Planning an accessible trip: check the hotel room, the flight and the destination before you book

The short answer

Read the hotel's description, then call the hotel itself and get the details in writing. As of October 29, 2026:

• Hotels must describe their accessible rooms in enough detail for you to judge them, and must hold the specific accessible room you reserve. That is the federal ADA reservation rule, 28 CFR 36.302(e).
• Pin down the bathroom. Roll-in shower or tub, what kind of seat, and whether there is a hand-held shower. Put it in your written confirmation.
• Airlines can't make you announce a disability in advance, but they may ask for 48 hours' notice for some services, such as using a CPAP or oxygen concentrator on board.
• If an airline damages or delays your wheelchair, it must give you your rights in writing, a loaner and your choice of repair vendor. Four parts of DOT's 2024 wheelchair rule aren't being enforced until April 30, 2027.
• At the airport, ask for the Complaints Resolution Official (CRO), who can overrule other airline staff.
• Complain about a hotel to the Justice Department, and about an airline to the airline within 45 days and to DOT. DOT's disability hotline is 1-800-778-4838.

What the ADA requires of hotels

Hotels are businesses open to the public, so Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires them to give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to use what they offer (ADA.gov). Two sets of rules matter when you book: rules about the rooms, and a rule about reservations.

Accessible rooms

How many. The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design set how many guest rooms must have mobility features, and how many of those must have roll-in showers, based on the hotel's size. In a 2020 agreement, the Justice Department said a 240-room hotel needed at least ten rooms with mobility features, at least three of them with roll-in showers (DOJ agreement). Even a large hotel may have only a few roll-in shower rooms, so book early.

Spread across room types. Accessible rooms must be spread across the hotel's classes of rooms, so you get similar choices of room size, bed size, price and view (ADA National Network).

Communication features. For guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, a set share of rooms must have visual alarms tied to the fire alarm, visual alerts for the phone and door, and an outlet for a text telephone. Hotels may use portable kits instead. On request, they must provide a TTY and caption decoders for TVs (DOJ business brief).

Older buildings. These built-in features are required in hotels built or altered after the ADA took effect. Older hotels must remove barriers where that is possible without much difficulty or expense (DOJ), so an older property may offer less. Ask.

The reservation rule: 28 CFR 36.302(e)

Since March 15, 2012, for reservations made by any means, including by phone, in person or through a third party, a hotel must (rule text, via ILRU):

1. Let you reserve accessible rooms during the same hours and in the same way as other guests.
2. Describe the accessible features of the hotel and its rooms in enough detail for you to judge, on your own, whether they meet your needs.
3. Hold accessible rooms for people who need them until all other rooms of that type are rented.
4. Reserve an accessible room when you ask, and remove it from all reservation systems.
5. Guarantee that the specific accessible room you reserved is held for you.

Items 3 to 5 don't apply to individual units the hotel doesn't own or substantially control. The ADA National Network adds that hotels should give accessibility details to at least some travel agents and booking sites, and train staff to answer detailed questions. A 2012 Justice Department agreement required a hotel's reservation staff to have ready access to the types and sizes of its accessible showers, bathtubs and tub seats (DOJ agreement). If the person on the phone can't answer, ask for someone at the property who can.

Roll-in shower or tub: why the bathroom decides it

An "accessible room" is not one standard thing. The biggest difference is how you bathe:

If you can't safely step over a tub wall or stand to shower, the bathroom type is a safety issue, not a comfort one. If you aren't sure which set-up you need, ask your own clinician or therapist before you book.

Before you book: what to ask and confirm

Read the hotel's website description first. Then call the hotel's own front desk, not only a central reservations line, and ask what applies to you:

• Room: room type, bed size, number of beds and floor. Ask for the room number if the hotel will give it.
• Bathroom: roll-in shower or tub; type of seat; hand-held shower; grab bars; space beside the toilet if you transfer.
• Space: door widths if your chair is wide; space under the bed if you use a patient lift.
• Getting around: accessible parking or drop-off, entrance, elevators, and the route to breakfast, the pool or meeting rooms.
• Hearing and vision: visual alarm, door and phone alerts, TTY, captioned TV or a portable kit; guest information in large print or other formats.
• Equipment and medicine: an outlet near the bed for a CPAP; a refrigerator for medicines.
• Service animal: hotels must admit service animals even where pets aren't allowed.
• Shuttle: whether the airport shuttle can carry your wheelchair or scooter, and whether to book it.

