Key Facts:
United Airlines is set to introduce a flight filter allowing passengers to input their wheelchair dimensions and find flights with suitable cargo hold doors, as part of an agreement with the Department of Transportation.
The airline also plans to refund the fare difference for customers who need to opt for a pricier flight to accommodate their wheelchair, with these changes anticipated to roll out early next year.
A test program will be conducted at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston by United to explore various methods of accommodating passengers awaiting loaner wheelchairs due to damage or delay of their personal ones during flight.
This agreement comes after a comprehensive investigation by the department into a complaint filed by disability rights advocate Engracia Figueroa, who passed away following injuries sustained from a loaner wheelchair after her custom wheelchair was severely damaged on a 2021 United Airlines flight.
Big Number:
150,000: Approximately the number of wheelchairs United transported on flights in 2022. Over the past four years, United and United Express carriers mishandled wheelchairs at a rate of 1.2%, ranking them third-best among domestic carriers tracked, as per the DOT agreement.
Key Background:
Figueroa, a champion for disability rights, was returning from lobbying Congress on disability rights in Washington, D.C. on a United flight when her custom wheelchair, worth around $30,000, was damaged. The subsequent lawsuit alleges that Figueroa, seated in a non-motorized courtesy wheelchair for hours, experienced muscle cramps, spasms, and a reopened wound. United contested the liability and damages claims in a May filing. The lawsuit further claims that United agreed to replace the chair only after intervention from local senators, but it was delivered too late as Figueroa’s condition had deteriorated. She passed away on October 31, 2021, just over three months post her United flight.
Digression:
The Biden Administration has shown a keen interest in enhancing infrastructure accessibility. Over the past year, it has allocated $686 million to projects in nine states aimed at increasing the number of ADA-compliant rail stations and has invested in the creation of accessible electric vehicle charging stations, as reported by the White House.