Flying with a wheelchair

[mydisneyanytime]

I hope that this is okay to ask here. This summer we will be flying to DL. My son is in a a wheelchair that can come apart but it takes a few minutes to do so. The last time that we went to DL (2013) he had a basic folding wheelchair so there wasn't any issues. The wheelchair that he has now breaks down into several pieces including bag, feet, and seat before folding. I would like to break down the wheelchair before handing it over to the airline personnel so that the parts don't get wet, break, etc. and keep the parts on the plane with me. Is that a possibility? I am going to call the airline before we go but wanted to see others thoughts and experiences with this. I don't want to get to CA and have the foot parts broken or the seat left out in the rain (we had this happen with our other chair).

 

[Carriemel]

You will be able to gate check the wheelchair. Take a bag with you to put the parts into - medical equipment does not count toward your carry-on allowance (on most airlines).

 

[Brett Wyman]

Not quite the same but our double stroller breaks into three pieces and goes into three separate bags. We alway do it right there at the end of the sky cap. Just let the airline know your son will need to temporarily transfer to one of their wheelchairs.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Which airline? There might be a closet in the cabin where they can store a single wheelchair (rather than it being moved to the cargo hold.) Call NOW to ask and arrange.

 

[mydisneyanytime]

Thanks. I am going to call ahead to check. I want to take the pieces on the plane with me and leave the stroller when we get to the plane. I just know that it could get damaged and looking for replacement parts on vacation on the other side of the country won't be too much fun!

 

[RaySharpton]

Thanks. I am going to call ahead to check. I want to take the pieces on the plane with me and leave the stroller when we get to the plane. I just know that it could get damaged and looking for replacement parts on vacation on the other side of the country won't be too much fun!

I use Delta from Atlanta to Orlando when I fly and I have a dedicated bag that I bought just the right size to fit all of my wheelchair parts to fit into. Then I carry them onboard the airplane with me along with my C.P.A.P. machine and other medical accessories. As stated before, I think most airlines do not charge medical devices as regular luggage. And as you were thinking that you do not want those items to be damaged by having someone store them under the plane or in transit via all of those airport mechanical conveyor belts.

I don't think that there is one specific bag to buy, just one that fits your medical equipment and the way you want to carry them.

I found a bag that I can put everything in that has a handle and a sling strap and also a backpack style way of carrying the items.

I know that I probably don't have to do the following since I am caring it with me, but I put a label on the medical bag with my information and that it is fragile containing medical equipment.

When I arrive at the gate, I remove everything from the from my wheelchair and add it to my carryon medical bag. My electric power chair is only 55 pounds and folds up. I bought the protective cover that was made for the wheelchair and put it on the wheelchair while at the gate.

Delta has a special pink tag that they place on wheelchairs, etc. when storing under the plane so that I can track it along with my luggage on my phone.

Delta also has an online form to fill out about the mobility device that I want to fly with. I fill it out online in their PDF form and make a copy to take with me in case the gate attendant has questions for me.

My wheelchair uses two 3-pound Lithium-Ion batteries that are removable, but they built the containment for the Lithium-Ion batteries into their wheelchair. They are also approved to leave them in my wheelchair so I don't have to remove them. I feel okay with that since the durable wheelchair covers everything so no one can play with anything.

I can use my cane or two canes to board the airplane. I usually ask for help rolling my wheelchair and wheeling me down the jetway. I drive my wheelchair all the way from home using the MARTA subway that also has a station inside the Atlanta airport.

Your airline may also request that you call them a few days before you depart to make sure that they have the information that they will have to store your wheelchair. They may still ask at the gate, too. I don't know why.

You can also ask them to use their elevator to transport the wheelchair instead of carrying in down the jetway stairs to the plane to be stored.

This is especially true with larger, heavier power chairs and that is why you need to let your airline know these things.

As far as storing the wheelchair onboard the plane, I guess that the Delta planes that I use only seem to have one closet and I hate to use that space when others may have coats or jackets to hang up. I remember one full flight that I was on and they used up all of the space in the closet even without a wheelchair. I did fly onetime on one of Delta's larger airplanes that had a large, very large closet when entering the plane and then the regular closet that I am used to seeing on the older planes.

You could also ask the airline the width of the closet on the particular plane that you are flying on to see if they wouldn't mind if it could store it there and then you could just pick it up on your way off the plane at your destination. Wheelchair users do that all of the time whether it is a folding transport chair or a folding wheelchair.

Whatever you do, you have the right idea with removing the breakable items to carry onboard the plane. And ask the airline staff with helping you to get down the jetway if you need it.

 

[SueM in MN]

We’ve traveled for many years with my daughter’s manual wheelchair.
We gate check it. My husband is in charge of getting her on and I take care of the wheelchair. By the time I’m done with it, it’s more or less a wheelchair ‘skeleton’.

