Did You Know?
Four out of 10 travelers with disabilities have had their mobility aid lost or damaged by an airline, while six in 10 have experienced extended wait times for mobility assistance at the airport before and after a flight.
In fact, during the first quarter of 2021, airlines reported 712 mishandled wheelchairs or scooters — which amounts to almost eight per day. Spirit Airlines experienced the highest percentage of incidents, damaging 2.88% of enplaned wheelchairs and scooters, followed by JetBlue (2.27%), American Airlines (1.57%), and Frontier Airlines (1.55%).
Travelers with mobility issues travel nearly as much as those without issues, taking an average of 3.4 trips in the past 12 months, and spending an average of $3,546 on leisure travel during that timeframe
In this episode, Xian Horn, a nationwide traveler with Cerebral Palsy, discusses the trauma she experienced during the recent Thanksgiving holiday at JFK airport, and how poorly she was treated by a member of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “The TSA needs proper education and training so what happened to me never happens to anyone else,” Xian says.
Listen to the full episode by clicking on the arrow below:
