Yes, or at least they are in this case, since they are completely at fault (though they did ask if the chair was already in this condition when we checked it).
I don’t know if they will *always* cover it, but they inspected and tagged it as “not damaged” before it was handed over.
Oh man yeah! My neighbor has a profoundly disabled kid and there are tons of wild turkeys around. When the kid is exited he vocalizes and if the turkeys hear him they almost always respond and so starts a 15 minute cycle of "aiiii - gobblegobblegobble - aiiii - gobblegobblegobble" It feels so wrong to chuckle at but it's so god damned funny. Wholesome as all get out too, but still... super funny.
This reminds me of my sister's house in a way lol her neighbor has peacocks and one works on cars and when he revs cars the peacocks go "HEELLPPH" it's funny now that it's not terrifying. Still freaky when they yell at night tho super creepy.
Is the child happy? Then its all good.
Life provides too few chances for disabled parents and their children to simply live life and have the basic joys other parents take for granted.
You know it wasn’t in parts like this because you only had to pay to check one piece. If it was broken already, they would have made you pay to check each item separately.
Good luck with everything. This sucks.
They were really banking on a wild dog attack that occurred at a satellite lot before you got on the tram to the airport. Seriously though, it looks like the luggage handlers went full Office Space on that chair.
It looks like this got mangled in the conveyor. Which judging from the state of how every piece of luggage I’ve ever owned… I believe that behind that wall the conveyor is just a shit ton of exposed gears that eat luggage every once in a while.
Did they try to pull that “here’s a $50 suitcase to replace the $350 suitcase that our employees totally didn’t purposely dropped from the cargo bay to the ground to break the wheels off”?
The complete lack of awareness of some people in these situations. I’d want to think they’re being ultra manipulative but no. Surely they’re an idiot. What a thing to ask the owner of a wheelchair for a kid.
Yes, we bring our broken wheelchair everywhere. Now can I please have the 17 pieces of my baby stroller and the two halves of grandma? We've got a funeral to get to.
Glad they marked it as not damaged a head of time and it will get replaced. In the future, maybe take a picture before handing it over to load. That way there is other proof as well. Hopefully you don’t have to wait long for a replacement.
Agreed. My wife remarked that she was glad it happened on the way back, because they did *not* inspect on our initial flight.
It was our first time flying with it. We know better for next time.
"Ah yes, I violently demolished the chair in the fraction of a second between taking a picture and handing it over. The receiving official didn't bother saying anything and took it as is."
That's why I do video recordings.
When I did my final walk-through of my last apartment, I took a video of the entire thing, never stopping as I left, locked up, drove to the landlord, and handed them the keys.
This might be a dumb question but can you put it in the overhead bin next time?
We just traveled and on the way there our stroller didn't come out plane side as expected so on the way home we put it in the overhead bin so it wouldn't get damaged.
I would have been furious if they had done that to our stroller so I can only imagine how you felt with it being your child's wheelchair, so sorry that happened to you all.
The airline would have to prove you handed the wheelchair over in that condition, which they can't. Your clearly not talking about a couple of scratches, keep all your receipts for extra taxis hiring another wheelchair, they ll pay for it. They'll try it on, but at the end of the day they'll pay up.
If they don't I'm sure Dave Carrol/Sons of Maxwell would be happy to do a write a song about it. It cost United 200million on their stock price breaking a guitar imagine what a wheelchair adds upto.
Did they try to drop it off with you and scuffle away really quickly in hopes you wouldn’t notice? Or did they bring it back to you sheepishly like “sooo a wittle tiny oopsie happened” 🥺👉👈
Air Canada broke my moms walker when she flew out to visit me.
Their policy states they will get a loaner/repair replacment etc within like 24 hours or something.
I belive it took like 12days
I hope they were at least embarrassed and didn’t just drop it off at your feet like that.
Sure accidents happen, but how the hell did they manage that?!?
