Federal officials are holding off on implementing new regulations that were hailed as the largest expansion of rights for airline passengers with disabilities in a generation.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said this week that it will not enforce what’s known as the “Wheelchair Rule” until at least August.
The rule, which was finalized by the Biden administration in December, requires annual training for airline staff and contractors who help people with disabilities or who handle wheelchairs. In addition, the regulations impose stronger standards for how assistance must be provided, specifying that it be “safe and dignified,” and detail the steps airlines must take if a wheelchair is damaged or delayed.