How Do I Request Wheelchair Access for My American Airlines Flight?

How Do I Request Wheelchair Access for My American Airlines Flight?

If you have a disability or currently have a physical injury that impedes you from walking and needs a wheelchair, you should ask American Airlines to help you with one. American Airlines is utterly committed to offering help to people with disabilities and serious injuries so they can travel as comfortably as possible.

In fact, the airline has services to assist people with hearing, visual and speech disabilities. They have many tools and aids to help people with disabilities.

You not only get a wheel chair if you have a disability but also if you are pregnant. Essentially anyone who needs mobility assistance can access a wheel chair on American Airlines.

American Airlines Disability and Special Assistance Policy

The airline has two teams to help with such issues: the special assistance team and the disability team. Both are available at the airport and online.

As far as special assistance is concerned, there are different types and levels. It does not matter which level of disability you have, you will receive a wheelchair from American Airlines if you request one.

The different types of special assistance may necessitate a different type of wheel chair. You can request it when asking for special assistance.

American Airlines have a very clear disability and special assistance policy. One of them is that you have to make it clear when making your boking if you will be coming with your own wheel chair or would like one from the airline.

The airline requires documentation proving that you indeed do need the wheel chair. The documents should be at most one year old from the date of the flight.

The documents need to be presented at least 48 hours before the flight. American Airlines will also need the documents to be approved an hour before checking in to the flight.

American Airlines has a designated space in each cabin for one wheelchair storage. However, the storage is on a first come first serve basis so the earlier you book your flight, the better.

Some wheelchairs are collapsible and can fit into an overhead compartment or underneath a seat. If your wheelchair is not collapsible, you will check them in at the luggage counter and take a collapsible one.

People using battery powered wheelchairs have to have them checked at least an hour before check-in time. The airline must check all batteries on each wheelchair for safety reasons.

There is no charge for the use of wheelchairs on American Airlines.

Requesting a Wheel Chair

The process of requesting a wheel chair on American Airlines is a relatively straightforward process. You can do it in several ways one of which is filling a disability assistance request on the American Airlines website.

The process of filling the form is as follows:

1. Launch your web browser and open the American Airlines website.
2. Go to ‘Contact Us' at the bottom of the homepage.
3. Select ‘Special Assistance.'
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see ‘Submit a disability request' and click it.
5. You will be taken to the form where you will be required to choose a topic and subject. Choose ‘Disability Assistance' and ‘Request disability assistance' respectively.
6. Click ‘Next.'
7. Input your contact information, check the wheelchair box under type of assistance needed, flight information and message. Keep the message as concise as possible.
8. Click ‘Submit' after reviewing the form to send it.

The other way to request for a wheelchair is to contact American Airlines customer service particularly their special assistance and disability assistance departments.

You can find their contact information here.