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Information for Disabled Passengers
Travelers with Disabilities

GUIDE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FACT SHEET

 

CLICK HERE to download guid in PDF format Disabilities Brochure

Parking

All parking structure entrances on the Lower/Arrivals and Upper/Departure Levels are clearly marked with vertical clearances.

Parking Structures 1, 2A, 3, 4, 6 and 7 have a maximum vehicle height restriction of 8 feet, 2 inches.

Parking Structures 2B and 5 have a maximum vehicle height restriction of 7 feet.

Rampways

Rampways are provided from street to sidewalk level in front of all terminals, and at entrances to other public buildings (such as the airport's unique Theme Building) where there are stairs to negotiate.

Elevators

Rampways are provided from street to sidewalk level in front of all terminals, and at entrances Elevators are located near public stairways and escalators in all passenger terminal buildings. Multi-level parking structures also contain elevators centrally positioned adjacent to terminals.

Telephone Booths

Each passenger terminal provides public phones wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. A Telecommunications Device (TDD) for the deaf or speech-impaired is available in all terminals near the Travelers Aid public information booths. Amplified telephones for the hearing-impaired are available in every terminal. All public telephones at LAX are hearing-aid compatible.

The TDD telephone numbers for information is (310) 665-0370 or the California Relay Service for the Deaf is 1- 800-735-2929. AT&T Public Phone 2000 units provide TDD users with a color monitor and keyboard at other locations in the terminals.

Restrooms

Men's and women's restrooms located in all terminals contain a special extra-wide toilet stall equipped with side grab bars. Look for the disabled symbol. Restrooms equipped for the disabled (unisex) are available at Terminal 2 on the Upper/Departure Level and at Terminal 6 on the Lower/Arrival Level.

Wheelchairs

All major scheduled airlines serving LAX provide wheelchair assistance upon request. To make sure a wheelchair is available at the proper time, it is best to reserve one in advance of a flight departure or arrival by contacting your airline. Wheelchair assistance also may be requested at airline ticket counters.

FlyAway Bus Service

All buses on the FlyAway Bus Service, connecting the San Fernando Valley and LAX, are equipped with wheelchair lifts. Patrons should allow additional time to board the bus when scheduling a departure time. Drivers will assist patrons to get on and off the bus and will assist patrons with baggage.

Transportation Between Terminals For the Disabled

If you have to travel from one terminal to another in order to make a flight connection, you can use the lift-equipped free LAX Shuttle "A" that operates continuously around the Central Terminal loop. When airline assistance is not available, contact the wheelchair shuttle service at Parking Lot C at (310) 646-6402 or (310) 646-8021.

Restaurants

All coffee shops and snack bars providing fast-food service and full-service restaurants are wheelchair-accessible in all passenger terminals.

Other Assistance

Travelers Aid is available to facilitate services for the disabled. Inquire at their passenger information booths located on the Lower/Arrival Level adjacent to baggage claim in each terminal or call (310) 646-2270.

Recent security measures restrict public access beyond passenger screening to ticketed passengers only. However, airlines are allowing "persons with special needs" to be accompanied by health care assistants or guardians. If friends or family members want to accompany an elderly or disabled person to or from the aircraft gate, they need to obtain permission from the airline.

U.S. Department of Transportation Fact Sheet

"Steps Taken to Ensure New Security Requirements Preserve and Respect the Civil Rights of People with Disabilities"

(Issued on October 29, 2001, by the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings and its Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The following fact sheet was created by the U.S. Department of Transportation to inform individuals with disabilities about their rights. It is the responsibility of the airline carriers to provide these services. Los Angeles World Airports provides this information as a service to the traveling public. Individuals with questions or comments about this information should contact their air carrier.)

The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and the Department of Transportation's implementing rules prohibit discriminatory treatment of persons with disabilities in air transportation. Since the terrorist hijackings and tragic events of September 11, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued directives to strengthen security measures at airline checkpoints and passenger screening locations. In securing our national air transportation system, where much of FAA's efforts have been directed to date, steps were also taken to ensure that the new security procedures preserve and respect the civil rights of passengers with disabilities. This Fact Sheet provides information about the accessibility requirements in air travel in light of strengthened security measures by providing a few examples of the types of accommodations and services that must be provided to passengers with disabilities. The examples listed below are not all-inclusive and are simply meant to provide answers to frequently asked questions since September 11 concerning the air travel of people with disabilities.


Check-In

  • Air carriers must provide meet and assist service (e.g., assistance to gate or aircraft) at drop-off points. The lack of curbside check-in, for certain airlines at some airports, has not changed the requirement for meet and assist service at drop-off points.

Screener Checkpoints

  • Individuals assisting passengers with disabilities are allowed beyond the screener checkpoints. These individuals may be required to present themselves at the airlines' check-in desk and receive a "pass" allowing them to go through the screener checkpoint without a ticket.

  • Ticketed passengers with their own oxygen for use on the ground are allowed beyond the screener checkpoints with their oxygen canisters once the canisters have been thoroughly inspected. If there is a request for oxygen at the gate for a qualified passenger with a disability, commercial oxygen providers are allowed beyond the screener checkpoints with oxygen canisters once the canisters have been thoroughly inspected. Commercial oxygen providers may be required to present themselves at the airlines' check-in desk and receive a "pass" allowing them to go through the screener checkpoint without a ticket.

  • The limit of one carry-on bag and one personal bag (e.g., purse or briefcase) for each traveler does not apply to medical supplies and/or assistive devices. Passengers with disabilities generally may carry medical equipment, medications, and assistive devices on board the aircraft.

  • All persons allowed beyond the screener checkpoints may be searched. This will usually be done through the use of a hand-held metal detector, whenever possible. Passengers may also be patted down during security screenings, and this is even more likely if the passenger uses a wheelchair and is unable to stand up. Private screenings remain an option for persons in wheelchairs.

  • Service animals, once inspected to ensure prohibited items are not concealed, are permitted on board an aircraft. Any backpack or sidepack that is carried on the animal will be manually inspected or put through the X-ray machines. The service animal's halter may also be removed for inspection.

  • Assistive devices such as walking canes, once inspected to ensure prohibited items are not concealed, are permitted on board an aircraft. Assistive devices such as augmentative communication devices and Braille 'N Speaks will go through the same sort of security screening process as used for personal computers.

  • Syringes are permitted on board an aircraft once it is determined that the person has a documented medical need for the syringe.

  • Personal wheelchairs and battery-powered scooters may still be used to reach departure gates after they are inspected to ensure that they do not present a security risk. Any backpack or sidepack that is carried on the wheelchair will be manually inspected or put through the X-ray machines.

  • Personal wheelchairs will still be allowed to be stowed on board an aircraft.

  • Air carriers must ensure that qualified individuals with a disability, including those with vision or hearing impairments, have timely access to information, such as new security measures, the carriers provide to other passengers. For example, on flights to Reagan Washington National Airport, persons are verbally warned to use the restrooms more than a half an hour before arrival since after that point in time passengers are required to remain in their seats. Alternative formats are necessary to ensure that all passengers, especially deaf persons, understand new security measures such as the one at Reagan Washington National.
We hope this information is helpful to you. Members of the public, who feel they have been the subject of discriminatory actions or treatment by air carriers, may file a complaint by sending an email, a letter, or a completed complaint form to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD). ACPD's e-mail address is Airconsumer@ost.dot.gov and its mailing address is: Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room 4107, C-75, Washington, DC 20590.

Complaint forms that consumers may download and/or print are available at:
http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/problems.htm.

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