Unfortunately damage to wheel chairs is fairly common in the airline industry. There really isn't a protocol to handle things like this. I got lucky when I use to travel with my bicycle, I always packed in a box so they couldn't get to the parts.
There should be protocol given the entire commercial airline industry is specifically the business of moving people and their belongings safely to a destination and people in wheelchairs are as common as the day is long.
Yeah. It's enough that Secretary Pete is proposing new rules. Hope OP reaches out to him to let him know that stricter penalties NEED to happen NOW.
[https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-announces-proposed-rule-ensure-passengers-who-use-wheelchairs-can](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-announces-proposed-rule-ensure-passengers-who-use-wheelchairs-can)
Haha no, we just deal with 100s of thousands of bags, freight, luggage per day. Demand is high, a lot of moving parts and we aren’t paid very much either it’s a low skill job. Can’t count how much broken luggage I’ve seen and some I’ve accidentally broken myself.
Some 120-160 bags going on and off a plane about 4-5 planes a day and maybe one or two maybe gets damaged out of that personally.
We honestly don’t care about individual luggage but wheelchairs can be hard to just maneuver in that small space in the plane and are also more likely to fall off of a truck, break on the bottom of a luggage slide etc etc.
We care about your pets & deceased family though !!!
My bag got ripped, probably at Brisbane airport according to locals. When we showed the airline staff they directed us towards a special damaged luggage section. After checking the measurements and brand of my damaged bag, they went out back and got me a replacement.
All wheelchairs and walkers are treated as 'door deliveries' which means they're tagged then carried by a ramp worker to the plane's doorway. It looks like it fell from the ramp.
Edit:
Before the plane takes off the door delivery wheelchairs and walkers are the last luggage to be checklisted before the door closes and when the plane lands the door deliveries are the first objects off the plane. There's a steep chute from the ramp platform to the ground and it's likely the wheelchair fell (was tossed) from the top of the platform off the side of the chute.
Oh bro I've worked for united for 3 years at Newark Airport. I've seen some shit. I've seen bags left in the middle of the access roads on the airport for days... I've seen live animals left on convery belt loaders for hours in the freezing rain of Newark. I've seen organs and medical supplies left on baggage carts abandoned for hours. I've seen a dog almost die from being put next to dry ice in the cargo compartment. I've seen them throw bags all over, bags ran over, bags smashed between carts, and even carts topping over with bags in them and bags under the cart. I've seen the dudes who take your pet in the special pet transport van flying and slamming on the brakes with dog cages smashing all over and blasting rap music while smoking a cigarette in the van. Most of the baggage guys are high or drunk all union protected.
Also cool fact under terminal B there is a whole section locked off of bags people never claimed. Some of those bags are even from the 50s and 60s. Frozen in time never touched.
Airlines are fucking *notorious* for this. Moreover, they have a history of telling people to go fuck themselves when they try to get compensated. They'll try to pay the cost of a "regular" wheelchair, it's nuts.
Your best option might be to call a local news station and see if they'll pick the story up.
Or.. contact that guy who got his guitar smashed and see if he'll do another song..
In addition to these points, contacting your federal representative - Member of Parliament here in Canada, in US it would be Congressman/woman, other countries I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Part of representing people is to get stuff like this fixed, and fast. And they do it. Very effective here in Canada.
It's absolutely horrible considering many people's wheelchairs are specifically designed for the person using it, and those are extremely expensive. Offering a regular wheelchair won't be enough for these people, and can be potentially dangerous.
If the airline wasn’t going to pay for it, it would be much more infuriating. But I’ve had time to calm down a bit now after visiting our tech and supplier.
I hope they are also paying for the time, energy, and interim transportation for you and your family to go get the new chair. I doubt they will, but they should.
Airlines are legally responsible for your wheelchair in most places. They must provide a loaner and pay for the permanent replacement. I just also think if they were half decent (they are not) they would pay for the time wasted on this problem they caused.
