Airlines are to face more scrutiny over their treatment of disabled and less mobile passengers.
Aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is proposing to produce a ranking of carriers based on their service for these customers.
This would take into account the process for requesting assistance, onboard facilities including seating and toilets, boarding and disembarking, and complaints handling.
A similar assessment of UK airports was introduced in 2014 and has been credited with driving millions of pounds of investment in improving experiences for passengers with reduced mobility.
The CAA has also produced guidance on standards for bringing assistance dogs onto flights and how airlines should handle mobility equipment and provide compensation when it is lost or damaged.
A consultation on the proposal for ranking airlines ends on July 21.
CAA head of consumer Anna Bowles said: “Our proposals to introduce this new framework are about holding airlines to account in meeting their obligations to disabled and less mobile passengers across all aspects of their journey.
“Consumers should have confidence that the standard of support they receive when flying will meet their needs.
“Assessing airlines against a standardised framework will ensure that disabled and less mobile passengers will be better informed when they choose which airline to fly with, and will highlight areas where airlines need to do better.
“To make the framework as effective as possible, we’re asking for feedback from individuals, disability rights groups and the industry to help shape our plans.”
Josh Wintersgill, founder of Able Move, which provides products for wheelchair users, said: “This consultation is a great opportunity for people to share their constructive feedback to help influence and shape the framework further.
“A tremendous amount of work has gone into it thus far and the framework is very much welcomed.
“Whilst only guidance, it is hoped it would enable the UK Civil Aviation Authority to better monitor airline performance and hold airlines to greater public accountability just like UK airports are today, which has shown improvements, but perhaps not at the pace which people expect.”