This is copied for you from the disABILITIES Board FAQs thread.

What is gate checking and can I gate check a wheelchair?
Wheelchairs can be gate checked. Ask about this as you check in for your flight. They may give you a gate check tag right away or tell you to check in with the gate agent for gate checking. When you get to the gate, tell the agent there that you want to preboard and ask about gate checking before they start loading. They used to automatically preboard anyone with a wheelchair, but don't always preboard any more unless you ask (some people with disabilities did not want to preboard and felt it discriminated against them to make them preboard).
You will be able to keep your wheelchair until the door of the plane, but wheelchairs are too wide to fit down the aisle. They do have smaller aisle wheelchairs available if you need one (scroll a little farther down for information about aisle chairs).
After getting out of the wheelchair, if there are things that stick out (like cupholders, etc that may be attached) or things that are not screwed or bolted on, it is best to remove and carry them on if you can. My DD's wheelchair seat and back have gel in them, to avoid any problems with them getting too cold or getting pierced during the flight, I remove them and carry them on. Her armrests just lift off, so I lift those off and carry them on too.
I actually carry a large nylon laundry bag to put the wheelchair pieces in after I remove them. The bag folds up very small into a pocket on one of our suitcases and putting things in it helps ensure I have not left anything at the gate. Some people take a picture of the wheelchair with their cell phone or digital camera to prove what condition it was when they left is at the gate. Contrary to popular belief, wheelchairs are not loaded in a separate baggage area; they are packed with other baggage, so damage is possible, although in at least once a year travel for over 20 years, the only damage DD's wheelchair has had was a bent antitip bar.

I've heard that airplanes are required to have space to store one wheelchair on board the plane. How does this work?
All 100 seat or more planes delivered to US airlines since 1992 are supposed to have a closet or alternate FAA approved place to store one folded wheelchair (first come, first serve).
IF the plane has a closet (some airplanes still flying were delivered before that time),
IF your wheelchair can be folded to fit into the area (some are too big)
and IF there is room in the closet when you board, you may put it in the closet/storage area.
Passenger's assistive devices/folded wheelchairs have priority over other over other passengers’ items brought on board at the same airport. If you do not preboard and the space is filled when you get on the plane, then you are out of luck. Even if you preboard, the space may be filled with items brought on by travelers at an earlier stop.

The new Air Carrier Access Act (May 2009) also added this information:
If the wheelchair is too big for the space while fully assembled, but will fit if wheels or other parts can be removed without the use of tools, the carrier must remove the applicable components and stow the wheelchair in the designated space. The other parts must be stowed in the areas for stowage of carry-on luggage.

The closets/stowage areas are usually better suited for 'basic' foldable wheelchairs that will fold and fit into a fairly narrow space. The new guidelines add a size requirement that was not in previously - providing "a space of 13 inches by 36 inches by 42 inches without having to remove the wheels or otherwise disassemble it."
This may be too small for some manual wheelchairs, even if wheels can be popped off.
I have taken DD's wheelchair apart and put it in the on-board storage space, but it really needs to pretty much be totally dis-assembled to fit.

So, if you want to try for on-board storage, ask as soon as you check in, pre-board and be prepared to gate check the wheelchair if it doesn't fit.

Using an Aisle Chair
My DD has CP and can't walk. She also can't sit well in any wheelchair except her own.
She stays in her wheelchair until we board (the one she travels with is a manual wheelchair, but it would work generally the same if we took her power chair).
The wheelchair is taken to the gate right to the door of the plane, where she is transferred into an aisle chair (shown in the pictures below). The chairs from different airlines may look a little different, but the basic design is the same. An aisle chair is basically a very narrow wheelchair that can fit down the aisle of the airplane.

Link to larger picture.

The wheelchair and aisle chair are parked tight next to each other, brakes locked and belts unfastened.

Link to larger picture.

The airline staff do a 2 person lift, with one person taking the top half and the other person the legs. They lift DD the short distance from her wheelchair (at the front of the picture) to the aisle chair in the background. Straps are fastened to keep the arms and legs in place and the aisle chair is rolled into the plane.

Link to larger picture.

The process is repeated in reverse to leave the plane.
My DD gets her wheelchair delivered to the arrival gate when we leave the plane - it is brought right to the door of the plane.
Wheelchairs are put in the plane last and unloaded first, but you may still have to wait until the plane is almost empty before your wheelchair is delivered to the gate. Ask the Flight Attendant to let you know when the wheelchair arrives.
At that point, I usually get off so I can put the wheelchair back together before DH brings DD off the plane.
If you need an aisle chair, they will usually make you wait to get off until all the other passengers have gotten off.

Some people who can ride in an airport wheelchair may choose to get their wheelchair delivered to the baggage claim area. Just make sure the baggage claim tag for your wheelchair is marked for the correct place before you board the plane.