It’s a growing problem.
Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle has blasted what he calls is the rampant
abuse of special services, including wheelchairs, at airports.
“There is
massive, rampant abuse of special services. There are people using wheelchair
assistance who don’t need it at all,” Biffle said at a luncheon.
He paused and
then joked “We are healing so many people.”
That last
remark came on the heels of Biffle explaining that he has seen up to 20 people
use wheelchairs to get on a flight then only three of them take part in the
wheelchairs at arrival.
It is an
issue that has concerned many.
Earlier this
month, Walt Disney World and its affiliated parks announced
a crackdown on those who lie about being disabled. And less than two years
ago, the then-CEO of Heathrow Airport in London said that many people were
abusing the system.
Biffle and
others were not talking about personal wheelchairs but were talking about the
services that places like airports and Disney World provide as a courtesy. Biffle
also said it costs about $30 every time a customer uses a courtesy wheelchair.
“Everyone
should be entitled to it who needs it, but you park in a handicapped space they
will tow your car and fine you,” he told CNBC. “There should be the same
penalty for abusing these services.”
There have also been rumblings about wheelchair scams happening on Southwest.
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