The Problem of Inaccessible Air Travel
Traveling on an Airplane with a Wheelchair is incredibly inaccessible and impossible for the millions of the people around the world who use a Wheelchair.
Many do not even fly because of bad experiences and stories they have heard from others. Wheelchairs get damaged constantly and even sent to the wrong airport and Airlines spend millions every year repairing them.
If you look at the video below, you can see how a baggage handler has to bring a Wheelchair around the plane from the gate and physically lift it up with 3 other people. An Electric Wheelchair weights atleast 300 pounds, costs atleast $20,000 depending on the model, and is only covered under Medicaid or Insurance every 5 years.
While your Electric Wheelchair gets carried into the cargo hold and you are terrified if it gets damaged, you have to get into a transfer wheelchair at the gate. These transfer wheelchairs are incredibly uncomfortable, don’t have a headrest, don’t have a prescription gel cushion, and don’t have lateral restraints. You have to be wheeled onto the plane by the flight attendants.
Cory Lee from the Disability Travel Blog Curb Free With Cory Lee took the following video with a camera on his head showing [...]