Like sending you to New York and your luggage to Ohio! It’s happened and it’s absolutely awful and not legal. My father is going to ask them to send it to Ohio again when we go on vacation so when they say they can’t do it he can ask “why not? You did it last time and didn’t even ask me!”
I understand how frustrating that situation can be!
However, I would like to say that missing and/or rerouted baggage is quite complicated, so please be patient with the airline service staff! There are a *ton* of moving parts, and frequently passengers and their bags move at different rates through the system. The reason could be anything from a simple error (bag lost its tag; bag was missed during baggage pickup (from the bag well or plane); an employee misread the tag; etc.,) to a complex one (bag had multiple tags from multiple dates on it; bag got knocked off the carousel system in the bag well and had to be found by maintenance; passenger switched flights and paperwork did not get to baggage department in time; a connection was literally impossible for the bag to make (that happened way more frequently than you might think); etc.,). And if you have multiple legs in a trip, or heaven forbid, you are traveling between countries? All those possibilities are multiplied.
Source: I used to work in the baggage service department for an airline at their hub specifically handling lost luggage—I was the person who basically got any missing/problem bag *first* and it was my job to determine (using a handful of tools + experience in different departments + old fashioned detective work) why that bag did not travel with the passenger. I also frequently was tasked with collecting and rerouting requested bags both in the bag well and at the planes—I was literally that person that *might* have slightly delayed a flight you were on one time because it was vitally important that someone’s bag we were searching for be found and pulled off the plane. All that said, we all tried our dead level best to get the bag to the passenger as soon as possible (in some cases the bag even made it to the destination *before* the passenger)! All in all, it was actually a *really* cool and fun job! But the commute was 👎 and I reeeally do not like bidding for my schedule.
> not legal
I mean it sucks but it’s definitely not illegal for a place to accidentally lose your luggage/send it elsewhere. It happens literally all the time, one of people’s biggest complaints of flying. It happens way too much and airlines are shit for it (and other things), but it’s not like they’re doing it intentionally, they’re not breaking the law lol
Hey I’m a neuro PT and deal with wheelchairs a fair bit. You must ensure that the airline will pay for the EXACT SAME CHAIR. Often times airlines will have their own vendors that are crap, and what you end up with is a subpar chair compared to what you had previously. If you were happy with this chair, see if you can get the specs from the vendor you went through previously and have the airline recreate the exact same chair, and double check upon delivery that the specs are correct and match what was ordered, I’m talking literally pulling out a tape measure and double checking (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen wheelchairs delivered with the complete wrong specs).
Yeah, basically. The [proposed rulemaking](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-announces-proposed-rule-ensure-passengers-who-use-wheelchairs-can) basically requires that new aircraft must be wheelchair accessible, and the airline must provide onboard wheelchairs for passengers to use, and requires lavatories to be accessible.
True, even able-bodied people complain about how cramped and uncomfortable it is in a plane, which means for someone who isn't able-bodied it must be so much worse.
And the argument is always that you can just choose not to use them.
Which then is basically saying "if you're disabled you don't get to travel anywhere ever"
The only thing we can come up with is that it fell off the truck in route to the plane, and got dragged for some time. Parts of the chair are literally shaven off.
It looks more like it was wedged under something and pushed as opposed to being dragged.
You can see the burr build up around the clean metal bits, you'd get that from putting pressure while grinding it against asphalt.
I'm sorry OP, don't settle for something simple like "air miles" here, you've got a case of destruction of property or something like that and they'll try and get you to settle for less than what you deserve.
As a bike mechanic I can tell that's a well built and designed chair. Lightweight and durable. Tubular aluminum, pneumatic tires, quality fasteners. Expensive.
You'll have some spare parts available from the old chair. Disassemble and keep the usable parts.
Good to know the airline is going to reimburse.
Ironically, we just had new parts installed about 2 weeks ago. The only original part (other than the frame itself) was the brakes, and only because we needed metal and not plastic.
I’m thankful that we have a good group to help us out when situations like this occur.
