Page 8 - Desert Oracle April 2019

By underreporting the total number of wheelchairs and scooters carried, American and Southwest negatively
impacted their ranking, which is based on the likelihood of damage occurring.

The two carriers still accounted for the largest number of mishandled mobility devices, with Southwest at 186
and American at 151. Delta Air Lines damaged the third most wheelchairs at 101, but those accounted for less

than 1 percent of total wheelchairs and scooters enplaned by the carrier.

Looking at the data set as a whole, the likelihood of damage to wheelchairs and scooters in the month of

December 2018 was around 2%. Since the data is based only on damage reported by passengers, it is important
for wheelchair users to file a claim each time a mobility device is mishandled, even if the damage is minor or
cosmetic. The Air Carrier Access Act states that wheelchairs and scooters must be returned "in the same
condition" in which they were received.

I will continue to track this data and report it to you here on WheelchairTravel.org each month. As more data is
received and the sample size grows, we should gain a clearer picture of which airlines are treating wheelchairs
and scooters with the greatest care and respect and which would be best to avoid.

Featured image courtesy Fox News.

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