Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers With Disabilities Using Wheelchairs, 38852-38853 [2024-09976]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 8, 2024 / Proposed Rules
actions required by paragraph (h)(4)(i) of this
AD, using the torque value information
identified in paragraph (g) of this AD as
applicable to your model helicopter, inspect
the torque applied on each bolt. Thereafter,
repeat the torque inspection of those bolts
after accumulating 1 hour TIS, but not to
exceed 5 hours TIS, to determine if the
torque has stabilized. Do not exceed three
torque inspections total for those bolts and
accomplish the actions required by
paragraphs (h)(2)(i) and (ii) of this AD.
(5) As of the effective date of this AD, do
not install the following parts identified in
paragraphs (h)(5)(i) and (ii) of this AD on any
helicopter.
(i) For Model 204B helicopters; steel alloy
nut P/N NAS679A, NAS1291, or MS21042.
(ii) For Model 205A, 205A–1, 205B, and
210 helicopters; steel alloy barrel nut P/N
NAS577B9A, P/N NAS577B8A, or P/N
NAS577B6A.
(i) Special Flight Permit
A one-time special flight permit may be
issued in accordance with 14 CFR 21.197 and
21.199 in order to fly to a maintenance area
to perform the required actions in this AD.
(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance
(AMOCs)
(1) The Manager, Central Certification
Branch, FAA, has the authority to approve
AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the
procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In
accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, send your
request to your principal inspector or local
Flight Standards District Office, as
appropriate. If sending information directly
to the manager of the certification office,
send it to the attention of the person
identified in paragraph (k) of this AD.
Information may be emailed to fwaco@
faa.gov.
(2) Before using any approved AMOC,
notify your appropriate principal inspector,
or lacking a principal inspector, the manager
of the local flight standards district office/
certificate holding district office.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
(k) Related Information
For more information about this AD,
contact Michael Perrin, Aviation Safety
Engineer, FAA, 1801 S Airport Road,
Wichita, KS 67209; phone: (562) 627–5362;
email: Michael.j.perrin@faa.gov.
(l) Material Incorporated by Reference
(1) The Director of the Federal Register
approved the incorporation by reference
(IBR) of the service information listed in this
paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR
part 51.
(2) You must use this service information
as applicable to do the actions required by
this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
(i) Bell Alert Service Bulletin 210–21–15,
Revision A, dated February 23, 2022.
(ii) [Reserved]
(3) For service information identified in
this AD, contact Bell Textron Inc., P.O. Box
482, Fort Worth, TX 76101; phone (450) 437–
2862 or (800) 363–8023; fax (450) 433–0272;
email productsupport@bellflight.com; or
website: bellflight.com/support/contactsupport.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:06 May 07, 2024
Jkt 262001
(4) You may view this service information
at the FAA, Office of Regional Counsel,
Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy.,
Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on
the availability of this material at the FAA,
call (817) 222–5110.
(5) You may view this material at the
National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA). For information on
the availability of this material at NARA,
visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/
ibr-locations or email fr.inspection@nara.gov.
Issued on April 26, 2024.
James D. Foltz,
Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–09572 Filed 5–1–24; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
14 CFR Part 382
[Docket No. DOT–OST–2022–0144]
RIN 2105–AF14
Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air
Travelers With Disabilities Using
Wheelchairs
Office of the Secretary (OST),
Department of Transportation (DOT or
the Department).
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of
comment period.
AGENCY:
The Department is extending
through June 12, 2024, the period for
interested persons to submit comments
to its proposed rule on Ensuring Safe
Accommodations for Air Travelers with
Disabilities Using Wheelchairs.
DATES: The comment period for the
proposed rule published March 12,
2024, at 89 FR 17766, is extended.
Comments should be filed by June 12,
2024. Late-filed comments will be
considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: You may file comments
identified by the docket number DOT–
OST–2022–0144 by any of the following
methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and follow
the online instructions for submitting
comments.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590–0001.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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• Fax: (202) 493–2251.