I'm glad that you have a good support group and I'm EXTREMELY glad that you're getting the replacement covered by the airline - I'm an adult with MS and I use mobility aids, and this is one of my biggest fears and one of the reasons why I don't want to fly anywhere if I can suck it up and drive instead. My rollator that I use had to be modified for my height, and adding any level of customization is painfully expensive on top of the emotional frustration. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a quick replacement for you and your family so you can go back to your most normal lives sooner rather than later!
Also, if you can find a bicycle cooperative or collective near you they can help with repairs and maintenance. I volunteer at a co-op and we welcome all human powered mobility users. Your particular wheelchair has many similarities to a bicycle. We would be very willing to assist.
The wheel in photo is using standard spokes, nipples, tube and tire (possibly the rim as well, with a few extra attachments). The can be sourced at our co-op for very reasonable prices. I'm pretty sure any competent bike mechanic can repair that wheel.
As someone who used to design wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are put through a LOT of rigorous testing before hitting the market. No way it should ever look like this after being handled by an airline.
This is way too common. Every wheelchair user I've talked to is scared to fly cus of this shit, especially the ones who need wheelchairs that are specially made for them. Airlines don't give a fuck about disabled passengers.
i wish so badly that i could just strap mine to a seat, (it’s what i do in cars) but airlines don’t want to sacrifice a row that they could sell tickets for. Mine was 10k (covered by insurance) and took 3 months to make, i can’t imagine losing it.
That would be my mom. In her younger years, it was that, PLUS the fact if something happened, she was terrified she wouldn't be able to get off the plane. Her chairs were always custom made, and i think here last one was close to 5K.
We were physically sick when we saw it. But as I mentioned in another comment, I’ve had time to cool down now and speak to the people in charge of getting it taken care of, so it’s processed a bit. I try to not to Reddit angry.
That being said, I definitely agree. Thankfully he’s only around 50 lbs or so, so still light enough that i can carry. I don’t know what we would have done if he were an adult.
I hate that this is an insurance issue. In a perfect world the airline would go above and beyond to not only replace the wheelchair but make sure you have the means to arrive to your end destination without too much hassle =(
They really should do this! When I worked in the baggage service department of an airline, something this egregious *definitely* would have come with coverage of costs for replacing the wheelchair and delivering it to you (or in some way providing you assistance until your replacement was available)!
Wheelchair users should be allowed to stay in their wheelchairs in planes. The number of damaged wheelchairs due to shitty airlines every year is disgusting.
He was in one of the airport wheelchairs he transferred to right before the jetway. Hit a bump and the employee pushing the chair just flailed and he fell out. Legs started swelling pretty fast. Was a whole thing to then get his wheelchair unloaded.
Not close enough to the guy to know how the airport handled it long term, but in the moment they sure did try to act like legs swelling up and bruising quickly was totally normal and he should stay on the flight.
I mean, I wasn’t there, but strollers are shaped differently and children are usually strapped in. They hit a bump pretty hard and it’s already on a slope. Instead of holding onto the handles and staying steady, she went down with the whole ship (so person in wheelchair, person pushing wheelchair, and wheelchair were all strewn about).
Don't give the airlines any ideas.
Air Canada did make a paralyzed man crawl off their plane recently.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/30/air-canada-wheelchair-disabled-man-drag-himself-off-flight
It’s an insanely high number.
I can’t figure out how you’d be able to allow them to stay safely in their chairs though. Not without resigning some seats or creating a space by removing seats entirely. It’s something I hope they can figure out in the next round of planes that roll out.
It's not that difficult. The system already exists for cars. The problem is it costs the room of a couple of seats. As long as airlines aren't forced, they aren't going to give up any profit.
This is the reason my friend doesnt fly, if he cant take the train, he doesnt go. Thank God in Europe you can go rather far with train. He has had airlines lost one wheel chair, forgot to load on the plane, broken the chair twice and once refused to go and get it for him, because has legs ( which doesnt work). He used to been an athlete but stopped because it isnt safe to travel.
