If you use a wheelchair or other assistive device, you can still live a full life – including air travel. These tips for flying with a mobility device can help you navigate airports, circumvent the challenges that can arise, and continue to enjoy traveling.
If you are one of the millions of disabled Americans who use a mobility device, you’ve probably encountered difficulties when traveling by air. Disabled travelers may face unfair and unsafe treatment and assistance in airports and on airplanes, and their mobility devices are often at risk, too. In fact, the Department of Transportation reported in 2024 that for every 100 wheelchairs or scooters brought onboard a domestic flight, at least one was damaged, delayed being returned to the passenger, or lost.
Before flying with a mobility device, know your rights and what you can expect. Preparation can help smooth out the journey.
Government protections
This alarming statistic, along with other challenges faced by travelers with disabilities, prompted former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to issue a final rule in December 2024 to protect these travelers and allow them to “fly safely and with dignity.”
The rule mandates not only training for staff who assist disabled passengers but also how to handle assistive devices as well as the action airlines must take if a device is damaged or delayed. The new government protections require airlines to “return all checked wheelchairs and other assistive devices to passengers in the condition in which they are received.”
While these government protections are reassuring, knowing exactly what to expect when flying with mobility devices can add an extra layer of protection for both you and your devices.
TSA
If you are using your mobility device up to the gate and checking it there or stowing it in the plane’s cabin (see below), your issues with air travel typically begin at TSA. That’s because not only does TSA screen you, they also screen your mobility device.
Smaller devices, such as walkers, crutches and canes, will be X-rayed. (After your device has been X-rayed, make sure the TSA officer knows if you need to immediately be reunited with your device.) If your mobility device cannot fit through the X-ray machine, such as for wheelchairs and scooters, a TSA officer will inspect the device along with the seat cushion(s), also testing for traces of explosives. Anything removable on your device will be X-rayed.
If you have trouble standing independently, you can ask for a chair or to be screened in your wheelchair or scooter.
Checking your mobility device
If you have a rigid-frame, battery-powered wheelchair or scooter, you may use your device up to the gate, but then you must check it. It must be returned to you in a timely manner as close as possible to the door of the aircraft, unless you request picking it up in baggage claim. When you travel with a battery-powered mobility device, you must arrive one hour earlier than the normal check in.
Protecting your device if checked
Stowed in the cargo section of the plane, there’s a chance of baggage sliding against your mobility device and damaging it. Before checking your device, avid traveler and wheelchair user John Morris, founder of WheelchairTravel.org and Wheelchair Travel Tours, suggests removing attachments that could be damaged or lost, such as foot and arm rests, side guards, tray tables, and cupholders, then packing them separately or carrying them with you. Contact the airline about whether your device’s batteries must be removed in transit.
“I recommend attaching detailed instructions to your wheelchair, printed on a laminated sheet of paper,” Morris advises. “Particularly important are details on how to power-on/off the chair, how to set it to free-wheel mode, and where the chair should be lifted.”
At least 48 hours prior to traveling with a mobility device, inform the airline that you will have a wheelchair or scooter so they can accommodate you.
Navigating Train Travel for Seniors: Tips from a Seasoned Traveler
Carrying it on
If your mobility device is manual and can be folded, collapsed or broken down, including some wheelchairs and scooters as well as walkers, rollators and canes, you may be able to bring it in the cabin and stow it in the overhead compartment or under the seats (it will not count as one of your carry-ons).
The Air Carrier Access Act also requires that planes with 100 seats or more have priority space or a closet for stowing foldable devices. However, this priority space is first-come, first-served and comes with size and other FAA safety restrictions. If you’re traveling with a manual, foldable wheelchair and your plane is not equipped with a closet, airlines must strap it to a designated row of seats.
To confirm that your assistive device can travel in the cabin, consult your airline in advance of your trip.
Leaving your mobility device at home
If you’d rather not take the risk of damaging or losing your valuable mobility device or encountering difficulties getting it from the airport to your hotel, cruise ship or other destination, there are plenty of other options for procuring the assistive device that you need.
First thing you need to take care of is navigating the airport. When you make your flight reservation, you can request wheelchair assistance. Airport staff will take you from the terminal entrance through TSA and all the way to your seat on the plane, if necessary. When you deplane – whether for a connecting flight or your destination – a wheelchair will be waiting to transport you to your next flight or to baggage claim and even to the vehicle pickup area.
At your destination, some hotels may be able to rent you a wheelchair for your stay. Cruise lines typically have wheelchairs to get you onboard and can provide you with information on rental companies like Scootaround where you can rent wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and rollators for the duration of your voyage. Many tourist attractions, such as museums, amusement parks and historical landmarks, also have wheelchairs available for guests. It’s a good idea to make reservations for these devices in advance of your visit or stay.
Your travel agent or companies like Cloud of Goods (CoG) can also facilitate rentals of wheelchairs, scooters, and rollators and arrange for the device to meet you at your destination.
Flying with a mobility device shouldn’t keep you from visiting the places and people you want to see. Simply do your homework, know what to expect, and make all the necessary arrangements. That way you can avoid any hassles, delays, or damage and focus on the fun instead!
