ADA Compliance: Digital Accessibility in Aviation

At Move, we have years of experience in developing digital passenger journeys. Read more about our approach around the ADA, WCAG and how to make sure you develop accessible digital solutions as a U.S. airport.

Photo of an airport passenger looking at her cell phone.

Published

August

2024

Written by

Since 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) has prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability. The law applies to employment, public facilities, public transportation and communications, among others. The ADA refers to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 level AA(WCAG) as a standard for digital accessibility. These guidelines provide detailed specifications for making Web content accessible. Courts and government agencies should apply it to websites, apps and other digital environments.

Many U.S. airport websites aren't ADA compliant

Although many U.S. airports today use an accessibility plugin, their websites are often not compliant. The potential consequences of this are twofold. On the one hand, non-accessible passenger journeys potentially create unpleasant customer experiences for passengers with disabilities. This can lead to complaints, compensation claims and legal costs. On the other hand, US government agencies and companies that fail to comply with the above laws and requirements risk fines ranging from $55,000 to $150,000 per violation since 2024. In 2022, US courts handled a total of more than 4,060 web accessibility cases - a 76% (!) increase over 2018. This indicates a growing legal trend that can therefore cause not only financial damage, but also reputational damage.

Our ADA approach

At Move, we apply current guidelines by default in our latest implementations. This means we follow WCAG (2.1 level AA) from design to delivery, ensuring that websites, apps and other digital platforms are usable by everyone. We invest in training and education for our team and have an internal "Digital Accessibility" project group. This group actively explores new possibilities and closely follows global developments, including the European Accessibility Act(EAA) that will come into force in June 2025. We are thus structurally putting accessibility at the center. This is how we contribute to a more inclusive and equitable digital world for all. A strategy that we consider best practice through our knowledge and experience, and which we recommend for government agencies worldwide.

How we can help

Move helps airports meet accessibility standards on the digital spectrum. We conduct an internal audit to assess the accessibility of the website and/or digital platform, evaluate the website according to WCAG standards and identify areas for improvement. To do this, we use accessibility scanners to identify accessibility issues, such as missing alt text, poor color contrast and navigation problems. After our audit, we provide recommendations for necessary changes to meet WCAG guidelines. We can also offer training to ensure long-term compliance. In addition, we can conduct user testing with people with disabilities to implement further iterations.

ADA approach to the CVG Airport Website

An example of one of our ADA projects is the CVG Airport website. In it, we took into account:

Navigation and layout
CVG Airport's site has a clear structure. Users easily find what they are looking for thanks to the clear main menu. Important sections such as 'Passengers', 'Business', 'Careers', and 'Accessibility' are directly accessible.
Readable content
We have ensured easy-to-read text with a clear font and sufficient contrast. This is crucial for users with visual impairments. The color scheme is simple and consistent, which further improves readability. It is also immediately clear what is a button and what is static content. We carefully considered branding and contrast colors, such as white on black and light green on dark green.

Alt text for images
Images on the site are provided with alternative text. This helps users who use screen readers to understand the content of the images. For example: alt='A photo looking down runway 18C with a giant X standing up in the middle of the runway to mark the closure.'