Instructions: You must include the
agency name and docket number DOT–
OST–2022–0144 or the Regulatory
Identification Number (RIN 2105–AF14)
for the rulemaking at the beginning of
your comment. All comments received
will be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov, including
any personal information provided.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the
electronic form of all comments
received in any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may
review DOT’s complete Privacy Act
statement in the Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477–78), or you may visit https://
www.transportation.gov/privacy.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents and
comments received, go to https://
www.regulations.gov or to the street
address listed above. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher Miller, Staff Attorney,
Office of Aviation Consumer Protection,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC
20590, 202–366–9342 (phone), 202–
366–7152 (fax), christopher.miller1@
dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
February 29, 2024, the Department
publicly announced and posted to its
website a notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM) to ensure airline passengers
who use wheelchairs can travel safely
and with dignity. In the NPRM, which
was published in the Federal Register
on March 12, 2024, the Department
proposed to change the way airlines
provide accommodations for
individuals who use wheelchairs. The
NPRM proposed to set new standards
for prompt, safe, and dignified
assistance, to mandate enhanced
training for airline employees and
contractors who physically assist
passengers with disabilities and handle
passengers’ wheelchairs, and to specify
actions that airlines must take to protect
passengers when a wheelchair is
damaged during transport. The
proposed rulemaking also clarified that
any mishandling of a passenger’s
checked wheelchair or other assistive
device is a violation of the Air Carrier
Access Act (ACAA) and proposed to
make the mishandling of a wheelchair
or other assistive device a per se
violation. In addition, the Department
solicited comment on various issues
including the size standards for
E:\FR\FM\08MYP1.SGM
08MYP1
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 8, 2024 / Proposed Rules
lavatories on twin-aisle aircraft and
reimbursements of the fare difference
when the fare on a flight a wheelchair
user took and the fare on a flight that a
wheelchair would have taken if the
wheelchair had been able to fit in the
aircraft differ. The NPRM provided for
a comment period of 60 days after
publication of the NPRM in the Federal
Register, i.e., May 13, 2024.
On March 20, 2024, Airlines for
America, the International Air Transport
Association, the National Air Carriers
Association, the Regional Airline
Association, and the Airline Service
Providers Association (collectively
‘‘Associations’’) filed a joint request to
extend the public comment period for
an additional 90 days. The Associations
state that this additional time is needed
because of the number of questions and
requests for comment posed in the
NPRM and the significance of the
proposed changes to the accessibility
obligations of airlines and airlines’
service providers. The Associations also
ask questions regarding the proposal
and assert that answers to these
questions are necessary to understand
the NPRM’s benefits and impact. The
Department’s responses to the questions
raised in the joint request are posted in
the rulemaking docket at https://
www.regulations.gov/docket/DOT-OST2022-0144.
On April 26, 2024, 16 disability rights
organizations filed a joint comment
urging the Department to deny the
Associations’ requests for an extension
to the comment period for the NPRM.
These organizations are: Access Living,
American Association of People with
Disabilities, The Arc of the United
States, Blinded Veterans Association,
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation,
Cure SMA, Disability Rights Education
& Defense Fund, Epilepsy Foundation, I
AM ALS, Muscular Dystrophy
Association, National Council on
Independent Living, National Disability
Rights Network, National MS Society,
Paralyzed Veterans of America, Parent
Project Muscular Dystrophy, and United
Spinal Association. The disability rights
organizations assert the Department has
provided a sufficient time for relevant
stakeholders to review and comment on
the NPRM considering the multiple
years’ effort to improve the air travel
experience of passengers who are
wheelchair users, and the significant
concerns for their safety and dignity in
air travel.
