Airport Wheelchair Assistance: How to Request It and What to Expect

Short answer: Airport wheelchair assistance is provided by your airline, not the airport or TSA. [S07] Under U.S. rules, airlines must help passengers with disabilities who ask. That includes getting from the terminal entrance to the gate, onto and off the plane, between connecting flights and to baggage claim. [S01] [S02] Airlines can't require advance notice for this help. [S04] Still, requesting it when you book and again at check-in gives the airline time to plan and makes the trip smoother.

Cancer treatment can make long airport walks hard. Fatigue, neuropathy, recent surgery, low blood counts or a heavy carry-on can turn a long concourse into a real obstacle. You don't need to use a wheelchair at home to ask for one at the airport. This guide explains how to request help and what airlines must provide. It also covers what to do if something goes wrong. For more on planning travel around treatment, see our guide to planning a cancer center visit.

Who provides wheelchair help at the airport

Three groups are involved on travel day, and each does something different:

TSA is clear on this: "Airport wheelchair service is provided by your airline. TSA does not provide this service." [S07] So your first call is always to the airline.

What U.S. airlines must provide

The rules come from the Air Carrier Access Act regulations in Part 382 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. For U.S. flights, they require airlines to provide assistance that's requested by or on behalf of a passenger with a disability. [S01]

Through the terminal

The airline must help you get from the terminal entrance, or a drop-off point next to it, through the airport to your gate. On arrival, it must help you from the gate back to the entrance or a pick-up point. [S01] That help includes:

• Key areas of the terminal, such as ticket counters and baggage claim. [S01]
• A brief restroom stop if you ask and there's a restroom on the way that you can reach without unreasonable delay. [S01]
• Help with bags. If your disability means you can't carry your gate-checked or carry-on luggage, the airline must help transport it. Staff may ask for a credible verbal assurance that you can't carry it. [S01]

To receive help through the terminal, you need to let the airline know you have a disability and need assistance. [S01]

Onto and off the plane

The airline must also help you board and deplane. As needed, that includes staff, ground wheelchairs, accessible motorized carts, boarding wheelchairs, on-board wheelchairs, and ramps or lifts. [S02] A boarding wheelchair is a narrow chair that fits down the aircraft aisle.

Between connecting flights

If you're connecting, the airline must help you get from one gate to the next. [S01] If two different airlines operate your flights, the airline that flew you in is responsible for the connection help, even if you bought separate tickets. [S01]

Not leaving you waiting too long

An airline can't leave you unattended in a wheelchair or other device for more than 30 minutes if you can't move independently. [S03] This applies even if a family member or caregiver is with you, unless you explicitly waive it. [S03]

No charge for required help

Airlines can't charge passengers with disabilities for the facilities, equipment or services the rules require. [S06] That covers the terminal, boarding and connection help above. They can charge for services the rules don't require. They can also charge for an extra seat if your condition takes up more than one, such as traveling on a stretcher. [S06] If you're asked to pay for basic wheelchair help, ask to speak with the airline's Complaints Resolution Official (see below).

Do you need to request it in advance?

No. An airline must not require advance notice for the services the rules require, with a short list of exceptions. [S04] Those exceptions include:

• Medical oxygen supplied by the airline. Up to 72 hours' notice for international flights and 48 hours for domestic, if the airline offers it. [S04]
• Using your own ventilator, CPAP machine or portable oxygen concentrator on board: up to 48 hours' notice. [S04]
• An on-board wheelchair on a plane with more than 60 seats that doesn't have an accessible lavatory: up to 48 hours' notice. [S04]
• Traveling on a stretcher, transporting an electric wheelchair on a plane with fewer than 60 seats or traveling in a group of 10 or more passengers with disabilities. [S04]

For these items, airlines may also ask you to check in an hour earlier than the general public. [S04] Even if you miss a notice deadline, the airline must still provide the service if it can with reasonable effort and without delaying the flight. [S04]

For ordinary wheelchair help, though, asking ahead is still smart. It gives the airline time to have a chair and an attendant ready.

How to request airport wheelchair assistance

1. Add it when you book. Most airline websites and apps let you add wheelchair or special assistance to your reservation. You can also call the airline's accessibility line.
2. Tell them what you need. Let them know if you can walk short distances, climb stairs to your seat or need help getting all the way to your seat. This affects the type of chair and staff they send.
3. Mention anything with a notice rule. If you'll use oxygen, a portable oxygen concentrator or a CPAP on board, ask about the notice and check-in timing. [S04]
4. Confirm a day or two before. Check that the request is still on your reservation, especially if your flight changed.
5. Check in at the counter. At the airport, go to the airline's check-in counter or curbside check-in and ask for your wheelchair. Allow extra time.
6. Remind the gate agent and flight attendants so they arrange help for boarding, your connection and arrival.

If your treatment team has given you a checklist for travel, keep it with your boarding pass. Our appointment logistics planner can help you map out travel days around treatment.

Getting through security

TSA screening is separate from airline wheelchair help. If you'd like extra support at the checkpoint, you can ask TSA for a Passenger Support Specialist. That's a TSA officer with specialized training in assisting travelers with disabilities and medical conditions. [S07]

• How to request it: Fill out the TSA Cares form or call TSA Cares at (855) 787-2227 at least 72 hours before your flight. [S07]
• What it doesn't do: It doesn't exempt you from screening, and it isn't an expedited screening service. [S07]

Because the airline's help runs from the terminal entrance to your gate, your wheelchair attendant can take you through the checkpoint and on to the gate. [S01] If you're traveling with medicines, supplies or a port, our guide on how to pack medications explains how to keep them organized for screening.

Tips for a smoother travel day

• Arrive early. Allow extra time for check-in, the wheelchair to arrive and security.
• Keep essentials on you. Medicines, a water bottle, snacks and your treatment summary should stay in a small bag you can hold in the chair.
• Plan for long sitting. On longer flights, ask your care team about clot risk and whether compression socks for flying make sense for you.
• Ask about the restroom. If you'll need a stop on the way to the gate, tell your attendant. [S01]
• Plan the ride on each end. Arrange a drop-off near the terminal entrance so the airline's help can begin there. [S01] Our guide to transportation to appointments has ideas for rides after you land.

If something goes wrong

If your wheelchair doesn't arrive or staff can't give you the help you need, speak up right away. Ask for the airline's Complaints Resolution Official, or CRO. [S05]

• U.S. airlines must have a CRO available at every airport they serve, whenever they're operating there. The CRO can be in person or by phone, at no cost to you. [S05]
• If you raise a disability-related concern and staff don't fix it right away, they must tell you about the CRO and either contact one for you or give you a way to reach one. [S05]
• The CRO is the airline's expert on these rules and can overrule other staff, except for a pilot's safety decisions. [S05]

Write down names, times and what happened while it's fresh. That will help if you need to follow up with the airline after your trip.