Airlines Must Provide Wheelchair Assistance for Free. Here’s How to Request It for a Holiday Trip

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Airport wheelchair assistance is free. Under the Air Carrier Access Act, a federal law, U.S. airlines and foreign airlines flying to or from the United States must promptly provide wheelchair or other guided assistance to passengers with disabilities who ask for it. That includes help getting from the terminal entrance to the gate, boarding, connecting between flights, deplaning, and getting to baggage claim. Airlines can’t charge for it, and they generally can’t require you to give advance notice.

Here’s how to request it: add the request when you book, or later through the airline’s website, app, or reservations line, ideally at least 48 hours before your flight. Confirm it with every airline on your itinerary. Then, at the airport, tell the agent at check-in that you’re the passenger who requested assistance. Do the same at the gate. If you didn’t request it in advance, you can still ask at the airport.

Holiday travel is a good time to plan ahead. Airports are crowded, and the number of passengers asking for wheelchairs can be high.

How to Request Wheelchair Assistance

Request it when you book

Most airlines let you add wheelchair assistance when you book online. Look for a section called special assistance, accessibility, or special services. You may be asked to choose what kind of help you need:

• Help over long distances, for people who can walk short distances and climb stairs, but not long distances through the airport.
• Help to and from the aircraft seat, for people who can’t walk or climb stairs.
• Your own wheelchair, if you’re bringing a manual or power wheelchair.

Add it to an existing booking

If you already booked, you can usually add assistance through “manage trip” on the airline’s website or app, or by calling the airline. Some airlines have a dedicated accessibility line.

Give at least 48 hours’ notice if you can

The Department of Transportation says passengers generally aren’t required to give advance notice for disability-related accommodations. But it recommends calling ahead to arrange wheelchair assistance, a seat that meets your needs, or help stowing assistive devices. Airlines can require up to 48 hours’ notice for a few specific services, like hooking up a respirator, packaging a wheelchair battery, or carrying a power wheelchair on a plane with fewer than 60 seats.

Confirm with every airline

If your trip uses more than one airline, such as a partner airline on a connection, confirm your request with each one. Requests don’t always transfer automatically.

Self-identify at the airport

This is the step many travelers miss. Even if your request is in your reservation, airline staff won’t know you’re the person who requested it unless you tell them. When you arrive, tell the check-in agent or a staff member at the curb that you need wheelchair assistance. Do the same at the gate.

Ask at the airport if you didn’t request it in advance

If you didn’t request help ahead of time, you can still ask at the airport. Airlines must provide assistance promptly, though it may take longer without notice. If you realize during a flight that you’ll need help on arrival, tell a flight attendant so the crew can arrange it.

What Airlines Must Do

Under DOT rules, airlines must provide help:

• From the terminal entrance through the airport to the gate.
• To a restroom entrance, if time allows.
• Boarding and deplaning.
• Moving between gates to make a connection.
• Getting to baggage claim.
• Getting to a service animal relief area.

Airlines must also let passengers who need extra time or help preboard. On planes with 100 or more seats, there must be space in the cabin for at least one folding manual wheelchair. You need to request to preboard to stow it there.

When you arrive, airlines must provide prompt help getting off the plane. That generally means by the time the last passenger who didn’t ask for help gets off.

If You Use Your Own Wheelchair

• You can stay in your own wheelchair until you get to the gate.
• If you have a battery-powered wheelchair, arrive at least one hour before the normal check-in time.
• Bring written instructions on how to fold, disassemble, or handle your chair.
• Remove loose parts, like cushions or footrests, and bring them on board.
• Ask for your wheelchair to be returned at the door of the plane when you arrive.
• If your wheelchair is damaged, report it before leaving the airport.

What to Do if Something Goes Wrong

If you think an airline isn’t following the rules, ask to speak with a Complaints Resolution Official, or CRO. A CRO is the airline’s expert on disability issues, and airlines must make one available at the airport or by phone during their operating hours at no cost.

You can also contact the Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection disability hotline at 1-800-778-4838 during business hours, or file a complaint with the DOT.

The DOT has also said it is temporarily pausing enforcement of four requirements in its disability rules while it considers changes, so check the DOT’s website for the latest rules before you fly.

Tips for Holiday Travel With Airport Wheelchair Assistance

• Arrive early: Airports are busy during the holidays, and wheelchair attendants may be in high demand.
• Ask about TSA help: TSA has a TSA Cares helpline for passengers who need help with security screening. Call ahead of your trip.
• Tip if you want: Wheelchair attendants are often contractors who work for tips. Tipping isn’t required, but it’s common.
• Be ready to wait: At busy times, you may have to wait for an attendant. Allow extra time, especially for connections.
• Keep your phone charged: Airlines may text you about your request.

Making Connections With Airport Wheelchair Assistance

Connections are where wheelchair requests most often go wrong, especially at large hubs during the holidays. A few ways to make them smoother:

• Book longer connections. A connection of at least an hour, and longer at big airports, gives the airline time to get an attendant to your gate.
• Tell the flight attendants before landing. Remind them that you need help at the next gate so they can let the ground crew know.
• Stay on board until help arrives. Airlines are required to provide prompt help deplaning, so you don’t need to leave the plane alone.
• Ask the attendant to take you to a restroom or food on the way, if there’s time. The DOT rules include help to a restroom entrance when time allows.
• If no one shows up, ask the gate agent to call for help, and note the time. If the problem continues, ask for a Complaints Resolution Official.

Airport Wheelchair Assistance for Older Travelers

Many travelers who request wheelchairs at the airport don’t use one in daily life. They can walk short distances but struggle with long concourses, crowds, and standing in lines. The DOT says airlines must help passengers who have a disability that limits their mobility, and that the help includes moving through the airport from the entrance to the gate. If an older relative is flying home for the holidays and can’t walk long distances, a wheelchair request can make the trip much easier.

Airlines may ask a passenger for a credible verbal assurance that they need the service, but they shouldn’t ask about the nature of the disability. The DOT also notes that airlines don’t have to provide wheelchairs to passengers who simply want to get through security faster.

If a Traveler Needs Extra Help at the Destination

Airline wheelchair assistance ends at the curb or at a pickup point. If a traveler needs help beyond that, like getting to a car, plan for it ahead of time. Ask the family member or friend picking them up to meet them at baggage claim or the arrivals curb, and share the flight number so they can track the arrival time. Some airports let a companion get a pass to go through security and meet a traveler at the gate. Ask the airline at check-in whether that’s possible.

A Checklist for Holiday Flights

Before the trip:

• Request assistance when you book, or add it to your reservation at least 48 hours ahead.
• Confirm the request with every airline on the itinerary.
• If you use your own wheelchair, prepare written handling instructions and remove loose parts.
• Call TSA Cares if you’d like help planning for the security checkpoint.

At the airport:

• Tell the check-in agent or a curbside staff member that you’re the passenger who requested assistance.
• Remind the gate agent, and ask to preboard if you need extra time.
• Remind the flight attendants that you need help at your connection or destination.

If something goes wrong:

• Ask for a Complaints Resolution Official.
• Note names, times, and what happened.
• Contact the DOT’s disability hotline or file a complaint.

The Bottom Line on Airport Wheelchair Assistance

Wheelchair help at the airport is free, and airlines must provide it. Request it when you book, ideally 48 hours ahead, confirm it with every airline, and tell staff at the airport that you’re the person who asked for it. If something goes wrong, ask for a Complaints Resolution Official.