Air Travel Tips for People with Disabilities

Adapted from Mobility International USA’s Building Bridges: A Manual on Including People with Disabilities in International Exchange, 2006

Note: The following information relates to US BASED AIRLINES AND AIRLINES OPERATING IN THE US. The U.S. Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) of 1986 prohibits airlines from discriminating on the basis of disability and affects accessibility features in terminals and aboard aircraft operated by U.S. and foreign airlines operating to, from, and in the United States. Airports and airlines in other countries may have different rules and services.

Plan Ahead

·         Inform travel agents and airline representatives of:

·         Type of your disability and what assistance you will need.

·         Equipment that you will be traveling with, such as canes, crutches or wheelchairs (manual or power).

·         Dietary requirements or need for assistance at meals (airline personnel are not required to help with eating, but should assist with opening packages and identifying food).

• Before your flight, call the airline directly to ensure that all disability-related needs will be met. 

• Ask for the name and position of each person you speak with and record this information.

• Arrive at the airport one hour earlier than normally advised (at LEAST three hours for international flights.) This will allow time for arrangements to be made at check in and at the gate, and to get through security points in time for your flight.

• You may request an escort to your departure gate and from one airplane to another every time you change planes. This can be especially helpful when there is little time between flights. The escort will be an airport or airline employee. 

Be Assertive

• Be polite but assertive about getting what you need. Insist on the services to which you are entitled. If you do not get what you need, insist on talking to the person at the next level of authority – and the next, and the next. Once in a US airport you can call a free Airline Access hotline at 1-800-778-4838 or 1-800-455-9880 (for Deaf callers) to get additional assistance seven days a week between 7 am and 11 pm (US east coast time).  These numbers are FREE (no cost) calls at any pay phone, or you can ask airline personnel to help you make the call.

• Be prepared to be flexible and creative in difficult situations.  You may need to do things differently than you are used to doing them, especially during international travel.

• Know the policies of an airline before arriving at the airport.  Know what services you are entitled to. Knowledge is power.

• When possible, carry copies of the specific airline policy to support your requests in interactions with airline staff.  Contact the Customer or “Special Services” department of each airline to request copies of policies on the rights of passengers with disabilities. 

• Be assertive and ask questions!  If you are waiting for an escort or for someone to tell you when to board a plane, don’t assume that they will remember.  Make sure that you are seated near an airline worker, and remind them frequently that you are waiting.

Navigating Airport Security

• You may request an escort through security to your departure gate. You can request an airport employee to escort you.  You can also request that someone you know be allowed to escort you. This person will be required to obtain a special pass from the airline to allow them to go through screening checkpoints without a ticket. 

• Individuals with disabilities must undergo the same security screening process as other passengers – be patient and cooperative, but know your rights.

• If a piece of equipment can be passed through the security screener without setting off the alarm, it may be examined further. However, if an assistive device (such as a wheelchair, crutches, white cane, brace / caliper) does set off the alarm, or looks like it might contain something dangerous – or for any other reason at all -- it will be examined further.

• If you are wearing a metal device such as a brace (caliper), corset or prosthesis, you will probably be examined more closely. Your clothes and body may be patted and scanned with a metal detector. If so, you may request a private screening, and (in the US) your request must be accommodated. 

• If you arrive at the security point in a timely manner, airport personnel must complete the screening in time for you to board your plane. (Another reason to arrive at the airport EARLY!)

For Passengers with Mobility Disabilities

·         If you travel with a wheelchair, you can choose to be met at the door of every airplane with your own, personal wheelchair. To do this in the US or on a US carrier, you request a "gate tag" for your wheelchair. This ensures that when you get off the plane at the every airport, your wheelchair will (should!) be waiting for you at the door of the plane. This is important if you want to use your own wheelchair while you are waiting in airports. 

·         If you use a wheelchair and cannot walk, airline personnel will assist you to enter the airplane and transfer to your seat. You will probably use an “aisle chair”, a narrow chair that fits in the aisle of the plane.  Airline personnel will assist you to transfer to the aisle chair, secure you with chest straps, and wheel you into the airplane and down the aisle to your seat, and assist you to transfer from the aisle chair into your seat. 

