New DOT rule for 2025 seeks to improve airline travel people with disabilities

Airline travel in 2025 is set to become more dignified for passengers with disabilities under a new Department of Transportation rule.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday announced enhanced protections for people with disabilities traveling on commercial airlines. The new regulations are aimed in particular at protecting passengers who use wheelchairs, after a series of violations of existing laws by airlines. 

For example, the new rule requires training for airlines workers responsible for physically assisting passengers with disabilities and handling their wheelchairs. It also outlines steps airlines must take if they damage or misplace a passenger's wheelchair — all in an effort to make the skies friendlier for the roughly 5.5 million Americans use a wheelchair.