Airport Wheelchair Abuse: Is There A Solution?

An airline executive just made some interesting comments about the “rampant abuse” of airport wheelchair services. Unlike him, I’m not sure there’s a solution, though…

Some people play games with airport wheelchairs

The 1986 Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to provide wheelchairs at the airport for all passengers with disabilities at no extra cost. This is of course an important service that many people legitimately need, and rely on in order to be able to travel.

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However, over the years there has been an increasing issue whereby many people are believed to be “gaming” this important accessibility service, using wheelchairs when it’s not really necessary. There’s simply no denying that some people will request a wheelchair in order to get on the plane earlier than others.

You can also tell that people are playing “games” based on the different number of wheelchair passengers at airlines. For example, on average, Southwest seems to have a much higher percentage of passengers using wheelchairs, and I imagine that’s not unrelated to the carrier’s open seating policy.

You’ll often see a lot of people board an aircraft in a wheelchair, but then suddenly when they get to their destination, they no longer need it (presumably in part because passengers in wheelchairs are often told to stay seated until others have deplaned).

In fairness, there are also some legitimate situations where someone may only need a wheelchair at a certain airport — maybe they can’t walk long distances at a major airport hub, while they can walk a short distance at a regional airport.

Wheelchairs are expensive for airlines!

As reported by CNBC, Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle has this week made some interesting comments about wheelchair use among passengers. As Biffle describes it:

“There is massive, rampant abuse of special services. There are people using wheelchair assistance who don’t need it at all. Everyone should be entitled to it who needs it, but you park in a handicapped space they will tow your car and fine you. There should be the same penalty for abusing these services.”

Biffle states that the abuse of wheelchair services causes delays for those who genuinely need wheelchairs. Here’s the most interesting part, though — Biffle claims that each time a passenger requests a wheelchair, it costs the airline $30-35.

That’s an absolutely massive amount of money, especially for an ultra low cost carrier, where the ticket might not cost much more than that.

As mentioned above, I think Southwest has the biggest issue in this regard, given the carrier’s open seating policy. We know the airline is considering introducing assigned seating, and I can’t help but wonder if cutting down on wheelchairs is part of that plan.

I’m not sure there’s a solution to the wheelchair problem

I’d like to think there’s some sort of a solution to most problems in the world, though I’m not sure there’s any easy solution here. I often see people throw around a few suggestions to address the issue:

• “If people use a wheelchair to board, force them to use it when they get off the plane”
• “Ban the people from the airline who abuse this”
• “Request proof that people need a wheelchair”

None of those ideas are actually realistic, in terms of logistics and/or legality. There’s no one who can “force” passengers to use a wheelchair on arrival. Banning people based on accusing them of faking medical conditions also won’t end well for any airline.

The only thing that airlines could really do is to make it less appealing to request a wheelchair, for those who don’t actually need it. Could airlines force those in wheelchairs to board last, once everyone else is onboard? While I think that might get people to stop faking the need for a wheelchair, that’s complicated for those who actually do need it:

• The logistics of getting people with limited mobility down the aisle in a full cabin is more complicated
• This would no doubt cause departure delays, given how rushed boarding can be

Bottom line

There’s definitely some number of travelers who abuse airport wheelchair services in order to secure early boarding. This is something that causes industry executives frustration, both in terms of the logistics, as well as the cost. Unfortunately I’m not convinced there’s a solution to this, though. I did learn something new, though, as I didn’t know just how expensive this was for airlines to provide.

What do you make about the airport wheelchair abuse situation?