electric wheelchairs on airplanes

[isyne4u]

I have a question about putting electric wheelchairs on jets.

My best friend has recently been moved from using crutches to requiring an electric wheel chair. She likes to travel but the last time she was on a plane the baggage folks took the chair apart and then gave it back to her in multiple pieces. The chair weighs close to 200 pounds with the motor and Colleen had a hard time getting it back together.

So my question is...can seats be removed from an aircraft and the chair be placed on the plane without having to be taken apart? Because of this when she came to see me this weekend she had to bring the push chair so she wouldn't have to fight with the chair, this seems unfair to me.

Does anyone know how to do this or what her rights might be?

I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense, its hard to explain.

Thanks in advance,
tara

 

[clkelley]

My hubby has his own personal ECV and takes it to WDW flying.

No, the electric wheelchair CANNOT be brought onboard and secured inside the passenger section.

However, your friend SHOULD be able to Gate Check her electric wheelchair and have it loaded into the cargo compartment fully assembled.

Her chair must have dry cell batteries to do this.

If she has to change planes, make sure she gets a flight with at least a 2 1/2 hour layover, that way there is plenty of time for them to unload her chair at the layover and then she can ride it herself through the terminal and they can load it onto the next plane fully assembled.

We always try to take a direct flight when hubby takes his ECV.

These are communter flights that we board from outside, not from the jetway, so your experience may be slightly different.

It has always been extremely easy for us. He drives his chair to security where he does walk through the sensors while the TSA folks take the ECV through another direction and then return it to us. He then drives it through the terminal directly to the gate. The flight crew escorts him to the rear of the plane where he drops off his chair near the cargo department. The crew loads the ECV and then he is escorted to the passenger loading area.

When we arrive at our destination, we remind the flight attendant that we will be waiting on a gate-checked ECV and we wait at the foot of the boarding steps and the ECV is unloaded first and brought to us. Hubby then drives the ECV through the terminal to the luggage turnstyles.

Check out the following website for Delta's instructions on wheelchair services. The planes we usually take are very small commuter jets (35 or 50 passenger) and the ECV has always fit through the cargo door assembled.

http://www.delta.com/travel/special_services/special_needs/wheelchair_services/index.jsp

Hope this helps,

Carol

 

[McCall]

Originally posted by isyne4u
I have a question about putting electric wheelchairs on jets.

My best friend has recently been moved from using crutches to requiring an electric wheel chair. She likes to travel but the last time she was on a plane the baggage folks took the chair apart and then gave it back to her in multiple pieces. The chair weighs close to 200 pounds with the motor and Colleen had a hard time getting it back together.

So my question is...can seats be removed from an aircraft and the chair be placed on the plane without having to be taken apart? Because of this when she came to see me this weekend she had to bring the push chair so she wouldn't have to fight with the chair, this seems unfair to me.

Does anyone know how to do this or what her rights might be?

I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense, its hard to explain.

You friend needs to contact the Dept of Transportation for the booklet New Horizons, it is free and it states what the laws are regarding travel and disablilities.
One of which is they have to return her vehicle to her assembled and in working order. That is the law. She should have told them to call the CRO crisis resolution officer, She should however have taken with her the assembly instructions, since the people at one end don't necessarily know how it was taken apart or how it goes back together, I always take the instruction book in a envelope taped to the back of my electric scooter.
That little booklet from Trans Dept comes in very handy when someone starts to give you a hard time at an airport. Also be sure when she books her flight she lets them know right then that she is flying with the chair or scooter. and as stated it must have dry cell or gel cell batteries.

Thanks in advance,
tara

 

[pugdog]

one thing that we have done is to be able to quickly compact my DW chair. for the control unit we use wing nuts to disconnect it and place it inside the chair, it also prevents the airline crew from trying to drive it and breaking it like they have in the past. we also use cotter pins and posts so we can have the back fold down into the seat. we then also drop the armrests down all the way and use straps to hold everything down and in place.

we are able to do all of this at checkin in about 5 minutes and then use a manual chair to get to the gate. one thing you need to be aware of is how big the cargo door is on the plane ,most planes are about 34 inches. so after we clamp everything down pop the clutches out of gear the chair is only about 28 inches high and they can just roll it into the plane and strap it down.

since we have done this we have had very few broken parts like some other people have had in the past.

if anyone would like I can take some pics and with sues help post them somewhere here to help you out. let me know.

 

[SueM in MN]

There isn't any way to remove an airplane seat and put the wheelchair in its place (like on wheelchair vans. it would be nice, but there are too many differnt types of wheelchairs (plus the average wheelchair is wider than the average airplane seat.
We have not traveled with DD's power wheelchair yet, but the wheelchair tech who works on her chair suggested always removing the controller (the part with the joystick), boxing it or pulling it in a suitcase with padding and carrying it on the plane. That is the most expensive and most fragile part of the power wheelchair.
As pugdog mentioned, one of the best ways to prvent damage is to make the chair as compact as possible. Also removing any pieces that stick out and might get broken off. But, she should not have to take the whole wheelchair apartt. I have taken DD's manula chair almost totally apart to be able to put it in an on-board closet, but that's an extreme (and I can take it apart and put it back together quickly).

