Recommended Practice 1700d (Passenger Services Conference, IATA), formally designated PSC(30)1700d, is the industry recommended practice that addresses the special arrangements required when passengers with disabilities (PWD), passengers with reduced mobility (PRM), and passengers with non-visible disabilities travel in groups. It is classified as Type B with indefinite expiry. The practice was reviewed and updated as part of the Passenger Accessibility Process Task Force (PAPTF) work under the Travel Standards Board and advanced through the 2021 Passenger Standards Conference cycles alongside related updates to Resolution 700 and RPs 1700b, 1700c, and 1700e.
Its purpose is to ensure that groups of passengers with disabilities are handled in a coordinated, safety-conscious manner that is distinct from the handling of individual PWDs, while preserving the ability of the aircraft to be evacuated rapidly and maintaining crew effectiveness.
Origin, Status, and Relationship to Other Standards
RP 1700d forms part of the coordinated suite of IATA passenger accessibility standards. Resolution 700 provides the overarching framework for acceptance and carriage of passengers requiring special assistance. RP 1700b addresses carriage conditions and safety-assistant requirements. RP 1700c governs individual seat assignment. RP 1700d specifically covers group travel situations. RP 1700e addresses publication of rates and conditions.
The practice is indefinite. Substantive modernisation of terminology and alignment with contemporary regulatory expectations occurred via the PAPTF process around 2021, shifting older “reduced mobility/escorts” language toward inclusive “disabilities/safety assistants” terminology while retaining the core operational principles.
As a Type B recommended practice, it provides strong industry guidance that member airlines are expected to incorporate into their operating manuals, reservation procedures, ground-handling instructions, and cabin-crew training. Compliance supports interline consistency and regulatory alignment (including EU Regulation 1107/2006, U.S. Air Carrier Access Act / 14 CFR Part 382 principles, EASA special-category-passenger rules, ECAC Doc 30, and ICAO guidance on access to air transport by persons with disabilities).
Purpose and Scope
The primary purpose is to require members to endeavour to make special arrangements for the carriage of passengers with disabilities (as defined in Resolution 700) when they travel in groups. Such groups should be handled independently of individual passengers with disabilities. This separation allows airlines to plan resources, seating, boarding, and emergency procedures more effectively when multiple PWDs are travelling together (for example, organised tours, sports teams of athletes with disabilities, medical or rehabilitation groups, or family groups with several members requiring assistance).
The practice applies to both online and interline carriage. It interacts with Special Service Request (SSR) coding under Resolution 700, advance reservation processes, and day-of-travel operational procedures. It does not create an obligation to accept unlimited numbers of PWDs if safety regulations or aircraft configuration impose limits; any such limits must be based on safety grounds and applied consistently.
Technical Structure and Key Provisions
RP 1700d is concise and focused. After establishing inclusive terminology, it contains the following core recommendations:
Terminology
As per Resolution 700, disability refers to individual functioning, including physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment, mental illness, neurodevelopmental conditions, and various types of chronic disease. To simplify the text, the recommended practice adopts “Passengers with Disabilities (PWD)” as the official terminology. Despite this simplification, it remains fully applicable to Passengers with Disabilities (PWD), Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM), and passengers with non-visible disabilities.
General Obligation
Members shall endeavour to make special arrangements for the carriage of passengers with disabilities (as defined in Resolution 700) in groups. Such groups should be handled independently of individual passengers with disabilities.
1. Seat Assignment
Wherever possible, groups of passengers with disabilities shall be seated in subgroups in order to enable a rapid flow of other passengers during an evacuation. Safety assistants must be seated with the passengers they are accompanying.
This seating principle is the operational heart of the practice. Concentrating an entire large group of non-ambulatory or mobility-impaired passengers in one continuous block of seats could create a bottleneck that slows evacuation of the rest of the cabin. Distributing the group into smaller subgroups (while keeping each safety assistant immediately adjacent to the passenger(s) for whom they are responsible) preserves evacuation flow paths and still allows mutual assistance within the group and efficient cabin-crew support.
The principle is applied subject to aircraft configuration, class of service purchased, and applicable government safety regulations (including exit-row restrictions and the general prohibition on seating that would impede emergency evacuation, crew duties, or access to emergency equipment, as set out in RP 1700c and national rules).
Implementation in Airline Operations
Airlines implement RP 1700d through:
- Reservation and group-booking processes — Group bookings involving multiple PWDs are flagged early. Special handling notes are entered in the PNR(s). Coordination with the airline’s special-assistance or medical desk occurs in advance. SSR codes (WCHR, WCHS, WCHC, BLND, DEAF, DPNA, MAAS, etc.) are applied to each passenger as appropriate, together with free-text details of group composition and assistance needs.
