Travelling by air with a powered wheelchair can present unique challenges, but with the right preparation and knowledge, the experience can be easier. In this guide, experienced disabled traveller and entrepreneur, Alex Papanikolaou shares invaluable tips and advice, drawing from personal experience of flying over 1,000 times in more than 70 countries, to help you navigate flying with a powered wheelchair.
Equal access to air travel for disabled people, along with enhanced rights for disabled passengers, is a hot topic, and it is one that I often discuss with fellow disabled travellers, like Simply Emma. Additionally, Rights on Flights is doing incredible work to improve disabled passenger air travel rights at a policy level.
Flying with a powered wheelchair still seems to be a sort of dark art, involving several key steps and phrases in the process that can change each time you fly.
There is hope on the horizon for the ability to remain in your own wheelchair on the plane in the future. However, for now, we are limited to the current methods if we wish to fly anywhere.
This is a process I have undertaken over 1,000 times in more than 70 countries. Nowadays, I typically fly around 50 times a year, and I often receive questions about how I manage to travel so frequently; I could probably write a book about travelling by air with a powered wheelchair.
It’s not always easy, and it can be incredibly frustrating at times, leading some people to avoid it altogether. Nevertheless, it is doable, and having my own powerchair in another country still provides me with an incredible sense of freedom.
I thought I would share all my knowledge, tools, tips, tricks, and nuggets of information that I’ve gathered over 20 years of travelling with a powerchair. I aimed to compile everything I’ve learned, so this guide is quite comprehensive! It’s a lot to absorb all at once, but I hope it will serve as a handy tool to improve your chances of having a somewhat easier experience when flying with a powered wheelchair.
The key to easier travel with a powerchair is being prepared, clear, consistent, and persistent with information, while ensuring that airports and airlines accommodate your needs in the manner you require. Above all else, be ready to practise patience!
This guide is divided into two parts. The first is a step-by-step guide to air travel with a powered wheelchair, and the second part is a comprehensive reference guide to flying with a powered wheelchair, with detailed information on rules and procedures, battery information, preparing your powerchair for travel, and what to do if your powerchair is damaged.
Table of Contents
Step-by-step Guide to Flying With a Powered Wheelchair
1: Know your wheelchair
The first thing is to know your powerchair weight, dimensions and battery details because you will likely be asked for these several times throughout your journey. See Powered Wheelchair Air Travel Essentials for more details.
2: Research your airline
Before you book your flight, check that the airline and aircraft can accept your powerchair battery type and powerchair size. You can usually find this out on the airline’s website.
3: Let your airline know
If you can, always do what is requested from the airline in advance, whether that means phoning them or filling out a form to tell them what assistance you need (see Assistance codes for more details) and give them details about your wheelchair.
Try and get written confirmation that your wheelchair is accepted if possible. This is evidence you can use during check-in if they give you any trouble.
4: Checking in
Arrive at check-in early because the process will take time. I would recommend arriving two hours in advance of your flight time for short haul flights, and three hours in advance for long haul flights.
At the airport check in, they will likely have none of the details you’ve already provided so be prepared to give them all again! They might ask you for printed information on your wheelchair but you don’t need to have this if you know it all and can explain it. If you want to give them a printout, I suggest you make a one-page document with exactly the information they need and nothing more.
If you give them your entire user manual, you are likely to sit there for ages while they flick through it, pass it around and read irrelevant sections.
In my experience, there is usually one person at check-in who knows how to correctly check in a powered wheelchair, so you may have to wait a little while they find this person! You may also hear staff throughout your journey refer to your wheelchair as an EMA – this just means electric mobility aid.
5: Repeat, and repeat again
They will likely ask you to repeat the same information several times, so be prepared to be patient, they will probably ask you more than once if your battery can be removed, because they often don’t understand the difference between removable and non-removable batteries.
Just be absolutely clear and consistent with them. There is more on this in Powered Wheelchair Air Travel Essentials.
6: Get a baggage tag
Make sure they put a baggage tag on your wheelchair, this is your evidence that it’s in the system in case you need to make a claim (see Damaged Powerchairs). I’ve had some staff tell me that wheelchairs don’t get tagged, but this is wrong, always insist on a baggage tag and receipt.
Some airports will issue your tag at the boarding gate, just always make sure there’s one on your wheelchair before you part with it.
7: Special assistance
In some airports you also need to go and declare yourself at the special assistance desk, usually you can make your own way to the gate after that if you want to, but some insist that they must accompany you. You can argue this to a point if you really don’t want to be escorted, but sometimes they will not budge on this.
8: Security
Taking your wheelchair through security involves a pat down while seated and swabbing you and your wheelchair. It’s usually fairly straightforward. They sometimes ask you if you can stand but I always stay seated throughout the process as I find that easier than standing up and potentially falling over.
9: Staying in your wheelchair
Taking your own wheelchair to the plane door is usually not an issue these days in most countries that I travel to. There are laws in the US and EU that say disabled people should be able to remain in their own wheelchairs as much as possible.
They sometimes like to ask you to leave it at check in and push you in an airport wheelchair because they find it easier to deal with your wheelchair that way, but if you insist that you need it, it’s usually ok.
The one exception to this in Europe is Czechia/the Czech Republic, they do not allow powerchairs to be taken past check in, I have never managed to persuade them in all my visits to Prague.
10: Parting with your wheelchair
When you part with your wheelchair, I recommend doing everything you can to get your wheelchair ready for them, which is essentially disconnecting/immobilising it, putting it into freewheel mode and folding/removing the backrest if needed. There is more on this in Powered Wheelchair Air Travel Essentials.
