WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has finalized a sweeping update to the Air Carrier Access Actregulations, imposing stricter standards on how airlines handle, store, and return passengers' personal wheelchairs. The new rule, which begins phased implementation in 2026, classifies damage to or delay in returning a wheelchair as a serious violation of disability civil rights rather than a routine baggage issue.

Under the updated provisions, U.S. carriers must prioritize gate-check procedures with tamper-evident tags, provide loaner wheelchairs of comparable specifications when a chair is mishandled, and complete mandatory disability-awareness and safe-transfer training for ground crew and flight attendants. DOT officials said more than 11,000 wheelchairs were reported damaged or lost by major airlines in 2024 alone, prompting the regulatory overhaul.

"When your wheelchair is broken or missing, you don't just lose luggage—you lose your independence," said a DOT disability-rights liaison. Airlines have until 2027 to fully integrate wheelchair-tracking systems that allow passengers to monitor their mobility device throughout the journey.