1. Book the accessible room by room type, through whichever channel you choose.
2. Ask the hotel to confirm by email that you have an accessible room, with the bathing type and equipment you asked for. Note the date, the staff member's name and the confirmation number.
3. Reconfirm a few days before you arrive, especially if you booked through a third-party site.
4. At check-in, look at the room and bathroom before you unpack, and raise any problem at the desk right away.

Renting a private home? Ask the host the same questions and get the answers in writing before you pay.

Flying with a disability: what airlines must do

The Air Carrier Access Act and DOT's rule at 14 CFR Part 382 cover U.S. airlines, and foreign airlines on flights that begin or end in the United States. DOT summarizes them in its Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights.

Advance notice. An airline must not require you to give advance notice that you are traveling with a disability, or notice for required services, except for listed ones (14 CFR 382.25 and 382.27). If you miss a notice or check-in deadline, the airline must still help if it can with reasonable effort and without delaying the flight.

Table sources: DOT Bill of Rights, 14 CFR 382.27 and the 2024 wheelchair rule. If a flight is canceled or changed, see your refund rights when a flight is canceled or changed.

Wheelchairs, scooters and their batteries

In the cabin. A manual wheelchair, canes, crutches and walkers may come into the cabin and don't count toward your carry-on limit (14 CFR 382.121). Newer planes with 100 or more seats must have priority cabin space for at least one folding manual wheelchair, so ask at the gate early.

In the hold. An airline must accept a battery-powered wheelchair if it fits in the cargo hold. Write down your device's size, weight, battery type and watt-hour rating, and carry simple instructions for folding it and disconnecting the battery. Consider keeping the cushion and other removable parts with you.

Battery rules from the FAA (PackSafe):

• Lithium-ion batteries may be up to 300 watt-hours. If the device doesn't protect the battery, remove it, protect the terminals and carry it in the cabin.
• Spares: one up to 300 watt-hours or two up to 160 watt-hours each, in carry-on only.
• Lithium metal (non-rechargeable) batteries are not allowed for these devices.
• Tell the airline where the battery is. Airlines may set stricter rules.

If your chair is damaged, lost or delayed, the airline must (14 CFR 382.130):

• tell you in writing, right away, of your rights to file a claim, get a loaner, choose a repair or replacement vendor, and contact a CRO;
• get a delayed device to your destination within 24 hours of arrival (30 hours after an international flight longer than 12 hours), for pickup or delivery to a place such as your home or hotel, and repay airport transport costs the delay caused;
• give you time to inspect the device and file a claim, then repair or replace it at its cost, or pay your preferred vendor directly;
• make its best efforts to provide a suitable loaner. If the loaner doesn't meet your needs, you may get a better one and be repaid within 30 days.

Ordinary baggage limits don't apply to wheelchairs on flights within the U.S.: compensation for a lost or damaged device is based on its original purchase price (DOT). If the damage happens on an international flight, the Montreal Convention's liability limits apply instead (14 CFR 382.130), so check whether your own insurance covers an expensive chair.

The 2024 wheelchair rule: what applies now

DOT published a rule on December 17, 2024, to address mishandled wheelchairs and unsafe transfers. It took effect January 16, 2025, and added the loaner, repair-choice, delivery and notice duties above (Federal Register). DOT has since paused enforcement of four parts. Its latest notice, published August 4, 2026, extends the pause to April 30, 2027 (Federal Register):

The notice also pauses a yearly hands-on training rule for flight attendants under the 2023 accessible-lavatory rule. DOT is reconsidering these provisions in a new rulemaking, not final as of that notice, and says the pause doesn't prejudge the outcome. Its 2025 notice says requirements beyond the four named provisions are still enforced (Federal Register). So the written notice of rights after a mishandling, loaners, repair choice and delivery deadlines still apply. Ask the gate agent to confirm your chair was loaded before the door closes.

