One mum's fight to get wheelchairs on planes

[Anjerith]

Pointless. People in wheelchairs can not only have their chairs stored on planes, they can be CARRIED by attendants to seats if they Do need the assistance. Basically royalty. Asking for every plane in operation right now to be taken apart and put back together to allow a handicap parking lot inside is just ignorant on so many levels.

[Deleted]

The biggest reason that electric wheelchairs aren't allowed on planes is the same reason that the Note 7 phone was banned - 1 defect in the battery can cause it to catch fire VIOLENTLY and you airlines don't have the fire fighting equipment onboard to be able to fight a lithium fire.

Actually electric wheelchairs are allowed they just have to disengage the battery

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Powered wheelchairs are never going to be allowed on planes without some rigorous inspection requirements being mandatory.

This is just one of those points where they're are far too few handicapped travelers to be able to accommodate.

They are allowed

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What they said amounted to It's uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable for me to fly as well, I don't get any special accommodation

You're conveniently ignoring "not safe" people have wheelchairs adapted for reasons I physical can't sit in a normal chair without preasure sores

[Krawu]

A wheelchair securely clamped down is more secure than the overhead luggage

It's also a lot heavier, especially if there's a person sitting in it.

And I don't particularly feel like getting hit in the neck by a 300-pound-man in his wheelchair during the emergency landing because someone decided that the guy needed to be afforded the dignity of sitting in his own chair at the expense of safety.

[Deleted]

Pointless. People in wheelchairs can not only have their chairs stored on planes, they can be CARRIED by attendants to seats if they Do need the assistance. Basically royalty. Asking for every plane in operation right now to be taken apart and put back together to allow a handicap parking lot inside is just ignorant on so many levels.

A lot of wheelchair users cannot use normal seats

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It's also a lot heavier, especially if there's a person sitting in it.

And I don't particularly feel like getting hit in the neck by a 300-pound-man in his wheelchair during the emergency landing because someone decided that the guy needed to be afforded the dignity of sitting in his own chair at the expense of safety.

That argument is debatable

[Unholyground]

Even with lower fuel prices?

Ya because for every seat they do not fill it costs x amount. I used to know the breakdown but profits from seating are only made from first class, the rest is from extras like pets, baggage, inflight services, cargo etc. If they fill all regular econo they basically break even.

[ifrah]

The pitfall for this idea is of course first developing a system that passes all the related standards and regulations. I don't work in aviation industry, but even on much "lighter and less regulated" fields stuff can sometimes be quite overwhelming and tedious to get done and approved by the book while keeping the cost within your budget.
Which, even if successful with clearing up all standards brings to the biggest issue, which is the cost. The arrangement to the plane to be able to remove standard seat and accommodate a wheelchair* brings extra cost. Extra cost to build, extra cost to maintain, and extra cost to set up / dismantle. Who's going to pay for that? Unless there is industry-wide requirement, the answer is easily forecast by any airline - nobody. And I don't see any country imposing such rules, as it would be shot down by any airlines operating under their legislation as hard as you can imagine. If the cost of the whole setup would be carried by only the passengers using such, I'd bet my balls they'd be happily flying biz class all the way and back, and still have plenty to spend.

So short answer is: Will not happen any time soon, if ever. Not a nice thing for the disabled people, but that's just the way things go.

*Bonus track: There would be of course a number of different standards which are in no way compatible between each other, proprietary preferably/likely.

[Rennadrel]

There's a number of issues from what I can tell. The first is that the wheelchair takes up more space than a standard seat. The second is that not all wheel chairs can be anchored at the same points. The third is that the number of people flying who need a wheel chair is somewhat low. I'm pretty sure the total wheelchair population in the US amounts to about 1% of the population. We have far more people who need more space in their standard seat and nobody addresses those issues.

Pretty much everyone who needs a bigger seat is in that state of their own volition. Sorry but every person who is a fat ass is responsible for their weight. Airlines shouldn't have to bend over because fat people don't want to address their own problems. And as a big guy myself, I take responsibility for my weight rather than blaming society for inconveniencing me.

[Sunseeker]

Watch the video, one of the big complaints is having to use a chair that isn’t theirs.

Well sure, one of my biggest complaints about airplanes is having to fly in a plane I don't own! Aside from ya know, having to take off my shoes and being treated like a would-be terrorist just to get on one.

Want to fly? Take the supplied wheelchair. Don't want to take the wheelchair? Don't fly.

That's why businesses are only required to make reasonable accommodations.

[Allybeboba]

ADA requires it.

Peace

[Katie N]

Waste of money if they don't already offer.