- Seat-map management — Seat assignment systems (or manual processes) place the group in subgroups rather than one solid block, while ensuring each safety assistant sits immediately adjacent to the passenger(s) they accompany. Priority or blocked seats may be used consistent with RP 1700c methods.
- Ground handling and airport coordination — Separate or prioritised handling streams for the group (check-in, security, boarding) are arranged where feasible. Airport PRM service providers are notified of group size and specific needs well in advance (typically 48 hours or more under EU rules).
- Boarding and cabin procedures — Pre-boarding or coordinated boarding of the subgroups. Cabin crew receive a briefing on group composition, locations of subgroups, and locations of safety assistants. Individual safety briefings are provided where required.
- Interline coordination — When the itinerary involves multiple carriers, the special-arrangements information is transmitted via standard interline messaging so that each operating carrier can plan independently yet consistently.
- Staff training — Ground and cabin staff are trained to recognise group bookings of PWDs, apply the subgroup seating principle, and coordinate with safety assistants.
The practice does not prescribe fixed numerical limits on group size; any operational limits remain those required by safety regulations or aircraft-specific constraints.
Responsibilities, Safety, and Cost Considerations
The operating carrier retains ultimate responsibility for safe carriage and evacuation capability. The aircraft commander’s authority on safety matters is final. Safety assistants remain responsible for the passengers they accompany in an emergency, consistent with the definitions in the updated Resolution 700 / RP 1700b framework (a safety assistant is a person at least 16 years old—or the age required by local legislation—who is physically and mentally able and willing to assume responsibility for the PWD in an emergency).
Cost aspects (any extra seats required for safety assistants, additional ground-handling resources, etc.) are governed by the carrier’s published conditions of carriage and by RP 1700e. Transparent advance communication of applicable rates and conditions is essential.
Benefits for Passengers and Airlines
For passengers travelling in groups: more predictable, coordinated assistance; seating that keeps assistants close while still supporting overall cabin safety; reduced risk of last-minute disruption; and dignity through organised rather than ad-hoc handling.
For airlines: clearer planning of resources (wheelchairs, ambulifts, extra staff, seat inventory); improved evacuation readiness; fewer day-of-travel conflicts; consistent interline handling; and stronger compliance posture with accessibility regulations.
Auditability and Compliance
Compliance can be demonstrated through:
- Group PNR records and SSR documentation showing advance identification of the group and special arrangements.
- Seat maps or assignment logs reflecting subgroup distribution and adjacent seating of safety assistants.
- Ground-handling and cabin-crew briefing records.
- Coordination messages with airports and interline partners.
- Training records and quality audits.
- Alignment with national/regional rules on numbers of special-category passengers and evacuation capability.
Data on group bookings, assistance delivery times, and any related incidents further support continuous improvement.
Real-World Application Examples
- A sports team of athletes using wheelchairs travelling with coaches/safety assistants is seated in several small clusters distributed through the cabin rather than one solid block, with each assistant seated immediately next to the athlete(s) they support. This preserves aisle and exit-path flow while allowing team cohesion.
- An organised tour group that includes several passengers with mobility or cognitive impairments is handled as a distinct group for check-in and boarding, with seat assignments following the subgroup principle.
- On an equipment change, the airline re-creates the subgroup seating pattern on the replacement aircraft rather than scattering the group randomly.
- Where a large group would exceed practical assistance capacity on a particular flight or aircraft type, the airline coordinates alternative flights or additional resources in advance, consistent with safety limits.
Conclusion
Recommended Practice 1700d supplies the missing operational link for group travel within the IATA accessibility framework. By requiring special arrangements that treat groups independently of individual PWDs, and by mandating subgroup seating that protects evacuation flow while keeping safety assistants adjacent to the passengers they accompany, the practice balances accessibility, operational practicality, and the non-negotiable demands of aircraft safety. When implemented consistently through reservation systems, staff training, advance coordination with airports, and interline messaging, it delivers more reliable service for groups of passengers with disabilities and clearer, safer procedures for airlines.
Sources for this description include the published text of RP 1700d as amended through the 2021 Passenger Standards Conference processes, related Resolution 700 language, IATA guidance materials on accessibility and mobility aids, and aligned regulatory frameworks (EU 1107/2006, ACAA principles, EASA/ECAC/ICAO guidance). Full proprietary IATA manuals remain the definitive reference for member airlines.
