Truly Accessible Air Travel Could Be Coming Sooner Than You Think

While most people’s greatest complaints about air travel are the seemingly ever-shrinking seats and available legroom, for individuals with certain accessibility needs, airplanes can be nearly impossible to access, navigate or use.

Now, truly accessible air travel could be possible in the near future.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB), a program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that provides research and innovation in the field of transportation, has released a report entitled, “Technical Feasibility of a Wheelchair Securement Concept for Airline Travel: a Preliminary Assessment.”

The report highlights the difficulties that individuals who use wheelchairs face when traveling by air, noting that there is a significant need to solve the problem of accessibility: around 25.5 million Americans have a disability, while around 11 percent of these, or 2.8 million people, identify as being wheelchair users, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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These individuals could and likely do have a difficult time with the entire air travel experience, from boarding, checking their wheelchairs or scooters and even sitting upright in a regular airplane seat.

While there are around 2.8 million wheelchair users in America, a much smaller number of those use air travel as a method of transportation. Those who do can become injured by the boarding or deplaning process and be physically handled in order to access their seats, which might not have the correct support to help keep them secure and stable. Furthermore, their wheelchairs might be broken, damaged or even stolen during the travel process.

The report researched the idea of creating in-chair wheelchair securement systems that allow wheelchair users to roll onto airplanes and remain in their wheelchairs for the duration of the flight. It tested the idea for feasibility, safety and other considerations and found that it was possible, safe and would benefit wheelchair users. It also recommended further study.

The report’s finding comes after one organization began funding for the research and development of a wheelchair spot on commercial aircraft: All Wheels Up (AWU). It was the first organization to begin advocating for accessibility within commercial aircraft, and has published its own studies and research.

Founder and president of AWU, Michele Erwin, noted: “Today’s TRB report is an historic turning point. It’s now crystal clear and backed by science that it’s technically feasible for travel to become more accessible with a wheelchair spot. AWU looks forward to collaborating with the DOT, FAA, and Congress to create a road map for executing the long-awaited wheelchair spot."

If these wheelchair spots are possible, how long will wheelchair users have to wait before they're put into use? That is the question that time will have to answer. For now, though, the future for wheelchair users and air travel is looking bright.