reports filed with  the 
Department.  
Of the of  $2 million penalty, $750,000 must be paid by the carrier and up 
to $1,250,000  may be used to improve its service to passengers with 
disabilities beyond what  is required by law. Delta may target up to $834,000 of 
the civil penalty  amount toward the development and implementation of an 
automated wheelchair  tracking system at the carrier's major hub airports. Up to 
$236,000 may be  used toward developing and distributing customer service 
surveys for  passengers with disabilities to rate Delta’s accommodation 
services and  provide specific feedback to the carrier on how it can improve.  In 
 addition, up to $150,000 may be used to expand audits of the carrier’s  
compliance with Air Carrier Access Act rules and for consultation to help  
improve the quality of Delta’s services to passengers with disabilities at  
airports and up to $30,000 to enhance its website to improve air travel  
accessibility.  The actual costs of these improvements by Delta will be  
significantly greater than the credited amounts.  
The consent  order is available on the Internet at _www.regulations.gov_ 
(http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEyMjM5OTkmbWV
zc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTIyMzk5OSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY1NzQyNTI
mZW1haWxpZD1laGlsbEBtZXRyb3BsYW5vcmxhbmRvLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9ZWhpbGxAbWV0cm9wbGF
ub3JsYW5kby5jb20mZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&101&&&http://www
.regulations.gov) , docket DOT-OST-2011-0003.   
###  

____________________________________

A  Message from Ray LaHood - Every  single time someone takes their eyes or 
their focus off the road – even for  just a few seconds – they put their 
lives and the lives of others in danger.  _Distracted driving_ 
(http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEyMjM5OTkmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVB
SRC1CVUwtMTIyMzk5OSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY1NzQyNTImZW1haWxpZD1
laGlsbEBtZXRyb3BsYW5vcmxhbmRvLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9ZWhpbGxAbWV0cm9wbGFub3JsYW5kby5
jb20mZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&102&&&http://www.distraction
.gov/)  is unsafe, irresponsible  and in a split second, its consequences 
can be devastating.   
This  service is provided to you at no charge by the _U.S.  Department of 
Transportation_ 
(http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEyMjM5OTkmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTIyMzk5OSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaW
FsPTEyNzY1NzQyNTImZW1haWxpZD1laGlsbEBtZXRyb3BsYW5vcmxhbmRvLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9ZW
hpbGxAbWV0cm9wbGFub3JsYW5kby5jb20mZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&
&105&&&http://www.dot.gov/) .  
U.S. Department of Transportation · 1200 New Jersey  Avenue, SE · 
Washington DC 20590 · 202-385-HELP (4357) 