David Heffernan
Updates
Aviation
DOT confirms that comfort animals are not service animals
USA | 23 December 2020The US Department of Transportation has issued a new regulation which substantially revises its rules governing the transportation of service animals on board aircraft. Under the new regulation, airlines will no longer be required to transport emotional support or comfort animals in cabin. Airlines will be required to transport only service dogs (and not other species) and a passenger with a disability may bring a maximum of two service dogs in cabin.
DOT provides airline payment flexibility for enforcement penalty during COVID-19 pandemic
USA | 29 July 2020The US Department of Transportation (DOT) recently issued a consent order assessing a $70,000 civil penalty against Volaris, the Mexican low-cost airline, for alleged violations of the DOT's regulations governing lengthy tarmac delays. The facts of the case and the DOT's rationale for assessing violations did not break new ground, but aspects of the DOT's order may provide insights into how it is approaching enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOT to impose minimum air service obligations on carriers receiving CARES Act financial assistance
USA | 13 May 2020The Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued an order proposing parameters for implementing the authority granted to the secretary of transportation under the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery and Economic Security Act. The order sets out the DOT's expectations regarding the required service levels. This article provides a summary of the key provisions.
FAA grants airlines relief from airport slot use restrictions due to COVID-19
USA | 29 April 2020The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that US and foreign carriers that cancel or reduce service at US slot-controlled airports will not forfeit their slots. The FAA is waiving its 80% minimum use requirement for slots at certain US slot-controlled airports until 24 October 2020. Foreign carriers' retention of their slots at US airports is contingent on reciprocity.
Comfort animals are not service animals: DOT to narrow scope of service animal accommodations
USA | 19 February 2020The Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed significant changes to its disability regulations relating to the transportation of service animals by air. The DOT's current regulations require that airlines allow passengers to travel with a wide range of animals in cabin on the basis that they are service animals or emotional support animals. This article sets out the DOT's most significant proposed changes.
DOT proposes revisions to airline tarmac delay regulations
USA | 13 November 2019The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend its regulations governing situations in which an aircraft remains on the airport tarmac without an opportunity for passengers to deplane for an extended period. Specifically, it proposes to change the departure delay exemption, carrier reporting requirements and record retention requirements, among others. Comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking must be filed with the DOT by 24 December 2019.
FAA plans to increase rest periods for US airline flight attendants
USA | 06 November 2019The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun the process of amending its regulations to require that flight attendants at US airlines receive a rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours between periods of duty lasting 14 hours or less. Under the FAA's current regulations, a flight attendant who is scheduled for a duty period of 14 hours or less must be given a scheduled rest period of at least nine consecutive hours. Comments on the advance notice are due by 12 November 2019.
Consumer protection following introduction of Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorisation Act
USA | 21 November 2018The new Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorisation Act, signed into law by President Trump, will affect aviation-related consumer protection. The Department of Transportation must revise its existing regulations to clarify the laws regarding compensation, establish minimum dimensions for passenger seats that are necessary for passenger safety, prioritise boarding for pregnant women and refine airlines' practice involving pushchairs, among other issues.
Disability-related passenger rights amended by Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorisation Act
USA | 14 November 2018The new Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorisation Act, signed into law by President Trump, will affect airlines' obligations to accommodate passengers with disabilities. The Department of Transportation must, among other things, develop an airline passengers with disabilities bill of rights to explain the protections afforded to passengers with disabilities during air travel and conduct a review of service animal requirements.
Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorisation Act: new airline fees introduced
USA | 07 November 2018President Trump recently signed into law the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorisation Act, which will have wide-ranging implications on the aviation industry. The new law will introduce changes to airline ancillary fee refunds, the forbidding airlines from imposing ridiculous fees provision and passenger facility charges.