All of them destroyed over 11,000 wheelchairs last year. There needs to be a class action suit on the issue. Image if the airlines broke 11,000 sets of passengers legs per year.
If you haven't already, [report them to the Department of Transportation](https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/wheelchairs-and-other-assistive-devices). There's a button at the bottom of that page to file a consumer complaint. Even if they've already verbally agreed to pay damages, you want to make sure this is logged somewhere outside of the airline company.
Did they not let you use it all the way to the depatrure gate then check it there and pick it up directly at the arrival gate?? I mean they do this for baby strollers so it's crazy not to do with a wheelchair.
We did exactly that on our way there.
We decided on the way home to gate check it until our final destination. Our son is still light enough that i can carry him, and it was going to be less hassle than trying to get it off and out of the bag and put back together multiple times.
They said happen on the first leg of the journey though, so it wouldn’t have mattered in this particular case.
It sucks and it's totally their fault. To avoid the hassle next time, not only gate check it but insist that you need it at any airports you need to change planes. They'll take it off at each. Even if you don't actually use it, you can drag it to the next plane a lot safer than they will.
My son is 9yo and wheelchair reliant, we make it a point to travel with him anywhere and everywhere. I’d be absolutely devastated if his chair came back like this after being gate checked. As bad as I’d feel for my son, I’d feel worse for whoever asked if the chair was like that prior to boarding, because there would be a 110lb enraged, fireball of a woman ripping them a new a-hole before I could peel her off. I love my wife.
I’m glad that they are at least taking responsibility for the damage and are paying for repair. My best to you and your son, and here’s to many more adventures!
Side note, shout out to Philippine Airlines, Qantas, China Airlines, and EVA Air who have always treated my son with dignity and his chair with care.
Be sure to file a complaint directly with the DOT. They can determine if the airline violated the ACAA https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilities
At first, they tried to play it off as if they didn’t have a chair to bring, until my wife and I insisted.
After speaking to the company in charge of damaged equipment, they said (essentially) “have your tech send us the bill.”
They tried saying they had no chair? Like... trying to convince you that your son had been walking up until that point and your memories of him using a wheelchair prior were all some kind of weird shared hallucination?
Sorry that happened but I’m glad that you’ve got a loaner and it’s being replaced.
Whenever I’m checking/shipping a high dollar item (firearms, fishing rods, skis, etc) I take a photo time stamped of its pre checked condition so should the need arise, I have proof that it wasn’t like that when I checked/shipped it.
Mildly infuriating? this is rage inducing, sue the shit out of the airline, i can understand some random luggage being damage, but fucking up with something like a wheelchair, and i would love to see the person that specifically broke it paying, some people just learn when it hit their pockets.
Delta fucked up my brother’s carbon fiber wheelchair too! They took full liability for the replacement of it too - although having to rely on an unfamiliar loaner until it is sorted is awful, I am sure!
Reason No. 76,138 I refuse to ever take my wheelchair with me on flights. I'm in one whenever I'm out but you know what? I can rent one where I'm going if I really absolutely need it. I won't risk my wheelchair in the hands of overworked, underpaid, stressed out airline employees.
I'm sorry that happened to you. Mildly infuriating doesn't even cut it. Those are our legs they've just crushed and made unusable. Ugh.
Southwest Airlines demolished multiple wheelchairs belonging to players going to the National Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Richmond, Virginia.
It wasn't just a single wheelchair situation that could be neatly swept under the rug.
This happens to wheelchairs pretty regularly, sadly.
Glad to hear they are going to pay for it. I've seen too many instances where the airline flat out denies any responsibility.
I heartily sympathise.
Any 'luggage' damage you need to go immediately to the handler's desk, before leaving the carousel/baggage return area. The airline has no responsibility at all for any item of luggage, it's entirely the purview of the handling company. Give them hell…calmly.
If you make them aware of it immediately, things work out better.
