New American Airlines Wheelchair Policy Strands Passengers Relying on Mobility Devices

[cstanleytech]

Source: Gizmodo

A change to the wheelchair policy at American Airlines has quietly flown under the radar for months. The revised guidelines put weight restrictions on electric wheelchairs for certain flights that were previously capable of transporting the same mobility devices. The move appears to be a cost-cutting measure that could run afoul of federal regulations and disenfranchise countless travelers who rely on mobility devices.

The issue first started to get attention when accessible travel blogger John Morris wrote about his experience in October trying to board a flight on a route he’s taken many times. Morris is a triple-amputee who uses an electric wheelchair, enjoys travel, and maintains wheelchairtravel.org, a resource of tips and guidance for navigating the world from a wheelchair.

Morris wrote that he was trying to board an American Airlines flight from Gainesville, Florida to Dallas, Texas. He says that the flight was to be on a CRJ-700 aircraft that he’s flown on more than 50 times in the past, and 21 times with American, specifically. But on this trip, he was informed that his wheelchair which he self-reported as weighing 450 pounds was above the maximum weight limit for the aircraft.

Read more: https://gizmodo.com/new-american-airlines-wheelchair-policy-strands-passeng-1845582576

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. I'm dumbstruck that an electric wheelchair would be that heavy.

Surely the technology exists to make them lighter.

[cstanleytech]

2. There are but the article explains that it essentially bans the more advance chairs that some people

have to use in their daily life simply to get around.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. I want to emphasize that I know nothing about these things.

But if that's the weight these chairs typically are, then it's unconscionable of the airline to suddenly not allow them. I'd think he'd have a strong case of some sort under the ADA.

[usajumpedtheshark]

4. I would imagine a battery pack for those are heavy

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. That's a lot of my guess as to the (to me) extraordinary weight.

Which also indicates that battery technology needs improvement.

[Sgent]

5. This sucks

but I think AA might survive a challenge. This only applies to regional jets and chairs weighing more than 400#, and AA claims that its due to cargo floor weight limits. They seem to allow them if dissembled, but that brings up other issues.

[Hekate]

6. So what they're saying is they've revoked the ADA by fiat?

I smell a lawsuit.

[Roy Rolling]

7. There's better solutions

A system-wide weight limit is reasonable, and 450 pounds is reasonable, too. Seriously, I rely on a powered chair for long distances now, and it weighs 175 pounds. Maybe a 275 pound rider plus chair weight is 450 pounds, but a 450 pound chair seems heavy.

Regardless, airlines must have weight control over what flies in their planes. I appreciate this guy’s freedom, but demanding airlines have no weight limits is a bit rude. 😂😂

What are the weight restrictions for non-wheelchair passengers?

[cstanleytech]

8. Don't forget though that some people need chairs with more features than you might need so I think

the airlines need to be more reasonable about this rather than focus on saving on the cost of the extra fuel because someone with a disability needs such a wheelchair.

[thucythucy]

10. The ADA doesn't cover airlines.

Airlines are covered by the Air Carriers Access Act of 1988.

Just a point of information in case anyone runs into this problem personally.

[mn9driver]

11. In reading the linked article, AA's larger concern seems to be liability for damage.

While it is true that manufacturers sometimes change limitations, the last Bombardier revision to CRJ numbers that I can find was in 2015. So that’s probably not what is actually happening here.

AA has a high rate of damaging the larger, heavier mobility devices. Other airlines have problems too. The most common method for loading them in cargo is 4 rampers wrestling it down the jetway stairs, then up the belt loader and shoehorning it into the cargo bay. CRJ cargo doors are not big. Breaking a joystick controller off, bending something, or messing up a connection during this operation is pretty common with the bigger chairs.

I’m guessing that AA is trying to lower costs by rejecting the bigger, heavier chairs that are hard to load and unload and are prone to damage as a result. What the airlines should do is come up with a better way of handling these items to reduce the damage rate and make it easier on the rampers.