Air Travel: Managing your mobility equipment

Air Travel: Managing your mobility equipment

This page contains information on air travel and your mobility equipment whilst flying. It explains how your equipment is handled at an airport and what you can do to reduce the risk of damage or loss of your equipment.

Good planning and preparation are important to make your journey as smooth as possible. There may be many processes to follow. When planning your air travel it is important to think about your mobility equipment and how it might be handled at an airport.

Manual Wheelchairs

You will need to inform the airline that you need to take your wheelchair up to the gate. You are allowed to stay in your own wheelchair until you board the plane. The airline will ask for the make and model of your chair and the measurements. These can all be found on the manufacturer’s website.

When you are at the plane you will need to transfer out of your wheelchair onto an aisle chair to get on the plane. You should take off any removable parts from your wheelchair so there is less risk of them being damaged or getting lost, for example, arm rests, side guards and foot plates. These can all be stored in the hold. It can be useful to attach a document to the back of your wheelchair which shows how it can be folded up and put back together. This can be used by staff at the airport. Use pictures or photos to show any buttons or working parts. This will help in other countries where airport staff may not speak English. You could also give instructions in the language of the country you are visiting (use a translation app). Be confident in telling staff how to handle your equipment.

TIP! … We would suggest taking a wheelchair toolkit and spare inner tube/puncture repair kit in your hold luggage for repairs/maintenance when you’re away (see wheelchair maintenance information sheet). It might be worth researching places that could repair your wheelchair at your destination, in case it gets damaged.

Powered wheelchairs

You will need to inform the airline in advance that you will be travelling in your powered wheelchair up to the gate. You are allowed to stay in your own wheelchair until you board the plane.  The airline will ask for the make and model of your chair and the measurements.  They will also talk about the type of battery it uses.  These can all be found on the manufacturer’s website.

You will need to transfer out of your powered wheelchair to get on board the plane.  An aisle chair or a hoist might be used for you.

Before boarding you need to take off any removable parts from your wheelchair so there is less risk of them being damaged or getting lost, for example, arm rests, side guards and foot plates.  These can all be stored in the hold.  Your wheelchair power (the battery) will need to be disconnected before being loaded into the hold of the aircraft.

A copy of the owners manual will show how to do this.  It can be useful to attach a document to the back of your wheelchair with step by step instructions on how it can be folded up and put back together and how to disconnect the battery.  This can be used by staff at the airport. Use pictures or photos to show any buttons or working parts.  This will help in other countries where airport staff may not speak English.  You could also give instructions in the language of the country you are visiting (use a translation app).  Be confident in telling staff how to handle your equipment.

For more information on battery types see the Powered Wheelchair information sheet:

POWERED WHEELCHAIR

Other equipment …

Larger pieces of equipment such as beds, mattresses and shower chairs can often be hired for your holiday (see links below for some options). Check with your travel provider or hotel to see if they can assist you with this. If you are a frequent traveller, you may prefer to buy specific travel equipment such as a folding shower chair which will be provided with a travel bag for protection.

TIP! … Remember medical equipment is not included in your airline weight allowance but you must tell the airline what equipment you are taking so they can plan where/how it will be stored on the aircraft.

Storing in the hold

Depending on the type of plane, your wheelchair may be loaded into a separate container to go in the hold. In other aircraft, it is loaded directly into the hold but will be placed in last.

Equipment hire

There are a number of rental companies who can help with the hiring of mobility scooters, wheelchairs, hoists, shower chairs etc. These include, Mobility Hire, Mobility Equipment Hire Direct and Mobility at Sea.