Passengers with disabilities have reported harrowing problems during air travel, including missed security checks, unsafe flight transfers, and lost or damaged wheelchairs.
Their plight has caught the attention of Congress, with bipartisan bills being introduced in both the House and Senate focused on improving air travel for people with disabilities.
The Making In-Flight Mobility Aids Better Lives and Empower All Bill, introduced on Friday, would require the Department of Transport to publicly disclose the types of damage caused to wheelchairs and other mobility aids, and would require airlines to inform passengers about whether their mobility aids can be safely carried on planes.
It will also order the Department of Transport to study the technical and financial feasibility of allowing passengers to board planes in their wheelchairs, rather than having to get out of their wheelchairs and sit in a regular seat.
The Mobile Bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and John Thune (D-La.) and in the House of Representatives by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.).
The bill comes as Congress prepares to reauthorize the FAA’s budget and programs this year, and passengers with disabilities have called for more airline accountability and accessibility to be included in the reauthorization bill.
“Travel can often be difficult and frustrating for passengers who use wheelchairs,” Thune said. “I’m proud to join Senator Duckworth in introducing this commonsense legislation that will improve safety and accessibility for people who use mobility aids, making their travel experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible.”
In 2022, 11,389 wheelchairs, power wheelchairs and scooters were lost, damaged, delayed or stolen, the highest number since 2018, when the Department for Transport was first required to report this data.
Duckworth, who uses a wheelchair, said consumers don’t have information about the extent of the damage, which is crucial for people with disabilities to make better decisions about which airlines to fly.
For example, armrests and footrests are prone to breaking, but this type of damage does not render the equipment unusable. However, there is currently no way to know which airlines consistently inflict catastrophic damage on wheelchairs and which report only minor damage.
“For me as a wheelchair user, it’s good to know that certain airlines are doing a lot of harm,” Duckworth said.
And if a mobility aid such as a wheelchair, scooter or walker cannot fit through an opening in the plane’s cargo hold, passengers with disabilities must either get off the plane and take another flight or agree to have their mobility aid sent on another flight, in which case they will be stranded at the next airport until the aid arrives.
“For some people, just getting in and out of a wheelchair poses health risks,” Duckworth said.
For many people with disabilities, the goal is to be able to board a plane directly in their wheelchair or motorized wheelchair, so it won’t get damaged or lost, or be dropped or injured while moving seats, says Heather Ansley, deputy executive director of government relations for the American Veterans Association.
“This isn’t just a customer service issue, it’s actually a safety issue,” she said. “When people don’t have access to their devices or a way to board a plane safely, they put themselves at risk for injury.”
Duckworth said that while redesigning planes to accommodate wheelchairs would be expensive, she believes it would benefit the economy in the long run, especially as the country’s aging population makes people more likely to use wheelchairs in the future.
“The idea of convertible seats is not new; they’re already on trains and buses,” Duckworth said. “We think it’s quite feasible, and we’d like to pursue research to see how feasible it is for commercial air travel.”
Airlines for America, a trade group that represents airlines, supported the bill and said it wanted to ensure a comfortable and safe experience for all passengers, including those with disabilities.
“We continue to work collaboratively with disability groups, aviation and mobility aid manufacturers, and safety regulators to explore safe, feasible aviation solutions that reduce barriers to air travel,” association spokeswoman Marie Collier said in a statement.
Most planes should be able to install in-flight wheelchair securing systems without major issues by removing two rows of seats, according to the 2021 report, though the report noted that more research into feasibility and safety is needed.
Sign up for the Well+Being newsletter for expert advice and easy tips to stay well every day