Airlines find ways to make flying more inclusive for reduced-mobility passengers

Flying can be a complicated process for wheelchair users. — AFP

Air travel for passengers with reduced mobility is made all the more difficult by the fact that they cannot usually stay in their own wheelchair for the entire journey. A US airline has now unveiled a new cabin concept that could change the lives of reduced-mobility passengers, making their journeys a whole lot easier.

The inclusion of reduced-mobility travellers is a real issue in the world of tourism. While Greece has decided to make 147 beaches accessible to wheelchair users by means of a device on rails taking them right into the water, the airline industry is also thinking about ways to improve the comfort of reduced-mobility passengers. Indeed, choosing to travel by air requires a great deal of adaptation and forward-planning for these users.

On the TousErgo platform, which offers information about equipment for reduced-mobility individuals, Rudy, who runs the Handilol blog, recounts that one of the things he dreads most when he takes a plane is “when I’m transferred to my seat, the handling by the ground staff is often painful.

“In their defence, there’s often little space between my seat and the one in front, which leaves little room for manoeuvring during the transfer,” he writes.

The blogger, who hopes to help make travel more accessible to tourists with reduced mobility, recounts the reality of a plane journey for someone in a wheelchair: “... The staff on board have a small wheelchair for going to the toilet. Unfortunately, these are so small that it’s impossible to transfer yourself into (them).”

As a general rule, airports provide wheelchairs for when passengers with reduced mobility are waiting for their flight in the departure lounge, while in-cabin wheelchairs are usually smaller than usual to fit in the aisles. And planning a trip is made all the more difficult by the fact that each airline has its own policy for handling equipment for reduced-mobility passengers.

When a wheelchair is allowed in the cabin, it must be a folding one, as on British Airways or Air France. Electrical equipment is checked in as cargo, provided the user has requested otherwise, at least 48 hours in advance.

The user must also check the type of battery the wheelchair uses, to ensure that the carrier will accept it.

Sending a wheelchair as cargo is a real source of stress, as the handling involved is not always without consequences. In 2021, the Simpleflying website revealed that roughly 29 wheelchairs are damaged, broken or stolen every day in the US in the context of flying, or at best, returned to their owners late.

Plus, 2% of wheelchairs are damaged when placed in the hold of an aircraft.

Now, Delta Airlines has come up with a new air plane seat concept that could change the game. At the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, the US airline unveiled a cabin seat concept that would enable wheelchair users to stay in their own chair when onboard an aircraft.

Here, simply removing the seat cushion and lifting up the lower section of the seat creates enough space for a wheelchair. The system still has to undergo testing and certification before it can become a reality on Delta Airlines planes. According to CNN, which features a video demonstration of the concept in action, the presentation of this concept has already proved very popular among reduced-mobility travellers. – AFP Relaxnews