Some wait weeks for decision to fix or replace
Zach Wichter
USA TODAY
‘I fully expect my wheelchair to keep getting damaged, and it’s a fairly significant source of stress for me when I fly,’ Heather Bennett told USA TODAY. Bennett is one of thousands of wheelchair users whose devices were damaged while flying this year and one of more than 30 disabled travelers who shared their personal stories of such damage with USA TODAY.
According to the Department of Transportation, there were 8,637 reported mobility device damage incidents as of September, about 1.4% of the total number transported. Full-year data for 2023 is expected in early 2024. For comparison, by the end of September 2022, airlines had reported 8,348 incidents of mobility device damage to the DOT. While the numbers for 2023 are slightly higher so far, airlines also carried almost 75,000 more mobility devices in 2023 compared to the previous year.