The recent news that the US Department of Transportation (DoT) has paused four key provisions in its new wheelchair rule, as reported recently by Runway Girl Network, will have an important impact for the accessibility community and the ongoing issues associated with how passengers using personal wheelchairs are treated.
Wheelchair users are currently required to leave their personal wheelchair at the door of the plane and we are all too familiar with the distressing stories of equipment being returned to the passenger at the end of their journey battered, damaged, broken or missing completely. After years of campaigning by many of the leading disability rights groups, the DoT issued its final rule in December 2024 to strengthen protections for passengers and their rights to compensation for missing and damaged equipment. Following the ruling, airline trade group A4A — representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines — filed a lawsuit against the DoT to stop the rule from being enacted leading to the DoT to pause enforcement on four key provisions that would provide new protections to disabled passengers when wheelchairs are mishandled.
While the battle between the regulators, disability rights groups and the airlines over the use of personal wheelchairs on board an aircraft continues, the provision of on board aisle wheelchairs remains critical. Once the disabled passenger has left their personal wheelchair at the plane door, the only way for them to move around the aircraft safely and with dignity, is by using an onboard wheelchair.
Every passenger deserves to travel with dignity. For those who cannot walk or who have limited mobility, the absence of an accessible onboard wheelchair can turn a flight into a distressing ordeal. Without the right equipment, passengers may be forced to go without using the lavatory for hours or rely on undignified solutions, compromising both their comfort and safety. The simple, realistic and cost-effective solution for airlines is to make sure that their onboard wheelchair offering is one that works for the airline and the passenger.
Critically, provision of an aisle wheelchair is not always compulsory and at Airchair, we are urging airlines, regulators and all stakeholders to continue to champion accessible travel for all. We believe it is critical for passenger planes to carry at least one onboard wheelchair to ensure that all passengers can access toilet facilities, can be safely evacuated and assisted in the case of an emergency and, above all, have equal opportunity to travel. This is not just a tick-box exercise, onboard wheelchairs are a simple way to achieve genuine inclusivity in a large proportion of cases.
by Sarah McOnie, Airchair
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