Traveling by Plane with Your Power Chair

You can travel by plane and take your custom power wheelchair with you. Your chair has FAA-approved gel batteries, so it can be stowed underneath as checked luggage.
Of course, traveling with a power wheelchair will require advance planning and preparation. For example, you will want to contact the airline before your travel day to explain that you will be traveling with a power wheelchair and will need assistance getting to and from your seat.

​You can drive your wheelchair through security, through the gate, and down the jetway. If you need transfer assistance, airport personnel will help you transfer from your power chair to a narrow aisle wheelchair. They will then wheel you down the aisle and help transfer you into your seat, either by hand or with a simple lift sling.
Your power wheelchair will be checked and put underneath. When you arrive at your destination, local airport personnel will help you off the plane and back into your power chair, which should be waiting for you on the jetway. Read more tips on traveling by plane.

Planning for Your Arrival

​Before traveling with power wheelchair, you will want to have coordinated local transportation and other logistics at your destination. Research handicap-accessible ride options ahead of time, including whether you can rent a wheelchair-accessible van from a company like Wheelchair Getaways.

Do not hesitate to call the local ALS organization at your destination. Even if you are not enrolled in that chapter, you are a part of the ALS community. Ask about local transportation options and whether the chapter can loan you equipment so you don’t have to travel with everything.
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