PowerChair and airplanes

[Tony NY]

Hi guys wondering if you guys have any tips for traveling with a Power electric wheel chair. I new to this so any tips would help.... I have always rented a scooter in the pass but seining that I have a power Chair why rent a scooter at $ 40.00 for 10 days.

Any tips on this matter will be greatly helpful .

 

[eeyore81]

We always take my mom's scooter with us on our trips. I let the airline know when I book the tickets that my mom has a scooter. It has never been a problem. She drives it to the gate, gets on the plane and then a baggage worker takes it from there. Her scooter is always waiting for us right as we step off the plane. The last time I called the airline they did tell me that we needed to make sure we were checked in 1hr 15 mins prior to our flight. I would call your airline and double check what that particular airline requires.

 

[dclfun]

My power chair has been broken on 2 out of 3 flights I've taken in the last two years. First time they cracked the battery case to my ventilator, broke the seat elevator and reclining feature on my chair so I could not leave my hotel room for two days while I waited for repairs. I had to take a taxi riding backwards with my knees up in my face- lucky that the taxi driver even allowed me in his vehicle seated that way. Second time they broke the armrests so they were hanging and cracked the battery case again. Make sure you disable the power and remind whoever takes your chair to turn it off, or leave it in freewheel as they are bringing it to cargo hold. If anything is removable, such as your joystick or headrest, be sure it's off and in a safe storage receptacle. Hope you have better luck!---Kathy