Answering Your Questions About Delta's Wheelchair Space for Airplanes
Widespread media coverage has raised public awareness about the possibility of a wheelchair space on airplanes, but many questions remain.
Happy Friday!
Last night, I had a great chat with my friend and retired flight attendant Robin Wearley, who joined me for the inaugural Accessible Travel Chat, a series made possible by newsletter subscribers like you.
We discussed the disabled airline passenger experience, new innovations in aircraft cabin design, and the truth about emergency airplane evacuations. You can watch the video recording here.
Last week, during my trip to Hamburg, Germany for the Aircraft Interiors Expo, I published a First Look at Delta’s Prototype for an Airplane Wheelchair Space — tens of thousands of you have read that article, and you’ve sent me hundreds of questions.
I identified the most commonly asked questions and have published a new article — Answers to Your Top 10 Questions About Delta’s Wheelchair Space for Airplanes. It is a must read for anyone interested in using their own wheelchair on an airplane.
Here are some of the questions I addressed:
If the wheelchair space is in the front row, will disabled passengers have to pay for First Class?
Will the securement space support manual wheelchairs?
Will airplane bathrooms also be made wheelchair accessible?
Although I wasn’t able to answer each of the top 10 questions definitively, I’ve dug deeper than any other media outlet to analyze not only what’s possible, but also what is most likely to happen.
If I’ve piqued your curiosity, you can read my answers to the top 10 questions about the airplane wheelchair space here.
If you value my reporting on accessible travel in the airline industry and elsewhere, please consider upgrading to a paid newsletter subscription. Thanks to the support of paid subscribers, I’m able to travel to cover important events in the travel industry — delivering unbiased and thoughtful analysis from a disability perspective.
Next weekend, I’m traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate a friend’s birthday. It’s among my list of 10 Wheelchair Accessible Destinations to Visit This Summer.
Las Vegas is one of my favorite places to visit because it’s just so easy — The Strip is accessible, with smooth sidewalks and pedestrian bridges connecting casinos and resorts, there is an endless supply of ADA accessible hotel rooms, and the city boasts some of the best restaurants in America.
If you’re interested in planning a trip to the Entertainment Capital of the World this summer, don’t miss these articles:
Have a great weekend and thank you, as always, for your readership!
— John
In early April I was told by a Delta disability specialist that we would have no problem flying to Florence Italy with my Airhawk portable wheelchair . We flew from MSP to Amsterdam to Florence with no problems. We enjoyed using the chai all over Italy. When we were about to fly home, the Delta staff at Florence airport would not allow us to get on the plane because of the two batteries. We had to leave them (at a cost of $500 a piece. When we got home (about 45 days ago) we immediately complained to Delta. My husband even responded to their request to do a video explaining what happened. We have yet to get any compensation.