AIR TRAVEL: THE LAST BASTION OF TRANSPORT INEQUALITY

Nearly all forms of public transport these days in Australia, make reasonable efforts to ensure that wheelchair users are transported and treated in a similar way to other passengers. Trains, buses, taxis, and coaches all have bespoke arrangements for transporting wheelchair users — ranging from platform lifts, to special spaces reserved for wheelies, to anchor points incorporating tiedowns to ensure that the chair and passenger remain in one place as the vehicle goes on its way.

This hasn’t been easy for transport owners and manufacturers, because they have all had to modify their vehicles to some extent; something which negatively affects their bottom lines because they have had to adapt their working practices, and can transport fewer passengers. Nevertheless they do it.

You may have noticed one mode of transport conspicuous by its absence above — air travel. All airplanes worldwide make travelling by wheelchair difficult and stressful.

There is no space dedicated to wheelchairs, there are no tiedowns, there is no accessible toilet. And getting on a plane is invariably convoluted. The example below is the exception and most definitely not the rule — but it does show what can be done with a can do attitude.

It is no wonder that of all the travel situations for wheelchair users, air travel is always the most disruptive and anything but hasslefree.

For some time now, US charity All Wheels Up has been lobbying for a dedicated wheelchair space, with appropriate tiedowns, on commercial aircraft. It has successfully tested all the necessary equipment, demonstrating that it exceeds all safety standards, but for various reasons the airlines have yet to acquiesce.

It seems that commercial considerations always take precedence over the need to be inclusive. Despite the fact that it is law on all modes of transport in Australia that every effort be made to provide wheelchair users with a similar service to that provided to others, the airplane and airport experiences rarely are.

It can be done. Air Force One was especially adapted for wheelchair using US president Roosevelt — 77 years ago!

Why is air travel so stressful?

1. Delays at check-in, and inconsistency

It is not uncommon to be required to check in a full three hours in advance of an international flight. And there is little consistency between airports, as procedures at and after checking in often vary depending on where you are.

2. Damage to wheelchairs

There is the frequent damage suffered by wheelchairs after they’ve been checked in.

A candid conversation with an airport worker recently only just made me realise why this is so common. It is because some aircraft containers (used to store cargo in the hold) have dimensions which will not accommodate larger chairs — baggage handlers will often cause damage by trying to “fit a square peg in a round hole”.

This is an excellent aide memoir of the dimensions on common aircraft — cross-reference it with the plane you are taking to ensure that your wheelchair will fit.

3. The aisle chair

One of the most dreaded experiences for wheelchair users when travelling by air is the moment they have to use the aisle chair.

This is an ultra narrow wheelchair used to transfer the wheelchair user from the airplane door to the seat, and then to move the wheelchair user about the aircraft if they need to (such as to go to the toilet).

Being wheeled in this skinny chair is often described by wheelchair users as a humiliating and undignified experience (having a quiet pee unnoticed is totally impossible — literally everyone nearby knows what you are up to!).

4. Going to the toilet

Another reason why wheelchair users tend not to fly (especially for longer than they can hold their bladder) is that there is really very little room in those tiny toilets!

If you are going on your own, there is no room for the aisle chair and being able to close the door at the same time! If you have someone who can help you, the cabin staff can usually ensure privacy by temporarily curtaining off the area, so you don’t need to close the door!

Whatever arrangement you come to, it’s going to cause a queue.

It is really little wonder that you so seldom see wheelchair users on airplanes. Some of the hassle of waiting around, turning up early, and general unpredictability of whether or not you’re going to get on the plane is not realised by most (although having said that, some of the extra rules associated with travel during the pandemic makes it easier to understand now).

With the ongoing COVID pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, many more people understand the difficulties of a range of travel. It’s compounded for wheelchair users when traveling by plane, but it doesn’t just affect the wheelchair user. It also affects their whole family (and often friends) who miss out on the opportunity to travel together without an enormous number of hoops to jump through.

Maybe, now that airlines have fewer passengers and often, less than half the seats filled, it might be time for them to consider this additional passenger group who just need some dedicated space and 1 accessible toilet to take advantage of airline travel. Surely that’s not too much to ask?

Max Burt is a Disability Advocate and founder of WheelEasy; a Sydney-based charity that runs an Access Information Web App.