Airport security with medical devices and medicines

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), not your airline, runs the checkpoint (DOT). Airlines must let you bring prescription medicines and the devices used to give them, such as syringes or auto-injectors, into the cabin, along with oxygen concentrators and other assistive devices. They don't count toward your carry-on limit, but they must meet FAA, TSA and hazardous-materials rules (14 CFR 382.121).

TSA sets its own screening procedures. A few days before you fly, check TSA's pages for travelers with disabilities and medical conditions and look for:

• how your device is screened, such as a CPAP, insulin pump, oxygen concentrator or prosthesis;
• how to bring medically necessary liquids, gels or ice packs, and how to tell the officer about them;
• how to ask for help at the checkpoint and how to complain about screening.

Screening problems go to TSA. Complaints about airport facilities can go to the airport, the FAA or the Justice Department (DOT).

Flying with a CPAP, ventilator or oxygen concentrator

Oxygen concentrators. Airlines must accept portable oxygen concentrator (POC) models that meet FAA criteria. A POC must be on the FAA's list or carry a red label stating that the manufacturer has determined it meets all applicable FAA acceptance criteria for use on board (FAA). Check for the label before you book. FAA guidance for airlines (Advisory Circular 120-95A) says:

• Airlines may require enough batteries for 150% of the expected maximum flight time. Plan for delays.
• You can't sit in an exit row with a POC, and the POC should go under the seat in front of you, where you can see its lights and hear its alarms.
• The FAA doesn't require a doctor's statement, but an airline may require a medical certificate if there is reasonable doubt you can complete the flight safely, or if you need oxygen in flight.

CPAP machines. To use a CPAP, ventilator or respirator during the flight, the airline may ask for 48 hours' notice and a check-in one hour early (14 CFR 382.27). DOT's cabin rule names oxygen concentrators, and ventilators and respirators with non-spillable batteries, as assistive devices that don't count toward your carry-on limit. It doesn't name CPAP machines, so ask your airline to confirm.

Spare batteries. Under the FAA's general rule, spare lithium batteries go in carry-on bags only. Up to 100 watt-hours is allowed; 101 to 160 watt-hours needs airline approval, with no more than two; larger ones are forbidden (FAA).

Health check. If you have lung or heart disease, ask your clinician before you book whether flying is safe for you and whether you will need oxygen in flight, even if you don't use it at home. If your airline wants a medical form, get it done well before the trip.

Medicines and medical supplies

• Keep medicines in your carry-on. DOT's rule lets you take prescription medicines and the devices to give them into the cabin, so a lost bag won't separate you from them.
• Bring extra for a delayed return. If your trip overlaps a refill date, ask your pharmacist about refilling early.
• Carry a current list of your medicines, doses and allergies, with your insurance cards and your clinician's phone number.
• Plan storage and power: a hotel refrigerator if a medicine needs one, and an outlet near the bed for a CPAP.
• Crossing time zones? Ask your clinician or pharmacist how to time doses, especially insulin or other time-critical medicines.

For more, see medication safety during travel. Leaving the country? Check the destination's rules on bringing medicines, and see whether your health plan covers you when you travel abroad.

At your destination: transit, paratransit and parks

Public transit. Under Title II of the ADA, public transit systems must give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to use their services. Privately run services such as hotel shuttles are covered too (ADA.gov).

Paratransit. If you use ADA paratransit at home, contact the paratransit service at your destination well before the trip. Ask whether it serves visitors and for how many days, what proof of eligibility from your home system it accepts, how far ahead to book rides, and the fare.

Parks. State and local government programs, including recreation, must make reasonable changes to their rules when you need them, unless the change would fundamentally alter the program. The Justice Department's example is a state park that lets a visitor with a mobility disability use a Segway on trails closed to motor vehicles (ADA.gov). Before visiting a national park or a California state park, check the agency's website for accessible trails, campsites and visitor centers, and ask about any disability pass, who qualifies and the current fee.

When the access you were promised isn't there

Act on the spot first, and keep records throughout.

