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The federal government is looking to improve accessibility in aircraft and airports with new disability standards.
As part of the Aviation White Paper, the government has identified barriers to disability access in aviation including unreasonably long check-in wait times, refusal of assistance animals, wheelchair access limits, and disability-unfriendly design.
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Among other measures, the government will create new aviation-specific disability standards; require airlines and airports to coordinate disability assistance; require airport development plans to detail their disability access; and require airlines to offer “passenger assistance profiles” that passengers can use to list their accessibility requirements in future bookings.
Transport Minister Catherine King said passengers with disabilities have had to endure “poor service, inaccessible designs and rules that limit their travel options”.
“Through our consultation, we heard clearly that the treatment of people with disability by the airlines and airports is not good enough,” she said.
“People have been left stranded on planes, forced to return to their departure port or had to put up with poor treatment due to a lack of access to appropriate facilities at their destination.
“The Albanese government is strengthening the rights of people with disability while travelling, as well as enforcing stricter compliance with existing obligations.”
Speaking to ABC’s AM, King pointed to limits on the number of wheelchairs allowed on a plane as one example of a barrier to access.
“Obviously safety is paramount, but if there is no safety reason, there is absolutely no excuse for airlines to be limiting the number of people who need wheelchair or who have mobility issues on an aeroplane,” she said.
“One of the things that we need to make sure is that we look at those policies and then prohibit them doing that.
“This work, though, is part of the immediate work that we want to do to try and improve the way in which people with disabilities experience flights, and how they experience airports as well.”
The government will also look to improve remedies for damage to accessibility devices such as wheelchairs, said Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth.
“People with disability continue to encounter inaccessible facilities and services at airports and face unhelpful practices and systems adopted by airlines, with evidence to this effect heard throughout the disability royal commission,” she said.
“They have a right to fair treatment, and to compensation when their essential equipment is damaged or destroyed.”
The government is also looking to improve consumer protections with a new Ombuds Scheme and Charter of Customer Rights.
