Accessibility of facilities

• New aircraft with 30 or more seats must have movable aisle armrests on half the aisle seats in the aircraft. "New aircraft" requirements apply to planes ordered after April 5, 1990 or delivered after April 5, 1992. No retrofit is required, although compliance with on-board wheelchair requirements (see below) became mandatory on April 5, 1992 regardless of the plane’s age. As older planes are refurbished, required accessibility features(e.g., movable armrests) must be added.

• New widebody (twin-aisle) aircraft must have accessible lavatories.

• New aircraft with 100 or more seats must have priority space for storing a passenger’s folding wheelchair in the cabin.

• Aircraft with more than 60 seats and an accessible lavatory must have an on-board wheelchair, regardless of when the aircraft was ordered or delivered. For flights on aircraft with more than 60 seats that do not have an accessible lavatory, carriers must place an on-board wheelchair on the flight if a passenger with a disability gives the airline 48 hours’ notice that he or she can use an inaccessible lavatory but needs an on-board wheelchair to reach the lavatory.

• Airport facilities owned or operated by carriers must meet the same accessibility standards that apply to Federally-assisted airport operators.