Travel With A Power Chair

Status
Not open for further replies.

KissJ

Distinguished member
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
380
Reason
Loved one DX
Diagnosis
05/2011
Country
US
State
Pennsylvania
City
Greensburg
Question? has anyone traveled with a power chair on any airlines? How was the chair accomodated on the plane? How far did you travel? Any suggestions?
Thanks!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

thank you Jo!
 
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

I travel with a power scooter and it should be similar with a chair. Most airlines let me drive to the gate and either transfer me to a manual chair there or let me drive to the plane door where, as I can't walk, I am transferred to a 'washington'. A very narrow chair that will fit down the aisle to the seat. Ditto for arrival. My scooter magically arrives at the door of the plane for me. It is carried in the luggage area of the plane. Be sure it is well identified with a couple of address labels. I arrived in Tucson once to find out that during one of the stops enroute, my scooter had been put on a plane to the east coast.

Alert the airline when booking that you will be travelling with a power chair. Be at the airport an hour ahead of other passengers to accommodate the airline's need to find a washington, put you and your husband aboard with other passengers having special needs and finally get your chair on board. All before regular passengers are boarded.

If possible, avoid flights that require changing planes. This reduces the possibility that your chair doesn't change along with you and minimizes handling which always incurs the risk of damage to the chair.

Relax and enjoy your flight. My experience is that airlines go out of their way to make it as easy and stress-free as possible.

On Wednesday I am flying to Hawaii and plan to take two scooters. A small one for indoors and a medium sized one for outside. I hope they will accept both.

Aloha,

John
 
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

Kiss,

I've been on over 15 flights with my power chair all over the USA. So far no damage. Quadbliss' site is very good but maybe a little too overdone on the dangers of damage to the chair and the precaution necessary. Maybe the airlines have a little more experience with this now. There are four things I recommend:

1. Call the airline one week in advance and let them know you have a power chair. They will ask if the battery is "dry cell" type. Say yes.
2. As John says, get to the counter one hour earlier than everyone else. Get to the gate one hour before the flight. Tell them again at the gate about your wheelchair and ask about pre-boarding.
3. Make sure you've done what needs to be done so the baggage handler can fold your seatback down to fit the cargo door.
4. Type instructions and affix to the armrest including:
a. How to turn the chair on/off.
b. How to engage/disengage the wheels for free rolling.
c. How to fold down the backrest.
d. 4Weight of chair.

John: If you're going to Maui you can use the "paratransit" public transit. For $2 they will pick you up and drop you off anywhere on the island! 24 hours notice is required. Use your search engine for more details or PM me.

God bless and happy travels!

-Tom
 
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

John: If you're going to Maui you can use the "paratransit" public transit. For $2 they will pick you up and drop you off anywhere on the island! 24 hours notice is required. Use your search engine for more details or PM me.

God bless and happy travels!

-Tom
Thanks for the tip Tom. We're going to Big Island and they have a similar system. Fortunately there are two companies that rent wheelchair vans so I have rented one. Surprisingly, they are not a lot more than a regular car rental and actually a bit less than a normal van rental.
 
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

Thank you John1, and tmasters, with such helpful and detailed information! I really appreciate it!
 
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

Can I ask a question on this same subject? You mention, having to give up your chair at the check in and be placed in a transport chair to enter and exit the plane. What if you are unable to sit up in one? Until my pwc arrives, I am belted up around the chest to keep me from falling over and out of my manual chair. Do the airlines have transport chairs that have a recline?

Thanks for any information you may have.
 
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

Toto, I don't know ....hopefully someone can answer here! Also, how much does it cost to transport a power chair?
Anyone out there know the answer to these questions? Thanks!
 
Re: Travel With A Power Chair:

When we travelled, the airline staff were amazing. We were using a transporter wheelchair and not a power chair then but every transfer we needed, including getting Bob on a plane from the tarmac, staff tended to him and actually transferred and carried him in the airline wheelchair up the stairs, etc. They were very helpful. I understood that if you're travelling with equipment that is indeed medically needed, the airlines don't charge you. I might be mistaken but that's what I recall.
 
Thanks, Sadie. You are a fountain of knowledge. Wow, that was an informative post. I wonder if the airlines would give you a freebie upgrade for you and your cALS if you explained why you needed to be in business class? It doesn't cost anything to ask, at least.
 
Last month on a trip to Hawaii on United we declined the optional $69 surcharge to upgrade to "Economy Plus" which gives you more leg room. However, for both flights of the trip the airline upgraded us at the gate anyway. No charge. You see, it's difficult for them to transport you all the way to the back of the airplane in that little aisle chair, so we got the better seats! :)

It was nice to get the extra legroom but there's no guarantee on the upgrade. We're batting 2 for 2.

-Tom
 
Thanks all for the information! :) This is all so helpful.
 
T, thanks for the info. Great to know the airlines are there to help you and not just lining their pockets!
 
To update my trip to Hawaii last week, we successfully travelled with 2 scooters. US Airways was very helpful at all stages. My wife drove one scooter to the plane and I drove the other. I was transferred to an aisle chair and well belted in. I don't know if the back reclined or not Dorothy but you are pretty secure with the belts.

The rental wheelchair van from Wheelers was also a success. It was a bit of a beater, a VMI conversion on a 2005 Dodge Caravan with absolute minimal options but it worked fine. The chief drawback was it had only a manual ramp. This meant I could not drive it alone because I couldn't get out of the van. It also meant my wife had to schlep the ramp on every exit and entrance. She was very happy to do this I must say.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top