Airline wheelchair damage data

[2drwhofans]

https://wheelchairtravel.org/first-d...february-2018/

[Tetracyclone]

https://wheelchairtravel.org/first-d...february-2018/

Useful!

[Mize]

Need to read the asterisks though. Southwests numbers are apparently only for power chairs and scooters.

[HockeyFan]

Great article - it's important to know they are tracking this info. Where/how do you file a claim, if needed?

The trouble is, when you're coming off a flight you really just want to get in your chair and go. Especially if you are travelling alone.

[endo_aftermath]

I account for two of those American Airline damage claims. While I'm not happy with the damage, their response in responding to my claim could not have been better. At the time, I surmised that this excellent response might have been due to the airlines being under this new and more rigorous reporting regimen.

Flying between Miami and Key West between Christmas and New Years, they managed to damage my Tilite ZRa caster forks and broke two wheels off the rolling travel case for my shower chair. An airline representative at the Key West airport immediately brought me a claim form and filled it out for me, since his hands worked so much better than mine. I was contacted by the Chicago based claim service company, Global Repair Group, the next day while I was still in Key West. Over the next few weeks the representative from

Global Repair Group stayed on top of this with more urgency than I had. They ordered a new travel case and contacted my local wheelchair DME to arrange for the wheelchair repair. It turned out that the fix was a lot simpler than the DME thought so I called them and gave them a much less expensive option. The replacement parts, that I wanted to install myself, were ordered within minutes.

[Mize]

When it's time for a new powerchair we know which airlines to fly!

[Domosoyo]

Thanks for posting this here. Good to see some numbers after that Senator Duckworth's pushed that legislation through. Looks like we will stay with Delta when flying with the powerchair and I can report so far so good.

[2drwhofans]

Here's the full Air Travel Consumer Report:

https://www.transportation.gov/sites...ry2019atcr.pdf

Page 47 includes the documented number of disabled passenger complaints.

[RollinPositive]

That information is 100% useless because there are why to many variables...

It doesnt say how many users (most) just leave there chairs at the gate expecting air personal how to move, and load the chair.

It doesn't say how many people left with damage and never reported it because they didnt know they could and that by law the airline has to repair no charge.

It also doesn't account for smaller airlines that fly smaller planes they make it more of a risk to fly larger power chairs and can cause more damage flying chairs on the sides because the cargo doors are to small.


But again its people that dont fly really not understanding how simple it can be.

[2drwhofans]

That information is 100% useless because there are why to many variables...

It doesnt say how many users (most) just leave there chairs at the gate expecting air personal how to move, and load the chair.

It doesn't say how many people left with damage and never reported it because they didnt know they could and that by law the airline has to repair no charge.

It also doesn't account for smaller airlines that fly smaller planes they make it more of a risk to fly larger power chairs and can cause more damage flying chairs on the sides because the cargo doors are to small.


But again its people that dont fly really not understanding how simple it can be.

You're correct in many ways about what is, in effect, a "data dump".

This does mark the very first effort to compile information about the incidence of manual and motorized mobility equipment damaged by airlines.

Up until last year, the airlines lumped wrecking a wheelchair in the same category as wrecking a piece of luggage.