United Airlines has agreed to make changes in the way it accommodates wheelchair users.
The agreement comes on the heels of a United States Department of Transportation investigation into how the airline recently handled the disability equipment of one passenger.
United will employ a search function online that allows users to search for flights with enough cargo space to accommodate their wheelchairs. If forced to book a different flight because their first option would not accommodate their wheelchair, United will pay the difference.
The decision stemmed from the case of disabled rights activists Engracia Figueroa, who said her $30,000 custom wheelchair was mishandled by United some two years ago during a flight. Because her custom wheelchair was so badly damaged, she had to temporarily use a loaner wheelchair that led to other health problems that caused her to be twice hospitalized.
She died in October of 2021 from complications of a bad sore.
According to an agreement with United, the Transportation Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection will close its investigation after the airline agreed to several stipulations, including the online search function.
The DOT says that United agreed to make several changes that exceed federal guidelines for disability passengers, and will continue to monitor the situation.
“Everyone ought to be able to travel safely and with dignity,” says Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary, in the department’s statement.
United isn’t the only airline trying to make changes to accommodate disabled passengers. Earlier this year, Delta Air Lines said it was working on a prototype that would allow wheelchair users to remain in their own seat during flight.
It is only a prototype, however, and appears to be several years off.
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