The main customer rights related risks in the international transportation industry are data privacy and accessibility for customers with disabilities. Data privacy Due to fast progress in digitalization and a strong increase in online bookings, international transport companies dispose of vast quantities of (confidential) customer data, including personal details, credit card numbers, travel history details, as well as health-related information. These data are increasingly becoming the focus of cybercriminals seeking to steal or access data for various reasons, such as financial goals or to attack the reputation of a company. Travel companies must make sure that customer data is stored safely and according to international guidelines and inform their customers in the case of a data breach. Accessibility Accessibility for all customers is another main issue for transport companies. Accessibility concerns vehicles such as planes, trains, buses or ferries but also associated transport infrastructure such as airports, ports, train and bus stations. Mostly it is people with disabilities who are restricted in their rights, for instance by not receiving sufficient assistance to reach and board a vehicle or airplane, access lavatory facilities, or receive necessary information in case of a hearing or visual impairment. Furthermore, travellers with disabilities may face prejudice, receive misinformation or be required to pay higher prices than other travellers. Airline data breachesMissing wheelchair: United AirlinesDamaged wheelchairs Accessibility requirements for web check-in Accessible Travel: Barriers at airports and airlines Racist passengersRacial profiling: Miami International Airport PreviousNext PreviousAirline data breachesMissing wheelchair: United AirlinesDamaged wheelchairs Accessibility requirements for web check-in Accessible Travel: Barriers at airports and airlines Racist passengersRacial profiling: Miami International Airport Next Airline data breachesAlmost 10 million passengers were affected by a data breach at Cathay Pacific airlines in 2018. Hackers have exposed Cathay customers’ passport and credit card numbers and captured a variety of personal data including names, nationalities, dates of birth, phone numbers, physical addresses, and historical travel information, according to the airline. British Airways informed the public that personal and financial data from 380,000 customers was stolen by hackers in summer 2018.LinksForbes (2018): Cathay Pacific data breach highlights a need to change airline s…Missing wheelchair: United AirlinesA passenger with a cerebral palsy waited for United Airline’s wheelchair to help him off the plane. After waiting for about 30 minutes without receiving adequate support by the airline staff, he decided to crawl off the plane to reach his own wheelchair. The airline reached out to him after the incident to apologize and offered compensation. The passenger was pleased with the airline’s response.LinksCNN (2015): United Airlines apologizes after disabled man crawls off flightDamaged wheelchairs The articles below recount several stories of disabled air passengers who were denied a flight because of the size of their wheelchair or whose wheelchairs have been damaged during transport. Airlines were reported as not offering sufficient compensation for the damages, or only offering them after legal action on behalf of the passengers. Furthermore, as some of the wheelchairs took a long time to repair, the affected people were restricted in their mobility or forced to pay extra expenditures for car rentals, taxis or other kinds of assistance. LinksThe Guardian (2017): How disabled travellers still face discrimination by airli…CityNews (2016): Man denied Air Canada flight due to the size of his wheelchairAccessibility requirements for web check-in U.S. DOT accessibility requirementsFor many people, it’s easy to take travel for granted because it’s simple and quick to book an airline ticket or check in online. But this is not the case for everyone, especially people with disabilities. With this in mind, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a mandate requiring airline websites to be accessible to passengers with disabilities, as defined by the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). It applies to all airlines with websites marketing air transportation to U.S. consumers for travel within, to or from the United States. Linksamadeus (2016): Rising to the challenge of U.S. DOT accessibility requirements …Accessible Travel: Barriers at airports and airlines Barriers at airports and airlinesAccessibility is often thought of and promoted in terms of the airport and on-board experiences; however, that is shortsighted. Considering that accessibility factors into the entire passenger experience, including shopping, purchasing, and after-travel, it is important for businesses to take a more comprehensive and universal approach to how they address accessibility. As more and more passengers with disabilities are traveling with air carriers, technology will play an ever-evolving role in enhancing their experience. Among the biggest issues with airlines is the difficulty of checking in online and choosing seats and the fact that customer service is often only available by phone. Within airports, digital information screens pose significant physical barriers, along with varying levels of customer service standards. Other issues included non-accessible check-in machines and trouble finding assistance meeting points. For deaf travellers who can't hear announcements, changes of the gate or station platform result in missed flights and trains.LinksAmadeus IT Group (2017): Voyage of discovery. Working towards inclusive and acc…Racist passengersRacism on flightsA new report by the International Air Transport Association shows that airlines are not doing much when it comes to racism and sexual harassment on flights. The International Air Transport Association reported that there were 350 reported cases of racial, homophobic, ageist, and sexual abuse on flights, and yet only one in 20 offenders were removed from planes.LinksTravelPulse (2018): Report Shows Airlines Doing Little to Curb Discrimination o…TravelPulse (2016): Delta Under Fire After Muslim Couple Removed from Internati…Racial profiling: Miami International Airport Department of Homeland Security raises concerns of racial profiling by TSA supervisorsFull-body scanners have become standard at airports over the past decade. Unlike metal detectors, the scanners can detect nonmetallic items. However, they can't tell what objects are. Black women have been raising alarms for years about being forced to undergo intrusive, degrading searches of their hair at airport security checkpoints. Airports reactet with improved training for its workers on "hair pat-downs" but it turns out there's an issue beyond the screeners. Full-body scanners and facial recognition software may be biased in their programming. The latter is known for being less accurate in reading the faces of racial and ethnic minorities. LinksMarketWatch (2019): Department of Homeland Security raises concerns of racial p…Pro Publica (2019): TSA Agents Say They’re Not Discriminating Against Black Wom…TravelPulse (2019): TSA Agents Reportedly Say Body Scanners May Single Out Blac…PreviousNext Take actionPolicy and process Integrate accessibility and data privacy in Supplier Code of Conduct to be signed by business partners in transport (airlines, railway, bus companies, ferries). Partnering transport companies should dispose of a company disability policy. Training and capacity building Train sales staff on accessibility and data privacy. Grievance mechanism Transport companies should provide a grievance mechanism for complaints. If needed, provide information to customers about specific disability policies and contact points of international transport companies (cf. overview on Wheelchairtravel: Report air carrier access act violations). Find more information on potential measures to take on the "take action" site. Take action Analyse country-specific risksLearn more about potential human rights risks when operating in a specific country.Analyse country-specific risks Learn moreFind more information in the Resource Centre. Learn more
Take actionPolicy and process Integrate accessibility and data privacy in Supplier Code of Conduct to be signed by business partners in transport (airlines, railway, bus companies, ferries). Partnering transport companies should dispose of a company disability policy. Training and capacity building Train sales staff on accessibility and data privacy. Grievance mechanism Transport companies should provide a grievance mechanism for complaints. If needed, provide information to customers about specific disability policies and contact points of international transport companies (cf. overview on Wheelchairtravel: Report air carrier access act violations). Find more information on potential measures to take on the "take action" site. Take action
Analyse country-specific risksLearn more about potential human rights risks when operating in a specific country.Analyse country-specific risks