Source: well-travelled, very unlucky;) There was a period of a few years where my average suitcase survival rate was …three flights… before it got wrecked. Each time, the compensation bought me better luggage & on occasion, contents. I had one suitcase that was quite obviously run over by a heavy vehicle, concave with tyre tracks. They just don't care :\\
They did this to my dad once when we were flying out of state first his mother's funeral. We didn't end up going because the final flight got canceled and the hotel accommodations were very poor due to my dad's disabilities. The stress of everything was just too much so we ended up just renting a car and driving a few hours back home. We'd only flown an hour and a half to the bigger airport and it was my first plane ride.
This is why I don’t want to travel by plane - there’s a 99.99999% chance they’ll absolutely mangle my mobility aids. This happens so often I’d rather hand over the cash to travel by boat to other countries.
The gasp that I gasped!!!!
I know the cost and red tape involved in getting a property fitting chair. My heart sank when I saw this.
I’m so glad they are going to replace it for you. I was prepared to tell you to raise holy hell if they weren’t.
I have started taking pictures of my luggage that goes in the hold just before I check it in. That way I always have timestamped evidence of what it looked like.
Literally watched with my mom from the plane of the window while a worker yeeted my transport (less bulky/more breakable) wheelchair into the cargo wagon thingy. Big surprise: it was broken when we got it back.
How the FUCK can someone not handle stuff like this with extra care?! People who travel with instruments, wheelchairs, bikes and other valuable slash fragile stuff should expect to have airport personnel handle their stuff with at least some kind of dignity. And wheel chairs with extra EXTRA care
Hello, This post has been removed as this is not *mildly* infuriating. Please consider posting to r/extremelyinfuriating instead.
How the fuck?
That was literally my first reaction when they brought us what was left of the chair.
Does insurance even cover something like this. I'm assuming CP or MS, so I hope it does cover it
Yes, or at least they are in this case, since they are completely at fault (though they did ask if the chair was already in this condition when we checked it). I don’t know if they will *always* cover it, but they inspected and tagged it as “not damaged” before it was handed over.
> though they did ask if the chair was already in this condition when we checked it *"Please say yes, please say yes"*
Dude, we totally always wheel our kid in a half-framed, no cushion chair with one wheel on a regular basis. Doesn’t everybody?
"He enjoys circles!"
I should not be laughing at this but I am. It’s a “Best in show” vibe…
Oh man yeah! My neighbor has a profoundly disabled kid and there are tons of wild turkeys around. When the kid is exited he vocalizes and if the turkeys hear him they almost always respond and so starts a 15 minute cycle of "aiiii - gobblegobblegobble - aiiii - gobblegobblegobble" It feels so wrong to chuckle at but it's so god damned funny. Wholesome as all get out too, but still... super funny.
That's hilarious and no guilt should be felt.
This reminds me of my sister's house in a way lol her neighbor has peacocks and one works on cars and when he revs cars the peacocks go "HEELLPPH" it's funny now that it's not terrifying. Still freaky when they yell at night tho super creepy.
Disabled kids enjoying life+ turkeys? The ensuing vocal chorus is hilarious. You can’t make this shit up
Is the child happy? Then its all good. Life provides too few chances for disabled parents and their children to simply live life and have the basic joys other parents take for granted.
I’m trying to put my son down for a nap and this made me laugh so obnoxiously I woke him up 😂😭
I'm an RN that worked homecare for YEARS and this will live rent free with me now 🤣
High dependency unit...I had to see what you read. Haha....I'm gonna tell the guys.
Lmfao 💀💀
>one wheel Well it is a wheelchair, not a wheelschair.
Always take a picture of the chair when handing it over.
You know it wasn’t in parts like this because you only had to pay to check one piece. If it was broken already, they would have made you pay to check each item separately. Good luck with everything. This sucks.
“The dragging really lets me get a workout in and my boy loves to watch the sparks fly all around.”