·         Be prepared to instruct airline personnel on the best way to assist you with the transfer.  Be assertive (loud and clear) if necessary.  Be sure that you feel balanced and secured before being moved.

·         If you do gate tag your wheelchair, remind a flight attendant when it is nearly time to land that you will need your wheelchair to meet you at the gate.  If you need an aisle chair, remind the flight attendant of that, too.  The flight attendant or the pilots can sometimes send a message to the next airport, and they can definitely send a message once the plane has landed, to remind airline staff that you need your wheelchair.

·         If you prefer to use an airport wheelchair and to be pushed by an airport employee, you can check your own wheelchair as baggage, just as you would a suitcase. 

·         Whether you are gate-tagging your wheelchair or checking it as luggage, you should remove all parts of the wheelchair that might get lost in transit, such as cushions, seat backs or arm rests (be sure you know how to replace them!). You can carry these on the plane if you’re gate-tagging your wheelchair, or pack these parts in your baggage.

·         In the U.S. and on U.S. airlines, you can request to use a wheelchair at the airport, even if you don’t usually use a wheelchair. An airline or airport employee will assist you.

·         Folding manual wheelchairs can be stored in the airplane cabin if there is room.  If there is space available, a wheelchair takes priority over the carry-on luggage of other passengers who are boarding at the same time. However, if passengers who boarded the plane at an earlier stop have already stored their carry-on luggage, they are not required to remove it to accommodate a wheelchair.

·         Single-aisle airplanes do not have accessible restrooms.  When making travel plans, if possible choose double-aisle planes if you need accessible restrooms.

·         If you are not able to get up from your seat during a long trip, do what you can to change position periodically (raise yourself up using your arms, shift from side to side, etc.) to avoid pressure sores.  Avoid sitting for long periods in damp seats or clothes.  If you use a comfortable cushion on your wheelchair, consider using it on your airplane seat.

For Passengers with Visual and Hearing Disabilities

• Passengers with visual disabilities may ask at check-in to have the assistance of a sighted guide to airport gates and at all transfer points.

• Passengers with hearing disabilities can also ask for escorts to gates and at transfer points. Tele-screens are provided in most airports and U.S. airlines offer captioned safety videos. 

For Passengers with Non-Apparent Disabilities

• If you have a disability that other people can’t see or don’t readily notice, you many need to be proactive and explain your disability and what you need.

Bathroom Adventures

·         If you don't walk, using the bathroom on an airplane can be challenging. On US airlines, aisle chairs are available for bathroom trips on international flights.

·         Be prepared for a variety of toilet options and to be creative in addressing bathroom barriers. If you have a sensitive bladder or bowel, or if there is ANY chance of bladder or bowel accidents, you may want to bring an extra change (or two) of clothes in your carry on bags.

·         You might also consider wearing protective, disposable garments in case of bowel or bladder accidents, even if you don’t usually do so.

·         If you use a urinary catheter, make sure that you carry at least two containers WITH CAPS to empty your bag. Carry or ask the flight attendant for a lap blanket, to provide some privacy if needed.

Luggage

• Carry personal supplies such as medications, eyeglasses, hearing aid equipment, or other essentials in your purse or carry-on bag, NOT in your checked luggage.  Keep all medications in original containers, with prescription or instructions.

• “Carry-on” -- You will be allowed to carry ONLY one small piece of luggage and one small personal bag (purse or briefcase) inside the plane with you. However, this limit does not apply to medical supplies and/or assistive devices.

• Checked luggage -- You will be limited to two suitcases to check as luggage.  Check the airline for weight limits (you will have to pay a fee if your luggage is too heavy.  NOTE: Wheelchairs do not count as luggage.  You can check two suitcases AND a wheelchair.

• When packing, leave a little extra room in your baggage for materials and souvenirs that you bring home.

• Be sure to LABEL your luggage with your name and address both inside and outside of each piece.  Consider putting a bright colored string or tape on the outside of your luggage to make it easy for you to identify.