DALLAS — Federal regulators said Wednesday that they will expand protections for passengers with disabilities to cover international flights by U.S. carriers and make it easier for travelers to use oxygen equipment.
The Transportation Department said it will require airlines to let passengers use portable oxygen concentrators that are approved for use on aircraft. The department also is considering requiring airlines to provide medical oxygen to passengers upon request.
The department’s announcement came less than three months after a woman on an American Airlines flight from Haiti to New York died after initially being denied oxygen. American said crews eventually tried to administer oxygen, and they and a doctor who went to the woman’s aid said her heart was too weak to get a response from a defibrillator.