1. At a hotel, show your written confirmation and ask for the accessible room you reserved. If there isn't one, ask the manager what the hotel will do, such as moving you to an equivalent room or another property, and who pays. Photograph the room and keep receipts for extra costs.
2. At the airport or on board, ask for the CRO. If staff don't resolve a disability problem, they must tell you about the CRO and help you reach one. The CRO is free, available in person or by phone, and can make final decisions for the airline, including overruling other staff, though not a pilot's safety decision (14 CFR 382.151). For real-time help, call DOT's hotline (DOT).
3. Write to the airline within 45 days. It must answer in writing within 30 days, say whether it admits or denies a violation, and tell you about your right to go to DOT (DOT).
4. File with DOT online or by mail through its disability complaint page, with the airline, flight, date, what happened, staff names, and copies of tickets and letters. DOT refers complaints it receives within six months of the incident and investigates them.
5. For a hotel or other business, file with the Justice Department (ADA.gov).

The Justice Department may refer your complaint to its ADA mediation program or another agency, ask for more information, or investigate. It can't take every complaint, and a reply can take up to three months (ADA.gov). In California, you can also ask the state Civil Rights Department (calcivilrights.ca.gov) whether a state complaint fits your situation and what deadline applies. A lawyer can advise on a private claim.

Where to get free help

• DOT disability hotline for air travelers: 1-800-778-4838, weekdays, Eastern time; dial 7-1-1 for relay. Staff can contact the airline while a problem is happening; the airline decides what to do (DOT).
• ADA Information Line (Justice Department): 800-514-0301; TTY 1-833-610-1264; Monday to Friday (ADA.gov).
• ADA National Network: 1-800-949-4232 (voice and TTY), for free information on ADA rules (ADA National Network).
• The airline's Complaints Resolution Official, at every airport the airline serves.
• California Civil Rights Department: calcivilrights.ca.gov, for state civil rights questions.
• Your own clinician, for fitness to fly, oxygen needs and any medical form your airline asks for.

Sources

1. Public Accommodations: Reservations by Places of Lodging — ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization), accessed October 29, 2026.
2. Accessible Lodging (fact sheet) — ADA National Network, 2014.
3. Settlement Agreement between the United States of America and the University of Southern California (USC Hotel) — U.S. Department of Justice, February 2020.
4. Voluntary Compliance Agreement between the United States, RHM-88, LLC and M&C Hotel Interests, Inc. (Millennium Hotel New York, United Nations Plaza) — U.S. Department of Justice, June 2012.
5. ADA Business Brief: Communicating with Guests Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hotels, Motels, and Other Places of Transient Lodging — U.S. Department of Justice, last updated August 11, 2005.
6. Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act — U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), July 29, 2026.
7. State and Local Governments — U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), accessed October 29, 2026.
8. File a Complaint — U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov), accessed October 29, 2026.
9. Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights — U.S. Department of Transportation, last updated February 5, 2025.
10. 14 CFR Part 382: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, up to date as of October 23, 2026.
11. 14 CFR § 382.121: What mobility aids and other assistive devices may passengers with a disability bring into the aircraft cabin? — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed October 29, 2026.
12. 14 CFR § 382.130: Handling of wheelchairs and other assistive devices, and obligations when they are mishandled — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed October 29, 2026.
13. 14 CFR § 382.151: What are the requirements for providing Complaints Resolution Officials? — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed October 29, 2026.
14. Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers With Disabilities Using Wheelchairs (final rule) — Federal Register, U.S. Department of Transportation, December 17, 2024.
15. Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers With Disabilities Using Wheelchairs (notification of enforcement discretion) — Federal Register, U.S. Department of Transportation, September 30, 2025.
16. Accessible Lavatories on Single-Aisle Aircraft and Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers With Disabilities Using Wheelchairs (notification of enforcement discretion) — Federal Register, U.S. Department of Transportation, August 4, 2026.
17. Toll Free Hotline for Air Travelers with Disabilities — U.S. Department of Transportation, last updated February 8, 2022.
18. Complaints Alleging Discriminatory Treatment Against Disabled Travelers — U.S. Department of Transportation, last updated January 7, 2015.
19. Aviation Safety and Security Information — U.S. Department of Transportation, last updated April 30, 2021.
20. Portable Oxygen Concentrators — Federal Aviation Administration, last updated February 5, 2021.
21. Advisory Circular 120-95A: Portable Oxygen Concentrators — Federal Aviation Administration, May 24, 2016.
22. PackSafe: Airline Passengers and Batteries — Federal Aviation Administration, last updated October 2, 2026.