 

[dclfun]

We will need to take a plane next year and I'm really worried. My vent and feeding pump are attached to the back and if they or my chair are damaged, I'm in big trouble! It's no problem to bring an extra vent and disconnect the pump during the flight, but I think I read somewhere that your chair is turned on it's side to fit in the cargo area? Is there anything the airlines can do to reassure you? Is there any airline that is preferred? Obviously I haven't contacted any of them yet. I'm also worried as I heard that on descent, someone has to manually bag you vs. being able to use the vent.---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

but I think I read somewhere that your chair is turned on it's side to fit in the cargo area?

I think that depends on the airline, the specific airplane you are riding in (more likely on a smaller plane) and also on your chair.

I'm also worried as I heard that on descent, someone has to manually bag you vs. being able to use the vent.

That part I'm quite sure is true. A vent is one big piece of computerized equipment, so it would need to be shut off during descent and take-off. The other reason I have heard for doing it is for your safety (in the unlikely situation of an emergency, you will be all ready to evacuate).
It's never too early to start talking to the airline. I know from the TV show "Airline" that Southwest doesn't allow oxygen on their flights. Others do, but you don't want to do a lot of planning and then find out they don't do it. Even though they might not have it listed on their website, they have someone who deals with special needs.
I also wonder if your oxygen supplier has had anyone on vent who traveled by plane. Maybe talking to someone would help. If they say they can't give you any names/put you in contact with anyone because of HIPPA Privacy rules, a way around it would be for you to authorize them to give some contact info to the other person and have them contact you.
I don't know if there are forums like this for vent users, but it would be worth a search. I know that Christopher Reeve can breath a while off the vent now, but when he first started traveling, he couldn't. And he still went on lots of speaking trips.

 

[isyne4u]

Thank you for the responses. I have printed them out and given them to her, I'm also going to send her the link to this site so that she can come back later and see if there is anything new.

I knew the Dis would be the place to ask the questions!!

Thank you all!
tara

 

[dclfun]

Sue- Thanks so much for your helpful advice. One good thing- I'm actually not on oxygen but use only room air with the vent. It's also not the computerized new laptop type vent which I think is more delicate. Mine is a huge work horse! ( An LP-10). I remember travelling with my vent before I was in a wheelchair. I brought it on a rolling luggage type cart. Air West told me I could have a storage place to put it on their flight to L.A from Fla., however when we boarded the plane, I was told I had to put it under the seat. Needless to say it didn't fit and I ended up on a longgggggg flight with a 50 pound vent on my lap. I guess I no longer trust what I'm told!~ ---Kathy

 

[pugdog]

Kathy,
I am a respiratory therapist and there is no reason for you to have to have someone bag you during decent. The cabin is pressureizes and the tidal volume on the vent is not going to change that much that it would hurt you. The LP 10 is a work horse and is strictly machanical unlike the new vents of today. The only time during flight that you might have to be bagged is during non pressurized times if it was ever lost or if you ever fly in a small plane. And even then with the newer vents out there they will compensate. there are a few home vents that are used by medical flight teams that could always be used too.

 

[dclfun]

Thanks Pugdog. I appreciate your information. I've been on one of those transport vents in the hospital before and really don't like the way they "feel", but then I don't like the way any of the others feel since I'm so used to mine. It helps to know I'll be able to use my own machine and not be a nervous wreck on a flight! ---kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

I was curious about the "ventilator on an airplane" question, because I had read about people needing to be bagged during landing and take-off.(That was a while ago and was an airline requirment, not a physical need) But, what pugdog wrote makes a lot of sense and I wondered if things had changed. So I did some searching. I could not find the exact answer, but here's some resources for you.
Here's one link with helpful info from a vent manufacturer. They had a lot of hints for arranging things. It does say some airlines don't allow vents at all, but i don't know how current the info is.
And here's a really good link from the post-polio vent users group.

 

[dclfun]

Wow Sue- Thanks for all the helpful information! I didn't realize that some airlines could deny a person on a vent. ---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

Wow Sue- Thanks for all the helpful information! I didn't realize that some airlines could deny a person on a vent. ---Kathy

I didn't realize that either, but I did know (from watching the TV show "Airline" that Southwest doesn't allow people on oxygen to fly. They must have some safety related reason that they can say they are not able to reasonably accomidate it.

 

[clkelley]

Just got back from WDW with hubby's ECV and all went smoothly just as I described in my earlier post. His ECV was gate checked both directions fully assembled. The only thing they had to do was lower the tiller and unhook the batteries.

Extremely easy both directions.

Carol