The Department has carefully
considered the request for extension of
the comment period and the request to
deny the extension and has determined
to extend the comment period for the
proposed rule for 30 days from May 13,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:06 May 07, 2024
Jkt 262001
2024, to June 12, 2024. The Department
believes that granting a one-month
extension of the original comment
period is sufficient to allow
stakeholders to review potential
impacts, to assess the Department’s
responses to the clarification requests,
and to prepare comments.
Given the request from the disability
rights organizations to deny the request
to extend the comment period, the
Department encourages all persons to
submit comments when ready rather
than waiting until the end of the
extended period.
Signed in Washington, DC, on or around
this 1st day of May 2024, under authority
delegated at 49 CFR 1.27(n).
Blane A. Workie,
Assistant General Counsel DOT’s Office of
Aviation Consumer Protection.
[FR Doc. 2024–09976 Filed 5–7–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 110
[Docket No. USCG–2023–0749]
RIN 1625–AA01
Establish Anchorage Ground; Port
Westward Anchorage, Columbia River,
Oregon and Washington
Coast Guard, DHS.
Notice; reopening of comment
AGENCY:
ACTION:
period.
The Coast Guard is reopening
the comment period for the notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled
‘‘Establish Anchorage Ground; Port
Westward Anchorage, Columbia River,
Oregon and Washington,’’ published on
December 28, 2023. Reopening the
comment period will allow additional
time for the public to review and submit
comments on the proposed rule.
DATES: The comment period for the
notice of proposed rulemaking
published on December 28, 2023 (88 FR
89644) is reopened. Comments and
related material must be submitted to
the docket by June 7, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by docket number USCG–
2023–0749 using the Federal Decision
Making Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov. See the ‘‘Public
Participation and Request for
Comments’’ portion of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for
further instructions on submitting
comments.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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38853
For
information about this document call or
email LT Carlie Gilligan, Sector
Columbia River Waterways Management
Division, U.S. Coast Guard; telephone
503–240–9319, email SCRWWM@
uscg.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Request for
Comments
The Coast Guard views public
participation as essential to effective
rulemaking and will consider all
comments and material received on this
notice of proposed rulemaking during
the comment period. Your comment can
help shape the outcome of this
rulemaking. If you submit a comment,
please include the docket number for
this proposed rule, indicate the specific
section of this document to which each
comment applies, and provide a reason
for each suggestion or recommendation.
Submitting comments. We encourage
you to submit comments through the
Federal Decision Making Portal at
https://www.regulations.gov. To do so,
go to https://www.regulations.gov, type
USCG–2023–0749 in the search box and
click ‘‘Search.’’ Next, look for this
document in the Search Results column,
and click on it. Then click on the
Comment option. If you cannot submit
your material by using https://
www.regulations.gov, call or email the
person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this proposed rule
for alternate instructions.
Viewing material in docket. To view
documents mentioned in this as being
available in the docket, find the docket
as described in the previous paragraph,
and then select ‘‘Supporting & Related
Material’’ in the Document Type
column. Public comments will also be
placed in our online docket and can be
viewed by following instructions on the
https://www.regulations.gov Frequently
Asked Questions web page. We review
all comments received, but we will only
post comments that address the topic of
the document. We may choose not to
post off-topic, inappropriate, or
duplicate comments that we receive.
Personal information. We accept
anonymous comments. Comments we
post to https://www.regulations.gov will
include any personal information you
have provided. For more about privacy
and submissions to the docket in
response to this document, see DHS’s
eRulemaking System of Records notice
(85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).
Public meeting. We are not planning
to hold a public meeting but will
consider doing so if we determine from
public comments that a meeting would
E:\FR\FM\08MYP1.SGM
08MYP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 8, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 38852-38853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09976]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
14 CFR Part 382
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2022-0144]
RIN 2105-AF14
Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers With Disabilities
Using Wheelchairs
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation
(DOT or the Department).
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department is extending through June 12, 2024, the period
for interested persons to submit comments to its proposed rule on
Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers with Disabilities Using
Wheelchairs.
DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published March 12,
2024, at 89 FR 17766, is extended. Comments should be filed by June 12,
2024. Late-filed comments will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: You may file comments identified by the docket number DOT-
OST-2022-0144 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket number
DOT-OST-2022-0144 or the Regulatory Identification Number (RIN 2105-
AF14) for the rulemaking at the beginning of your comment. All comments
received will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information provided.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments
received in any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting
the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents and
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov or to the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Miller, Staff Attorney,
Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590, 202-366-
9342 (phone), 202-366-7152 (fax), [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 29, 2024, the Department
publicly announced and posted to its website a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPRM) to ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can
travel safely and with dignity. In the NPRM, which was published in the
Federal Register on March 12, 2024, the Department proposed to change
the way airlines provide accommodations for individuals who use
wheelchairs. The NPRM proposed to set new standards for prompt, safe,
and dignified assistance, to mandate enhanced training for airline
employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with
disabilities and handle passengers' wheelchairs, and to specify actions
that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is
damaged during transport. The proposed rulemaking also clarified that
any mishandling of a passenger's checked wheelchair or other assistive
device is a violation of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and proposed
to make the mishandling of a wheelchair or other assistive device a per
se violation. In addition, the Department solicited comment on various
issues including the size standards for
[[Page 38853]]
lavatories on twin-aisle aircraft and reimbursements of the fare
difference when the fare on a flight a wheelchair user took and the
fare on a flight that a wheelchair would have taken if the wheelchair
had been able to fit in the aircraft differ. The NPRM provided for a
comment period of 60 days after publication of the NPRM in the Federal
Register, i.e., May 13, 2024.
On March 20, 2024, Airlines for America, the International Air
Transport Association, the National Air Carriers Association, the
Regional Airline Association, and the Airline Service Providers
Association (collectively ``Associations'') filed a joint request to
extend the public comment period for an additional 90 days. The
Associations state that this additional time is needed because of the
number of questions and requests for comment posed in the NPRM and the
significance of the proposed changes to the accessibility obligations
of airlines and airlines' service providers. The Associations also ask
questions regarding the proposal and assert that answers to these
questions are necessary to understand the NPRM's benefits and impact.
The Department's responses to the questions raised in the joint request
are posted in the rulemaking docket at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/DOT-OST-2022-0144.
On April 26, 2024, 16 disability rights organizations filed a joint
comment urging the Department to deny the Associations' requests for an
extension to the comment period for the NPRM. These organizations are:
Access Living, American Association of People with Disabilities, The
Arc of the United States, Blinded Veterans Association, Christopher &
Dana Reeve Foundation, Cure SMA, Disability Rights Education & Defense
Fund, Epilepsy Foundation, I AM ALS, Muscular Dystrophy Association,
National Council on Independent Living, National Disability Rights
Network, National MS Society, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Parent
Project Muscular Dystrophy, and United Spinal Association. The
disability rights organizations assert the Department has provided a
sufficient time for relevant stakeholders to review and comment on the
NPRM considering the multiple years' effort to improve the air travel
experience of passengers who are wheelchair users, and the significant
concerns for their safety and dignity in air travel.
The Department has carefully considered the request for extension
of the comment period and the request to deny the extension and has
determined to extend the comment period for the proposed rule for 30
days from May 13, 2024, to June 12, 2024. The Department believes that
granting a one-month extension of the original comment period is
sufficient to allow stakeholders to review potential impacts, to assess
the Department's responses to the clarification requests, and to
prepare comments.
Given the request from the disability rights organizations to deny
the request to extend the comment period, the Department encourages all
persons to submit comments when ready rather than waiting until the end
of the extended period.
Signed in Washington, DC, on or around this 1st day of May 2024,
under authority delegated at 49 CFR 1.27(n).
Blane A. Workie,
Assistant General Counsel DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection.
[FR Doc. 2024-09976 Filed 5-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
