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More than five million people in the U.S. use wheelchairs while traveling and for those who are flying to a destination, their experience can vary dramatically depending on the airline.
For wheelchair users, air travel presents unique challenges, from inaccessible restrooms and aisles to the risk of damage or loss to mobility devices, which can cost thousands of dollars and significantly impact quality of life.
Sara Boisvert, Director of Marketing at InsureMyTrip commented on the findings: “Air travel should be accessible for everyone, but that’s far from the reality. We hope this study shines a light on which airlines are getting it right and which have room for improvement – so wheelchair users can make an informed decision when booking a flight.”
In 2024, new rules were implemented to strengthen protections for wheelchair users while flying. These rules also mandated that airlines would be responsible for reimbursing passengers for wheelchairs damaged while flying.
Now, a new study by InsureMyTrip ranked major airlines based on how well they cater to passengers who use wheelchairs – highlighting serious disparities in accessibility across the aviation industry.
From mishandled mobility equipment to poor reviews from wheelchair users, the data sheds light on which carriers are setting the standard for inclusivity, and which are falling short.
The airlines featured in this study were selected based on the Air Travel Consumer Report published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This report also provided data on the number of mishandled wheelchairs and scooters. To determine the percentage of mishandlings, these figures were compared against the total number of boarded wheelchairs and scooters in 2024.
These scores were standardized using minmax normalization to produce an overall score out of ten for each airline. A higher score indicates the airlines that are best for wheelchair users, while a lower score reveals which airlines are less favorable.
While some airlines in the study fared positively for their handling of wheelchairs, not all airlines are equal. Frontier Airlines has the lowest score in the study, with an overall score of just 2.2. Of the 30,448 wheelchairs and mobility scooters boarded by the airline, 1.8 percent (535) were reported as mishandled.
It’s the ratings of reviews that mention wheelchairs that contribute to Frontier’s low score. More than 50 percent of reviews that mention wheelchairs are listed as one-star while just 15 percent of reviews are five stars. In addition, the airline has the highest negative sentiment (83 percent) within the study.
Frontier Airlines’ CEO previously raised concerns that some passengers were abusing special assistive services in order to skip queues, which could have an impact on the wheelchair users who genuinely need the assistive services.
American Airlines Network and Sprint Airlines also received low ratings in the study. American Airlines has an overall score of 3.3. Of the 161,287 wheelchairs and mobility scooters boarded by American Airlines, more than 2,600 (1.6 percent) were reported as mishandled. Last year, American Airlines was fined $50 million by the DOT for its treatment of wheelchair users.
Sprint Airlines, which has an overall score of 4.5, has the highest ratio of wheelchairs and mobility scooters that were reported as mishandled. More than 570 of the 27,779 (2.1 percent) wheelchairs and mobility scooters that were boarded by the airline were reported as mishandled.
Allegiant Air and United Airlines Network rank fourth and fifth, respectively. Allegiant Air received an overall score of 5, having mishandled 207 wheelchairs and scooters in 2024, just 0.8 percent of the 27,575 boarded. However, the airline’s position is impacted by passenger sentiment, with 32 percent of reviews mentioning the word ‘wheelchair’ being one-star ratings.
United Airlines Network has an overall score of 5.2. The airline mishandled just under 1 percent (1,511) of the 156,528 wheelchairs and scooters boarded. Twenty percent of reviews that contain the word ‘wheelchair’ are one-star, which contributes to its lower rating in the study.
On the other end of the study, the data reveals that the best airline for those traveling with a wheelchair is JetBlue with an overall score of 7.4. Of the 29,147 wheelchairs and mobility scooters it boarded in 2024, just 1.6 percent (464) were recorded as mishandled. The brand also has a 97 percent positive sentiment online. This marks the highest positive sentiment within the study. In addition to this, 51 percent of online reviews that make note of wheelchairs are listed as five stars while just 14 percent of online reviews that mention wheelchairs are one star.
Following JetBlue is Delta Airlines Network, with an overall score of 6.9. In an effort to be more inclusive to wheelchair users, Delta announced that it is designing a seat that will enable wheelchair users to use their wheelchairs within the plane, mitigating the risk on it being mishandled in the cargo hold.
Delta has the lowest percentage of wheelchairs and mobility scooters mishandled in the study, which contributes to its high score. Of the 155,629 wheelchairs and mobility scooters boarded by the airline, just 0.6 percent (982) were reported as mishandled. Online reviews discussing wheelchairs are also primarily positive, with 48 percent of reviews being five stars.
In third position is Alaska Airlines Network with an overall score of 6.7. While the airline transported more than 35,000 wheelchairs and mobility scooters in 2024, only 547 were reported as mishandled (1.5 percent). In addition to this, just 9 percent of reviews mentioning a wheelchair were rated one star. In contrast, 59 percent of reviews mentioning wheelchairs were listed as five stars.
In fourth and fifth position are Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which have overall scores of 6.4 and 6.3 respectively.
