What can I do to make sure airlines won’t damage my personal wheelchair?
Airlines do, on occasion, damage the personal wheelchairs of disabled passengers. I have been a victim of this myself — I have spent a lot of time dealing with wheelchair damage (and a few destroyed wheelchairs) over the more than 1,000 flights that I have taken.
There are ways to reduce the risk of your wheelchair being damaged on the course of your journey. According to data from the February 2025 Air Travel Consumer Report, the industry-wide rate of wheelchair and scooter mishandling was 1.26% in 2024 — down from 1.38% in 2023. That means roughly 1 in 80 wheelchairs transported by airlines are mishandled (lost, delayed or damaged). Those odds are better than many might fear, but they’re still too high. Follow these tips to improve the likelihood that your wheelchair arrives in one piece:
Stow your manual wheelchair in the aircraft cabin.
Most aircraft have a closet that can accommodate one collapsible wheelchair. If you are traveling with a manual wheelchair, ask for it to be stowed in this closet. Wheelchairs stored underneath the airplane in its cargo compartment are much more likely to be damaged by shifting baggage.
Check the airline’s cargo hold dimensions before you book.
New for 2025: Under the December 2024 Wheelchair Rule, airlines are now required to publish the relevant dimensions and characteristics of the cargo holds of all aircraft types they operate, including the dimensions of the cargo hold entry, on their public websites. This is a game-changer for travelers with large powered wheelchairs. Before you book, look up the cargo door height and width for the specific aircraft type on your itinerary, and compare those measurements to the dimensions of your wheelchair.
If your chair won’t fit, you’ll know before you arrive at the airport — and the airline must move you to a larger-hold flight and reimburse any fare difference if the cargo compartment cannot accommodate your device. (Note: enforcement of this provision has been delayed until December 31, 2026, though some airlines have already begun publishing this information voluntarily.) In the meantime, you can check airplane cargo hold dimensions with my guide:
John Morris
If your wheelchair has to be stored in the cargo hold, remove loose objects.
If you are traveling with a large, non-collapsible, or powered wheelchair that will not fit in the aircraft cabin, be sure to remove attachments that could be damaged or lost beneath the plane. These include seat cushions, cupholders, foot and armrests, side guards, bags, tray tables, oxygen attachments, etc. All such attachments should be carried onto the plane with you, where they will be safe from damage.
Attach instructions on how to handle and operate power wheelchairs.
Baggage handlers are not power wheelchair engineers, so you’ll need to provide instructions on how to care for the chair. Particularly important are details on how to power-on/off the chair, how to set it to free-wheel mode, and where the chair should be lifted. I’ve seen my 200-pound power wheelchair lifted from its plastic armrests many times – be sure to instruct the airline on where the chair can be safely lifted.
You can (and should) provide this information to the baggage handlers and gate agent at your point of departure. The problem is – the staff at your destination will not have this information. I recommend attaching detailed instructions to your wheelchair, printed on a laminated sheet of paper. A damaged wheelchair is not good for you or the airline, and printed instructions can go a long way to preventing such an incident.
Watch this short video, which shows how airlines load powered wheelchairs into the aircraft’s cargo hold:
Bring the tools needed to disassemble your wheelchair (if necessary).
If your seatback will need to be folded forward to fit, bring the tools necessary and instruct the airline how to handle the disassembly. They are more than happy to help, and are required to do so by the Air Carrier Access Act.
Given the frequency with which I travel, I worked with my local wheelchair repair shop to fashion a pin that can be easily removed to collapse the seatback.
If the baggage handlers are unable to make your wheelchair fit into the cargo hold upright, it will have to be stowed on its side. This is not good for any power wheelchair. Be prepared with the tools and instructions for disassembly.
Know your notification rights.
New for 2025: Under the 2024 Wheelchair Rule, when you check your wheelchair with an airline, they must now:
• Notify you in writing of your right to contact a Complaints Resolution Official (CRO) and your right to file a claim if your wheelchair is mishandled.
• Notify you before the cabin door closes whether your wheelchair has been loaded onto the aircraft, or whether its size or weight prevented loading.
• Notify you before you deplane when your wheelchair has been unloaded from the cargo compartment upon arrival.
• If your wheelchair was not loaded onto your flight, offer to let you disembark and wait for a flight that can accommodate your device.
These notifications are a powerful tool for passengers. If you are not notified that your chair has been loaded before the cabin door closes, ask a flight attendant or gate agent. Do not assume your wheelchair was loaded if you weren’t told. (Note: The notification requirements are being phased in, with full enforcement of certain provisions delayed until December 31, 2026.)
Document the condition of your wheelchair before every flight.
This has always been good practice, but it’s more important than ever now that the 2024 Wheelchair Rule creates a rebuttable presumption that airlines have mishandled your wheelchair if it’s not returned in the same condition. Take photos and video of your wheelchair before every flight, including close-ups of any vulnerable components like joysticks, armrests, footrests, and the frame. This documentation gives you clear evidence of the pre-flight condition in the event of a damage claim.
Bonus: Recommendations From An Airline Executive
I reached out to a Delta Air Lines executive for comments that I could share with my readers on this topic. Specifically, I asked about ways that passengers and airlines can work together to minimize damage (emphasis mine):
…engagement with Delta regarding how to best handle and transport a wheelchair would really help us…you know personally that we need specific details on the device and then we need to be able to communicate these details to the next station. Coupled with more training for our people on loading and securing the chair, I’m confident that we will make progress in this area.
As you saw in the earlier video, there are a lot of people involved in the handling of your wheelchair. Ground staff and gate agents need to be informed on how best to lift your chair. If the wheelchair needs to be collapsed, it will be your responsibility to provide instructions on how to do that. At the end of the day, many wheelchairs must be stored in the cargo compartment, and instructions on their care must come from travelers like you.
I also asked the Delta executive about the cost of damaging a wheelchair. I received an interesting response (emphasis mine):
Damage to a customer’s wheelchair definitely impacts the bottom line…As you know, the damage to our brand is far more costly than any expense involving the repair of a chair. What people think of Delta as a high quality airline is everything.
In this social media world, an airline’s failure to promptly repair a wheelchair or mobility device could “go viral” in an instant. A service by United Airlines in Washington, D.C. went viral, which led me to write a response, 3 Takeaways from United Airlines’ Disability Services Failure. Bad PR negatively affects the bottom line, and airlines (typically) try to prevent such situations from arising.
Final Thoughts
In 2024, airlines carried 899,385 wheelchairs and scooters, about 65,000 more than in 2023. The overall mishandling rate was 1.26%, which means roughly 11,300 devices were lost, delayed, or damaged. While that rate has improved compared to prior years, it still represents thousands of travelers whose mobility was disrupted.
The December 2024 Wheelchair Rule promised positive changes to the regulations around wheelchair handling, but enforcement of some key provisions has been delayed until December 31, 2026. This makes it all the more important for travelers to be proactive.
The earlier you inform airlines of your plans to travel with a power wheelchair or scooter, the more time they will have to prepare. A complete set of instructions for handling your device should be attached to your wheelchair. Document your chair’s condition before every flight. Check cargo hold dimensions before booking. And know your rights under the ACAA — the law is on your side, even if the fight to enforce it continues.
Last updated: March 2026
