With the holidays approaching and more people thinking about traveling, I hope my experiences can help families realize that, with planning, a vacation with a child with a disability can be a lot of fun! This article is part of a series to help families when they are traveling. Be sure to check out How to Master TSA if You’re using a Wheelchair.
Airlines in the United States must adhere to the Department of Transportation rules. One law, Airline Carrier Access Act (ACAA), makes it illegal for airlines to discriminate against passengers because of their disability. If you encounter a problem when traveling with a disability, request to speak to the airline’s Complaint Resolution Officer (CRO). A CRO is the airline’s expert on disability-related issues in air travel and has the authority to resolve complaints on behalf of the airline. Every airline must have a CRO available either by telephone or in-person during operating hours. Hopefully, with some planning and communication, you will never need to speak to a CRO.
You DO NOT need to provide advanced notification of disability assistance- but you should!
If you let airlines know in advance, then you can arrange for a wheelchair or guided assistance to board, deplane, or connect. You can also arrange for seating accommodation that meets your needs. It’s also helpful for the loading and stowing of your assistive devices.
The more information you give the airlines, the better they can accommodate your situation.
Airlines (upon request) aid in the following areas:
• Moving from the terminal entrance through all key functional areas of the terminal to the airport gate for departure.
• Guiding to a restroom entrance, if time permits. *They only bring you to the entrance.
• Boarding and deplaning.
• Transferring between gates to successfully make another flight connection.
• Accessing baggage claim areas
• Escorting passengers with a service animal to a designated animal relief area.
• Airline personnel will help safely transfer a passenger from a wheelchair to an aisle chair and an aisle chair to a seat. They should do this before other passengers are on the plane.
• They must help you with your gate checked and carry-on luggage if you cannot carry them because of a disability.
In 2023, the Department of Transportation reported that 11,527 wheelchairs were lost or damaged by the airlines. That’s 31-32 EVERY day!
Some tips to make sure your wheelchair or assistive device makes it safely to your destination:
• Share information about your wheelchair, such as the device’s size, weight, and battery type, to help the airline safely and properly handle your assistive device. Some airlines provide wheelchair information request forms on their websites for passengers to complete before travel. Check with your airline to see if it offers one of these forms.
• Attach clear assembly and disassembly instructions to your wheelchair before you head to the airport. Having written instructions will assist airline personnel and contractors in case your wheelchair needs to be disassembled for transport.
• You can request that your airline return your wheelchair or walker to you on the jetway at your destination airport, not baggage claim. Airlines are required to return wheelchairs to users as closely as possible to the door of the aircraft if requested
Remember, airlines are there to assist you, but they are NOT required to “upgrade” you to accommodate your disability, though they might. My expereince when traveling with my daughter who used a wheelchair was to let the airline know all of our needs when we booked the flight and then to follow up with them about a week before the flight. I also arrived at the airport early and contacted the airline to make sure everything was in place. This helped us travel with the assistance we needed.