If you need the staff to help you, showing them pictures and videos on your phone of what you need to be done can be really helpful. If you want to remove or bubble wrap cushions, footplates or joysticks that’s up to you. You may get asked for information about your wheelchair yet again at the gate, so be prepared to repeat things!
11: The aircraft hold
If you are wondering how your wheelchair is put in the aircraft hold, there are two methods. The first is used by most budget airlines and regional planes and involves just putting your wheelchair in with the bags and tying it to the aircraft floor.
They do this by placing your wheelchair on the baggage conveyor belt up to the hold or using a special lift, or even sometimes using the ambulift to line up with the conveyor belt or hold door.
The second method is used by full-service airlines and involves putting your wheelchair in a special container for cargo (also called a can), tying it down, and putting the container on the plane using a special machine.
I prefer the second method because it involves minimal manual handling of the wheelchair, your wheelchair is protected in the hold, and with connecting flights they can usually just put the container on the next plane, without having to touch your wheelchair.
12: Getting your wheelchair back on arrival
Getting your wheelchair back at the plane door on arrival is unfortunately not guaranteed, even though they are supposed to bring it back to you. It is dependent on the airport, the type of stand you are on and the staff.
Many airports claim they can’t bring your wheelchair to the plane and you must get it at the baggage hall, or they say you’ll be waiting a long time if you want it back at the plane door (even if you’ve taken your wheelchair to the plane door at that airport in the past!).
If there is an ambulift rather than an air bridge, you are much more likely to get your wheelchair back at the plane and without waiting a long time, because they can pop your wheelchair on the ambulift and bring it up to you.
Air bridges mean they need to push your wheelchair to the nearest lift, and if that’s far away, it can take a very long time or they just take it to the baggage hall.
They will sometimes ask you for your key or how to activate your wheelchair so they can drive it to you and don’t need to push it, but personally, I don’t like random people driving my wheelchair and potentially crashing it, so I never give staff my key unless I can see my wheelchair.
They may also ask you how to put your wheelchair into freewheel mode, so having photos and videos on your phone can be really helpful.
13: Waiting on the plane
It can sometimes put pressure on the staff if you refuse to disembark the plane without your wheelchair because the cabin crew can’t leave until you do and you’ll hold up the next flight.
If the captain goes downstairs to find out where your wheelchair is, that’s usually a good sign that you’ll get it back soon! I’ll leave it up to you to do what you’re comfortable with.
14: The baggage hall
If you do need to go to the baggage hall to get your wheelchair back, you’ll be pushed there, but it can feel a bit like purgatory waiting there for it in an uncomfortable airport wheelchair.
Many of the assistance staff take you to wait by the baggage belts, but powerchairs don’t go on the belts. They almost always get pushed through a door near the oversized luggage section and are either left there or pushed to the baggage belts.
I have been taken up and down the baggage hall on more than one occasion looking for my wheelchair, but they do find it eventually.
There are very, very rare occasions where they put powerchairs on baggage belts (usually the oversized ones), but they are really not supposed to do that, it’s only ever happened three times to me out of over 1000 flights.
If you want more reassurance that your wheelchair is nearby, I recommend putting an Air Tracker Tag on it.
15: Connecting flights
If you have a connecting flight, especially with a short transfer time, the chances of getting your wheelchair back for the connection can be quite slim. Most airports really don’t like doing it, with exceptions being London Heathrow Terminal 5 and airports in the US, they are pretty good at getting your chair back to you.
One way to massively increase your chances is to ask them to tag your wheelchair only to the connection point, not to the destination, that way they have to give your wheelchair back to you because it’s not tagged to go any further, and they might refuse to tag it like this, but it’s worth asking.
However, if you have a short transfer time, I would recommend using an airport wheelchair, as the time taken to get your wheelchair back could make getting to your next flight quite stressful.
One really important thing to remember is always to assume you won’t see your wheelchair again until your destination, so make sure your wheelchair will fit on all the flights. For example, if you fly on a Boeing 777 and then connect to a 737, ensure your backrest is at the right height for all flights. There is more on this in Powered Wheelchair Air Travel Essentials.
If you really hate being without your wheelchair, I recommend booking point-to-point flights as much as possible and avoiding connecting flights.
16: And that’s it!
You should have your wheelchair back and be off to your destination! It may sound like an overwhelming number of things to remember and do, but as I mentioned, it’s mostly about being prepared, being clear, consistent and persistent with information and making sure airports and airlines do what you need, in the way you need it done.
I have flown over 1000 times with dozens of airlines with a powered wheelchair. Most journeys are trouble-free, even if a little frustrating with repeating the same information over and over again. I have only been refused travel once in my life, with a Chinese airline, but I booked a new ticket with a different airline and was on my way 12 hours later.
Check out part two of the ultimate guide to flying with a powered wheelchair, which is a comprehensive reference guide with essential tips on navigating airline procedures, battery regulations, assistance codes, and preparing your wheelchair for travel.
Thank you to Alex Papanikolaou for sharing his expert tips and advice for air travel with a powered wheelchair. You can follow Alex and his travels @alexwheeltravel on Instagram.
Where Next: You Might Also Enjoy
20 UK Airports that have Changing Places Toilets
How The ableSling Transfer Sling Makes Air Travel Simple For Disabled Travellers
London City Airport Special Assistance
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Special Assistance
Edinburgh Airport Special Assistance
5 Failings of Special Assistance for Disabled Passengers at Edinburgh Airport & London City Airport
Don’t miss a thing!
Follow me on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube’ | Pinterest
Save ’The Ultimate Guide to Flying With a Powered Wheelchair’ to read later!
