Can I Take My Electric Wheelchair on a Plane? With Proper Details | 2023
People with a disability want to travel by plane but they usually ask the internet if they can I take my electric wheelchair on a plane. You can take your wheelchair to the airport and plane but you need to follow some basic rules.
People who use wheelchairs on daily bases are usually in doubt about whether airlines will welcome their wheelchairs or not. Well, it depends upon the different factors of the wheelchair like your wheelchair should have FAA-Approved. Some of them can be solved by you while others can only be solved by the airlines themselves.
Your electric wheelchair only is allowed by the airline if it satisfied some checklist. This checklist of rules is only made for wheelchair users. So if you want to take your manual or electric wheelchair on the plane then you must follow their rules. These rules are given below in proper detail so check it out.
Can I take my Electric Wheelchair on a Plane?
If you use a wheelchair in your daily routine then and want to travel by plane but are afraid the airlines won’t allow your electric wheelchair then you should know that most of the airlines allow you to take your electric wheelchair on planes.
Can I take a wheelchair on a plane? Yes, you can but before you need to ask the airlines about your wheelchair type, and other rules and regulations. There are some types that wouldn’t allow on the Airlines. They will tell you that you can or can’t have a wheelchair on the plane.
There are some policies and rules that you need to know before bringing your wheelchair to the airport. There are also different questions in your mind like are electric wheelchairs allowed on planes or taking electric wheelchair on planes all of these questions will be answered in the article below so let’s get to it.
Should be Foldable:
Whenever you take the wheelchair to the plane you need to keep in mind that you won’t be setting on it but in fact, you will place it in the plane’s air carrier. An air carrier access is a place in the airline that keep your wheelchair folded so it doesn’t take much space.
Now the question arises can you stay in your wheelchair on a plane? Well No because they will provide you with their own wheelchair.
A wheelchair that is the ridge and doesn’t fold won’t fit in the plane properly. The air carrier access which is available in both international and domestic airlines has a specific size. Before taking your electric or manual wheelchair to the airline you need to confirm the size of Air Carrier access.
Which Types are Allowed:
Manual Wheelchair:
There are basically two types of wheelchairs one manual wheelchair and another electric wheelchair and sometimes people also want to know the best power wheelchair for air travel. In this section, we discuss manual wheelchairs.
A manual wheelchair is welcome by airlines and they even let it into the airplane. But there is a problem with its storage. A wheelchair need to be store folded and need to match the size of carrier access.
If the wheelchair doesn’t fit in that carrier then your wheelchair should be stored in the cargo holds. Before storing the wheelchair in the cargo holds you need to remove all the removable part and store it in the aircraft cabin.
The removable parts include footrests, cup holders, seat cushions, etc. You can also store it in the bin which is located overhead.
Sometimes the airline community doesn’t install the wheelchair closed which is required by ACAA. Then you must use the seat strapping method. In the seat strapping method, you will tie a folded wheelchair to a normal seat of a plane.
The airline is required you to keep your wheelchair for your event the flight is fully booked so you don’t have to worry if you want to take your manual wheelchair to the airport.
Electric Wheelchair:
There is a debate about that can I take my electric wheelchair on a plane and can electric wheelchairs go on planes. Well, the answer is yes you can take an electric wheelchair but you have to follow some basic rules. If your wheelchair satisfied all those rules then you can take your electric wheelchair to the airline.
The first thing you need to keep in mind at the time of airport arrival. When you arrive at the airport the airline crew provides you with a manual wheelchair in return for an electric wheelchair. Because an electric wheelchair is too heavy to take and store in the tight aisle. Your electric wheelchair will be stored in cargo holds.
But if you have a lightweight and small electric wheelchair it also needed to be folded flat then you can store the electric wheelchair underneath the checked luggage. Electric wheelchairs have different types in the market right now so you need to choose to check electric wheelchairs that fold up.
You can take any type of electric wheelchair but it needs to follow one basic rule. Most Airlines have Batteries. The airlines only provide access to that wheelchairs which has FAA-Approved batteries. So what are FAA-Approved batteries?
The FAA-Approved batteries are also known as gel batteries and it also called dry batteries. The gel batteries basically have lithium which is nonspill able. Actually, it doesn’t have any sort of wet material that can spill into the airline which then causes problems both for passengers and the plane.
Another thing that you need when you travel with your electric wheelchair is a copy of the manual of that electric wheelchair. It is only required whenever they need to disassemble the wheelchair when they need to.
After the plane landing then you will disembark before the other passengers and you will be provided with your own electric wheelchair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Airlines Charge for Your Wheelchair?
No, the airline doesn’t charge you for your wheelchair. In fact, they provide you with one if you don’t have one yourself.
How do you Take a Wheelchair on an Airline?
Most Airlines do not allow the passenger to bring their own wheelchair to the airplane. They provide you with their own wheelchair if you needed one. You have to leave your own wheelchair at boarding.
Are Wheelchair Batteries Accepted on The Plane?
Yes, Battery is accepted by airlines but only lithium batteries which are also known as dry batteries. You have to remove it from the wheelchair and put it back into the wheelchair when you check. You can only take FAA-approved wheelchair Lithium batteries on aircraft.
Conclusion:
Use all the information from the above article and travel with your wheelchair. According to a survey, there are a lot of people who travel with a wheelchair every single day. So don’t worry that how much does it cost to take a wheelchair on a plane and be afraid of it just take time and travel with your loved ones
I gave you everything about Can I take my electric wheelchair on a plane and hopes if full you cup but if you have any sort of query in your mind then don’t forget to ask it in the comment section below and I will answer it as soon as possible.
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About Author
John Maverick
John Maverik is an expert in Medical health and mobility devices, especially wheelchairs. He has worked in this field for the past five and a half years. He knows the wheelchair from every aspect and can guide every visitor with accurate information. He helps those with wheelchair-related problems and walks through them to get the best wheelchair.
