A mobility impairment should not stop you from travelling by air. The important thing is to plan ahead and let your airline, travel agent or tour operator know what assistance you will need at the airport or on the plane.
Booking and advance notice
If you will need help, make sure you give the airline as much notice of this as you can. This way, the airline can plan ahead and have the right staff and/or equipment available at the right time and place for you.
Travelling by air may mean that even if you are normally independent you will need help. For example, if you have walking difficulties you may find that with the distances involved at the airport, you need to use a wheelchair or buggy to get to the gate.
Wheelchair users
Airlines must carry your mobility equipment free of charge. You must tell the airline when you book your flight so that they have the details of your wheelchair or scooter. This is particularly important if you have a powered wheelchair or scooter.
Seating on board an aircraft has to meet air safety regulations. Because of this, you can't take your own wheelchair into the passenger cabin of a plane. It will be stored in the hold of the plane.
Wherever possible you should be able to stay in your own wheelchair until you reach the side of the plane. You will then need to transfer into a boarding chair an on-board chair to get on to the plane.
The point at which you will have to change chairs may vary between airports and will depend on what facilities and equipment are available for the staff to get your wheelchair to the aircraft.
If the plane is joined to the terminal building by an 'air-bridge' or tunnel, you should be able to stay in your own wheelchair right to the door of the plane, as there will be level entry into the passenger cabin.
If the plane is parked away from the terminal, passengers will either have to use a flight of stairs to board or a scissor lift, which allows level access. You will have to transfer into a boarding chair or on-board wheelchair at the departure gate, or on the ground outside the plane, or in the vehicle that you travelled to the plane in.
If your wheelchair has to be specially packed, you may need to transfer into an airport chair at check-in. This often applies to powered wheelchairs or scooters.
Travel insurance
Airlines are not required to provide full compensation for loss or damage to mobility equipment. Before you travel, you should make sure your travel insurance provides good cover for your wheelchair.
Airline policies
Some airlines may ask you to prove why you need some facilities or services, like seats with extra legroom. This helps them to give priority to those people who really need these facilities, which are often in limited supply. You should not be asked to provide proof just for requesting assistance.
Different airlines have different policies. The airline or travel agent will tell you when you book what information you need to provide.
An airline is entitled to require that a passenger travels with a companion if the passenger is not self-sufficient. To travel alone, you should be capable of moving from a passenger seat to an on-board wheelchair, as cabin crew are not allowed to lift passengers in and out of seats for health and safety reasons.
Legal rights
Under European law, disabled people and other people with reduced mobility have legal rights to assistance when travelling by air. There is detailed information about this on the website of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.