[Feronar]

There are several problems with having a BYO (Bring Your Own) Wheelchair section:

1 - Safety: If the airplane crashes, or experiences particularly severe turbulence, the wheelchair could easily break free from its anchors and hurt anyone in the vicinity, resulting in huge lawsuits. It could also block the aisle, impeding any emergency evacuation. It's just too much liability. Even if there was a standard for airworthy wheelchairs, it would still be risky to trust the wheelchair users to ensure that the moorings are properly maintained.
2 - Economics: Setting aside a whole section of the airplane for BYO wheelchair users would be a logistical and economic nightmare. It is not guarantee know how many wheelchair users would fly on any given flight. If fewer wheelchair users fly than the plane has a capacity for, any remaining spots would be wasted space, costing the airline hundreds or thousands of dollars, and that cost would get passed on to everyone else.
3 - More economics: If such a system were implemented, there would need to be standards for how it is anchored to the plane, and it would need to comply with those standards. Currently existing wheelchairs and scooters would need to be replaced, and wheelchairs and especially motor scooters are VERY expensive. That fact alone would utterly crush any market for a BYO wheelchair section.

On the other hand, the idea of having airline seats that transform into wheelchairs and back, as suggested at 1:52 in the video, looks much more feasible. They would be built specifically for the airplane, meeting the full rigorous standards for safety, and the airline would be responsible for maintaining them, eliminating the need to trust strangers to keep their own wheelchairs maintained, thereby solving the liability problem. In addition it would solve the problem of wasted space when there are not enough handicapped passengers to fill the BYO wheelchair section. Any remaining spots not needed by the handicapped would effectively just serve as ordinary seats that anyone can use.

[I Push Buttons]

A lot of wheelchair users cannot use normal seats

Airlines already go out of their way to accommodate people with disabilities, letting them board first, letting them disembark first, etc.

If their disability is so severe that they can't sit in a normal chair, then they should book a specialized flight or travel some other way, its absolutely ridiculous to require accommodations to that extreme... Nothing reasonable about it which is the standard for most disability laws, "reasonable accommodations".

The only complaint towards airlines I feel is valid is the treatment of medical equipment. I feel it is perfectly reasonable to require special care be taken to avoid damaging wheelchairs and the like (more precautions, better storage, etc)... Since the equipment is so essential and in most cases it is just treated like any other luggage and quite often gets damaged; this on top of the reimbursement process sometimes taking quite a while.

Seems like it could be a safety issue in the event of severe turbulence or emergency landings, etc. I’m sure there’s a reason for banning them, which is only done to protect passengers. No one wants a heavy wheelchair or the person in it, slamming into someone else, or blocking the aisle if it gets loose.

There is the liability matter, but I'd wager its more a money matter. To make space for all different types of wheelchairs and the equipment to secure them, they would need to take out one or maybe even two full rows of seats... That's space for six+ customers they would be losing to make room for one customer...

And then on most flights there probably isn't even a person in a wheelchair getting on... They don't know that until its boarding (its illegal to require knowledge of whether passengers are disabled in advanced)... So they both can't overbook just in case (without it regularly biting them in the ass) OR just slap seats in on the fly in the event there is no wheelchair user to accommodate more customers.

[Jonnusthegreat]

Her solution seems simple enough. But it seems even simpler to just sit in an airplane chair. Why can't wheelchair users sit in a different chair?

[infinit]

batteries are dangerous, sit in the seat (with assistance) like everyone else or don't fly.

[dvaz]

Fuck off.

People take a long time to board / deboard the plane already. Don't need more shit like wheelchairs to slow things more.

Sucks but C'est la vie.

[Stelio Kontos]

How will a second ticket help with leg space? I'm 180 cm and I have had trouble with leg space, I feel sorry for those who are taller than me.

The struggle is real, I'm 194cm. I hate flying so much, I swear it'll give me claustrophobia one of these days.

Pretty much everyone who needs a bigger seat is in that state of their own volition. Sorry but every person who is a fat ass is responsible for their weight. Airlines shouldn't have to bend over because fat people don't want to address their own problems. And as a big guy myself, I take responsibility for my weight rather than blaming society for inconveniencing me.

I'm 194cm (6'4), and at my lightest as an adult, I still weighed over 200 lbs (91kg) since I lifted a lot of weights and am wide-shouldered. Not fat at all, but airplane seats are agonizing to deal with. Especially if I'm in the middle of a row.

[Deleted]

Amazing how people come out of the woodwork to shit on the disabled

[Elim Garak]

Amazing how people come out of the woodwork to shit on the disabled

Are you saying disabled people are special?

P.S. people shit on the unreasonably entitled.

[Deleted]

Are you saying disabled people are special?

P.S. people shit on the unreasonably entitled.

I'm saying people are that insecure that they get enjoyment out of mocking and shitting on those unfortunate than themselves

[ItsRainingMetal]

Just put people in wheelchairs in the cargo hold, plenty of space down there.