The rights of air passengers with disabilities, reduced mobility, and additional needs explained

In the US the following is all covered by law:

• Wheelchair or other guided assistance to board, deplane, or connect to another flight

• Seating accommodation assistance that meets your disability-related needs

• Help accessing airport facilities, such as ticket counters, gates, and onboard lavatories

• Help with loading and stowing assistive devices

• The permission of service dogs when they're trained to perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. More tips for traveling with service animals.

• Emotional support animals, comfort animals, companionship animals, and service animals in training are not considered service animals.

• If you're traveling with a service animal, airlines may need you to fill out Department of Transportation forms about the animal's health, behaviour, and training.

• Generally, airlines can't insist on advance notice that a person with a disability is traveling.

• However, for extraordinary requests air carriers sometimes ask for 48 hours' advance notice to allow them to prepare.

• Airlines must return assistive devices in the same condition they were received. If they get lost or damaged, airlines have to cover the cost of repairing or replacing them.

• The Department of Transportation has created a guide on what you can do if you encounter a problem while traveling.

• The Department of Transportation can investigate, impose sanctions, and require corrective actions. Passengers may receive compensation, such as travel vouchers or monetary compensation, depending on the airline's policy and the severity of the violation.

You're entitled to assistance on the following parts of your journey, if required:

• Assistance through the departure airport

• Boarding the aircraft and during the flight

• Disembarking the aircraft

• Transferring between flights

• Assistance at the destination airport

• To get the best assistance, contact the airline, airport, ticket seller, or tour operator, at least 48 hours before your trip and explain what types of assistance you require and if you'll be traveling accompanied.

• Inform airlines and airports if you'll be traveling with an assistance dog.

• Airlines will need to know if you're taking an electric mobility aid e.g. an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter.

• Ask airlines about their policies relating to compensation in cases of damaged mobility equipment.

• In the UK, passengers who experience discrimination or mistreatment can seek compensation under the Equality Act 2010 for "injury to feelings" and any financial losses resulting from discrimination. The amount of compensation is based on several factors, including the severity and duration of the discrimination, and whether the act was intentional. Passengers can also claim for personal injuries if they can provide medical evidence linking their health issues to the discrimination.

The law gives you the right to the following assistance, if required:

• Help with check-in, as well as moving through the airport

• Help with luggage handling

• Boarding and disembarking, including the provision of lifts, wheelchairs, or other necessary facilities to enable access to the aircraft or terminal building

• Support during the flight and in airports before and after the flight

• Priority treatment in receiving services and assistance

• Disabled persons may be accompanied by a companion or an assistance dog, provided it is arranged in advance

• Ground handling services for assistance dogs

• To get the best assistance, contact the airline, airport, ticket seller, or tour operator, at least 48 hours before your trip and explain what types of assistance you require and if you'll be traveling accompanied.

• Inform airlines and airports if you'll be traveling with an assistance dog.

• Airlines don't have to provide help with eating or taking medication during a flight. If you need this kind of help, for example during a longer flight, airlines might request that another person accompany you.

• If you need to be accompanied on your journey, airlines and airline staff should ensure your companion is able to provide you with the assistance you require and, when possible, the airline should seat this person next to you on the plane.

• If your rights are violated, you can file a complaint with the airline or airport operator. If unsatisfied with the response, you can escalate the complaint to national enforcement bodies, which have the authority to impose fines on airlines and airports for non-compliance. You can also seek compensation for any damages or inconvenience caused.

Canadian law specifies that you must be assisted in the following situations, if you require it:

• With check-in and baggage drop

• With boarding and deplaning

• With connecting flights

• With moving to or from the onboard bathroom

• With seating accommodations that meet disability-related needs

• With mobility aids and other assistive devices

• With service animals trained to assist individuals with disabilities

• While in some cases, no advance notice is required, airlines are required to arrange most services for you when you give them at least 48 hours' notice.

• Inform airlines and airports if you'll be traveling with an assistance dog. Carriers will usually require official confirmation that your service dog has been trained for its role.

• Terminals must have relief areas for service dogs.

• Carriers must provide you with additional seating at no extra cost if it is required. This might be for your equipment, or a support person.

• If waiting in line for border checks is difficult for you because of your disability, you can ask border officials to treat you as a priority passenger.

• If you have a severe allergy, let the carrier know a minimum of 48 hours before departure.

• There are certain situations in which the ATPDR are not applicable, like when your airplane has a maximum capacity of fewer than 29 passengers.

• If a problem arises or you have a concern related to your trip, let the transportation service know. If you're not satisfied with the result, contact the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) to escalate your complaint.

Brazilian law specifies that you must be assisted in the following situations, if you require it:

• Check-in and baggage drop

• Arriving at the airport and at border control

• Boarding the aircraft

• With seating arrangements and mobility inside the aircraft

• Stowing hand luggage

• Individualized demonstration of emergency procedures, when requested

• For passengers with guide dogs

• In accessing the bathroom

• With leaving the aircraft

• With making transfers and onward flight connections

• Arriving at the baggage-reclaim area and reclaiming checked luggage

• Leaving the arrivals hall and accessing the public area

• Air carriers can’t limit the number of people who need special assistance onboard a flight.

• When a flight ticket is purchased, airlines must ask if the passenger will require a travel companion, technical aids, communication aids, or other types of assistance.

• It's the responsibility of the passenger with special assistance requirements to inform airlines of their needs. This communication should be made at the time of purchasing, or at least 72 hours before the scheduled departure time of the flight.

• Technical aids used by passengers for mobility (e.g. a wheelchair) can be used until the aircraft door, as long as they have passed security inspection. Airlines are required to carry one technical aid free of charge, in the cabin if there is space. If technical aids go into the hold they must be treated as fragile and made available immediately on landing.

• Guide dogs are permitted to accompany passengers throughout journeys, including inside the aircraft. It's the owner's responsibility to provide documentation identifying the dog and confirming its training.

• The law recognises the safety and dignity of passengers who require special assistance. It prohibits carrying passengers manually, except during emergency evacuations.

• In the vast majority of cases, special assistance is provided free of charge.

• Passengers can file complaints with ANAC, which can investigate and penalize airlines for non-compliance. Additionally, passengers can seek compensation through the judicial system for any discrimination or mistreatment they experience.