6 days Ago By Gaurav Joshi
The aviation sector has taken numerous steps over the decades to make it easier for people with disabilities to travel safely and comfortably. However, there are times when their efforts can fall short, resulting in significant inconvenience for passengers. Something similar happened with an American Airlines passenger recently traveling from Hawaii to Phoenix, Arizona.
The passenger in question was paralyzed and required a wheelchair for mobility. However, American Airlines did not load his wheelchair onto the flight to Phoenix, causing discomfort for the passenger. Eventually, the wheelchair was delivered several hours later.
Wheelchair Not Loaded Onto Aircraft On March 26, Sam Shivers, a resident of Tucson, Arizona, was flying back from his trip to Hawaii. He boarded an American Airlines flight to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), but upon landing, found out that his wheelchair did not make it to the destination. Shivers, who is paralyzed from the chest down, requires his wheelchair for mobility, and without it, he felt extremely uncomfortable.
KGUN 9 quotes him as saying, “Without my wheelchair, it's like I don't have any legs, I can’t get around ...
At that point, I almost felt like throwing up. I was like, ‘oh my god, what am I going to do?' I can't walk, I'm paralyzed from the chest down ..
. It's not like we can just hobble around to somewhere else, I can't walk. So wherever I am, that’s where I am.
” Shivers noted that he checked his wheelchair at the gate before boarding in Hawaii and assumed that it would make it back home. But clearly, that was not the case. He mentioned that the airline staff at the airport were helpful and understanding, but there was only so much they could have done.
American Airlines offered Shivers and his wife hotel accommodation, but traveling there without a wheelchair would have been tricky. Eventually, they decided to head back home to Tucson. Shivers used the airport’s transport chair to get into the van that took him and his wife home, where he had an extra wheelchair.
Shivers’ wheelchair was delivered, but eight hours after he touched down in Phoenix. American Airlines offered him points, but the whole experience proved unpleasant for him. Simple Flying has contacted American Airlines for comments.
US DOT Guidelines On Assistive Devices Shivers says that instead of arriving in Phoenix initially, his wheelchair was instead flown to Los Angeles. According to the KGUN 9 report, he suspects that it was not a mistake but a decision on the part of American Airlines to fly the wheelchair to Los Angeles because another wheelchair and stroller, in addition to theirs, also did not make it onto the plane. He added that if it were a weight issue, he would have traded one of his luggage items for the wheelchair.
Shivers has taken up this issue with the US Department of Transportation, which has guidelines in place for such assistive devices. The department says that assistive devices include (but are not limited to): Crutches, Canes, and Walkers Braces/Prosthetics Wheelchairs Hearing aids Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs) Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines Prescription medications and any medical devices needed to administer those medications, such as syringes or auto-injectors The US DOT also says that if the device is small enough to carry inside an aircraft cabin, it can be stored in an overhead compartment, under the front seat, or in a designated stowage area if it fits and is in accordance with FAA or foreign safety regulations. However, if the device is big, it “can be stowed as cargo at no extra cost.
” Flying with a wheelchair can be difficult. American Airlines Was Fined $50 Million For Violations Last year, American Airlines was fined a whopping $50 million by the US DOT for numerous severe violations of laws protecting passengers with reduced mobility between 2019 and 2023. Its investigation found cases of unsafe physical assistance, undignified treatment of wheelchair users, and repeated failures to provide prompt wheelchair assistance.
The department also found that the airline mishandled thousands of wheelchairs by damaging them or delaying their return. American responded that it had formally reached a settlement with the DOT and that it promised to improve the travel experience for customers traveling with wheelchairs and mobility devices..
