A Very Important Change Is Coming for Airplane Bathrooms

28.07.2023 - 20:12 / afar.com / Pete Buttigieg

Flying in this day and age can be inconvenient and uncomfortable even for able-bodied passengers, but for travelers with disabilities, the experience often ranges from a nightmarish juggling act to altogether impossible. But at least one aspect of the in-flight experience is finally poised to improve for fliers with disabilities.

After years of review dating back to the Obama administration, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Wednesday that it had finalized regulations to require new narrow-body planes to have accessible bathrooms. The ruling, an amendment to the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) of 1986, is a consequential step toward making air travel for disabled passengers easier.

Twin-aisle, wide-body aircraft (typically seen on long-haul international flights) are already mandated to have accessible lavatories. Now, this legislation will require single-aisle planes with at least 125 seats to have a similar setup. The lavatory must permit a person with a disability and an attendant to move freely and provide privacy equivalent to that of ambulatory passengers.

That impacts popular planes, such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family, operated by the major U.S. carriers. According to the DOT, most domestic flights in the U.S. between 1,500 and 3,000 miles are operated with narrow-body aircraft (86 percent in 2021). And as equipment becomes more efficient, single-aisle planes are flying even longer international routes.

For instance, a 3,600-mile flight over the Atlantic between New York and Paris on JetBlue, one that clocks in at more than seven hours, is operated by a single-aisle Airbus A321LR. Similar to most airlines that operate this aircraft type, JetBlue does not have accessible lavatories. The A321LR has a range of up to 4,000 miles and flights can take up to eight hours from wheels up to wheels down.

“The inability to safely access and use the lavatory on long flights can impact the dignity of passengers with disabilities and deter them from traveling by air, limiting their independence and freedom to travel,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “This final rule addresses a human rights issue.”

In addition to larger lavatories, the DOT will require a number of other features, including grab bars, accessible faucets and controls, accessible call buttons and door locks, minimum obstruction to the passage of an onboard wheelchair, toe clearance, and an available visual barrier for privacy.

Two other groups will likely appreciate the DOT mandates. “We also anticipate that the rule will indirectly benefit passengers of size and families with small children,” Buttigieg added.

However, don’t expect this ruling to take effect overnight; in fact, it’s