US wants airlines to offer medical oxygen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Big U.S. and foreign airlines
operating to and from the United States would be required to
provide medical oxygen to passengers who need it, according to
a federal regulation proposed on Wednesday.

Airlines are not required to provide the service and many
carriers opt not to do so, the Transportation Department said.
Those that do provide respiratory devices generally charge a
fee, which can be expensive. One study cited by the agency
showed that supplemental oxygen can cost between $64 to $1,500
per trip.

Carriers would be required, under the proposal, to test
various portable oxygen systems to ensure they do not interfere
with aircraft navigation and communications.

Any system would have to meet Federal Aviation
Administration standards, which limit oxygen use because of
aircraft safety concerns.

But regulators said they receive numerous complaints about
the lack of accommodations for passengers who need supplemental
oxygen for a medical condition, and have identified a handful
of systems that might meet safety standards.

While the government wants the service to be free,
regulators said they will “carefully evaluate” the cost of the
requirement on the industry.

Generally, carriers cannot charge passengers for
disability-related services that enable equal access to air
travel. While the government proposed to mandate the service,
it sought public comment on whether it has the authority to
order such a change under anti-discrimination laws.

The Transportation Department will accept public comments
over the next 60 days and then decide whether to make the
proposal permanent.