I have only flown with a folding manual wheelchair, but I just brought beautiful rigid titanium wheelchair. I’m wondering if anyone can give insights as to what to expect when flying. For example, wondering if I need to check it at the ticket counter or if I can gate check it like I did with my folding chair. Any related experiences? Thanks.
Posted by
California 🦋
5202 posts
Hi Becky,
I don't have any experience with this but have seen other passengers with wheelchairs which are checked at the gate, just like baby/children's strollers.
Having said this, I think this is a great question for the airline you plan to fly with.
Have a wonderful trip!
Posted by
New York, NY
3993 posts
Flyertalk can give you access to many travelers who can provide experiential advice and offers wiki guides to accessible travel.
I've seen threads about wheelchair travel here. Hope this helps.
Posted by
OP
seattle
2047 posts
Thank you for the information. We’ll check with each airline, but looks like we can gate check our chair, which we prefer.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32198 posts
I'd suggest calling the airline to get a definitive answer. A rigid chair may not be able to be gate checked. They may prefer that you check your own chair and use one provided by the airport to reach the door of the aircraft. As you've probably found, they use a narrow chair to get passengers from the door to their seats.