MedAire expands training and equipment solutions

MedAire (medaire.com) has expanded its training and equipment solutions to help air carriers achieve compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) 14 CFR Part 382 regulation. The ACAA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel.

“Recurrent training focuses on sensitive application of the rules to real-life scenarios, while MedAire’s passenger transfer equipment clearly establishes the physical baseline of sensitive, safe facilitation.”

New CRO Annual Recurrent Training

Annual training for airline Complaints Resolution Officials (CROs) is mandatory, according to the ACAA statute. As 2010 marks the second year of the revised ACAA regulation, MedAire is offering its premiere CRO Recurrent Training in March. Students can learn in a classroom setting or select a combination of e-Learning and classroom training.

MedAire’s CRO Recurrent Training teaches students to:

• Learn resolution techniques using case data from the U.S. DOT and MedAire’s 24/7 CRO Assistance Service
• Demonstrate effective conflict management skills using sensitivity and awareness
• Apply Part 382 requirements for passengers requiring wheelchair assistance and transfers
• Implement requirements for assistive device handling (including Passenger Transfer Equipment below)

As the point person for complaints lodged against a carrier by passengers with disabilities, CROs must be proficient in all aspects of the ACAA regulation and the airline’s associated protocols to be successful in resolving conflicts.

New Passenger Transfer Equipment

MedAire now offers Passenger Transfer Equipment to facilitate safe and sensitive passenger transfers. Through recommended training, airline employees learn how to use each piece of equipment according to ACAA standards.

MedAire’s Passenger Transfer Equipment includes:

1. Personal Transfer Kit: Used to assist non-ambulatory or semi-ambulatory passengers, the Personal Transfer Kit comes with three components: a slide board, a transfer belt and a transfer sling.

2. Movable Disc Board: Permits an assistant to easily transfer a passenger from seat to seat by sliding him/her across a grooved platform with a movable disc, or seat. The Movable Disc Board is ideal for cabins with herringbone seat configurations or some aircraft seats lacking a movable armrest for lateral transfers.

Using this equipment properly may assist with the U.S. DOT’s “equivalent alternative” proposals to some aircraft movable armrest requirements. The combination of MedAire’s fully integrated solution of training, equipment and advice may help affected airlines comply with ACAA regulations.

“In MedAire’s initial CRO course, we provide intensive training on the details of the ACAA statute,” says Richard Gomez, MedAire vice president of education services and quality. “Recurrent training focuses on sensitive application of the rules to real-life scenarios, while MedAire’s passenger transfer equipment clearly establishes the physical baseline of sensitive, safe facilitation.”

With guidance from the U.S. DOT and various disability advocacy groups, MedAire’s aviation experts have developed a fully integrated ACAA solution, so airlines can quickly and cost-efficiently become ACAA compliant.