14 CFR Part 382 Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel (Air Carrier Access Act) (with amendments issued through May 2016)

§382.9 What may foreign carriers do if they believe a provision of a foreign nation's law conflicts with compliance with a provision of this part?

(a) If you are a foreign carrier, and you believe that an applicable provision of the law of a foreign nation precludes you from complying with a provision of this part, you may request a waiver of the provision of this Part.

(b) You must send such a waiver request to the following address: Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, C-70 U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W96-322, Washington, DC 20590.

(c) Your waiver request must be in English and include the following elements:

(1) A copy, in the English language, of the foreign law involved;

(2) A description of how the foreign law applies and how it precludes compliance with a provision of this part;

(3) A description of the alternative means the carrier will use, if the waiver is granted, to effectively achieve the objective of the provision of this part subject to the waiver or, if applicable, a justification of why it would be impossible to achieve this objective in any way.

(d) The Department may grant the waiver request, or grant the waiver request subject to conditions, if it determines that the foreign law applies, that it does preclude compliance with a provision of this part, and that the carrier has provided an effective alternative means of achieving the objective of the provisions of this part subject to the waiver or have demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that it would be impossible to achieve this objective in any way.

(e)

(1) If you submit a waiver request on or before September 10, 2008, the Department will, to the maximum extent feasible, respond to the request before May 13, 2009. If the Department does not respond to the waiver request by May 13, 2009, you may continue to implement the policy or practice that is the subject of your request until the Department does respond. The Department will not take enforcement action with respect to your implementation of the policy or practice during the time prior to the Department's response.

(2) If you submit a waiver request after September 10, 2008, the Department will, to the maximum extent feasible, respond to the request by May 13, 2009 or within 180 days of receiving it, whichever is later. If the Department does not respond to the waiver request by this date, you may continue to implement the policy or practice that is the subject of your request until the Department does respond. However, the Department may take enforcement action with respect to your implementation of the policy or practice during the time between May 13, 2009 and the date of the Department's response.

(3) If you submit a waiver request after September 10, 2008, and the request pertains to an applicable provision of the law of a foreign nation that did not exist on September 10, 2008, you may continue to implement the policy or practice that is the subject of your request until the Department responds to the request. The Department will, to the maximum extent feasible, respond to such requests within 180 days of receiving them. The Department will not take enforcement action with respect to your implementation of the policy or practice during the time prior to the Department's response.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Department may commence enforcement action at any time after May 13, 2009 with respect to the policy or practice that is the subject of the request if it finds the request to be frivolous or dilatory.

(g) If you have not submitted a request for a waiver under this section with respect to a provision of this part, or such a request has been denied, you cannot raise the alleged existence of such a conflict as a defense to an enforcement action.