Airline Information and Entertainment Access Act This bill requires air carriers (including foreign carriers) to ensure equal access to airline information and entertainment programming for all airline passengers regardless of their disabilities. Specifically, the bill requires open captioning and an American Sign Language option for persons with disabilities when the information and programming are available to passengers through shared video displays, such as a monitor located in a passenger access aisle; closed captioning and an American Sign Language option when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays; audio descriptions when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays or shared video displays; an aural public address announcement in textual format through individual video displays or shared video displays; and control systems for video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to have a nonvisual operating option. A civil action may be brought in a U.S. District Court against an air carrier for violations of these requirements. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board must set forth the minimum technical criteria for individual video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to ensure that they include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to operate them nonvisually.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Transportation and Public Works
Airline Information and Entertainment Access Act
USA117th CongressS-3333| Senate
| Updated: 12/8/2021
Airline Information and Entertainment Access Act This bill requires air carriers (including foreign carriers) to ensure equal access to airline information and entertainment programming for all airline passengers regardless of their disabilities. Specifically, the bill requires open captioning and an American Sign Language option for persons with disabilities when the information and programming are available to passengers through shared video displays, such as a monitor located in a passenger access aisle; closed captioning and an American Sign Language option when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays; audio descriptions when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays or shared video displays; an aural public address announcement in textual format through individual video displays or shared video displays; and control systems for video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to have a nonvisual operating option. A civil action may be brought in a U.S. District Court against an air carrier for violations of these requirements. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board must set forth the minimum technical criteria for individual video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to ensure that they include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to operate them nonvisually.