Aircraft
Wheelchairs in 50-seaters?
A proposed DOT rule to lower the threshold to require wheelchair availability in Part 121-operated aircraft from 60 to 50 seats has rung alarm bells within

A proposed DOT rule to lower the threshold to require wheelchair availability in Part 121-operated aircraft from 60 to 50 seats has rung alarm bells within regional airline circles, where 50-seaters account for well over half of the entire U.S. fleet. In the proposal, the DOT attributed the need for the change to the growing prominence of 50-seat jets. RAA president Debby McElroy sharply criticized the rationale in her response to the filing, calling the current 60-seat threshold “the correct aircraft size for imposition of many customer service and financial requirements.”