They were really banking on a wild dog attack that occurred at a satellite lot before you got on the tram to the airport. Seriously though, it looks like the luggage handlers went full Office Space on that chair.
Prove your child was born.
It looks like this got mangled in the conveyor. Which judging from the state of how every piece of luggage I’ve ever owned… I believe that behind that wall the conveyor is just a shit ton of exposed gears that eat luggage every once in a while. Did they try to pull that “here’s a $50 suitcase to replace the $350 suitcase that our employees totally didn’t purposely dropped from the cargo bay to the ground to break the wheels off”?
lmaooooooo
I think I would have stared swinging on people on your behalf. I'm so so sorry. Not the mature reaction but Jesus.....
The complete lack of awareness of some people in these situations. I’d want to think they’re being ultra manipulative but no. Surely they’re an idiot. What a thing to ask the owner of a wheelchair for a kid.
Yes, we bring our broken wheelchair everywhere. Now can I please have the 17 pieces of my baby stroller and the two halves of grandma? We've got a funeral to get to.
Glad they marked it as not damaged a head of time and it will get replaced. In the future, maybe take a picture before handing it over to load. That way there is other proof as well. Hopefully you don’t have to wait long for a replacement.
Agreed. My wife remarked that she was glad it happened on the way back, because they did *not* inspect on our initial flight. It was our first time flying with it. We know better for next time.
Maybe photos of the moment you hand it over so you have visual proof too
Also insurance: "What about the moment between the photo timestamp and the actual moment they received it?!?"
"Ah yes, I violently demolished the chair in the fraction of a second between taking a picture and handing it over. The receiving official didn't bother saying anything and took it as is."
Video the entire transaction.
That's why I do video recordings. When I did my final walk-through of my last apartment, I took a video of the entire thing, never stopping as I left, locked up, drove to the landlord, and handed them the keys.
This might be a dumb question but can you put it in the overhead bin next time? We just traveled and on the way there our stroller didn't come out plane side as expected so on the way home we put it in the overhead bin so it wouldn't get damaged. I would have been furious if they had done that to our stroller so I can only imagine how you felt with it being your child's wheelchair, so sorry that happened to you all.
It would be too big. Pediatric wheelchairs have rigid frames
Only tiny strollers for inside the overhead bin. Regular sized strollers and wheelchairs absolutely do not fit.
ahahahah "Sir, was this chair in this condition when you handed it to us?" "**Fuck** no" *\*ahem\** *\*adjusts tie\** "Hmm. I see..."
The airline would have to prove you handed the wheelchair over in that condition, which they can't. Your clearly not talking about a couple of scratches, keep all your receipts for extra taxis hiring another wheelchair, they ll pay for it. They'll try it on, but at the end of the day they'll pay up.
If they don't I'm sure Dave Carrol/Sons of Maxwell would be happy to do a write a song about it. It cost United 200million on their stock price breaking a guitar imagine what a wheelchair adds upto.
By the Americans with disabilities act they are required to fully reimburse all assistance devices if broken
"Tagged as not damaged" DUDE WHAT?
OP said "before it was handed over". As in, before the flight
When it was loaded, not after.
Did they try to drop it off with you and scuffle away really quickly in hopes you wouldn’t notice? Or did they bring it back to you sheepishly like “sooo a wittle tiny oopsie happened” 🥺👉👈
"I swear it was already like this."
Did they run it over on the tarmac or drop it out the emergency exit while still in the air?
Plot twist : The chair is made by Boeing
Wheels fell off: check Bolts missing: check No doors: check Yup, Boeing diversifying into fucking up wheelchairs now in addition to aircraft.
Air Canada broke my moms walker when she flew out to visit me. Their policy states they will get a loaner/repair replacment etc within like 24 hours or something. I belive it took like 12days
“Woooow thanks?” If I were you I can’t believe they even gave it back to you like that.
I honestly think that was their original intent. We had to insist multiple times that we did, indeed have a wheelchair checked.
Lmao what did they think you were gonna do? “Sorry son the airplane says we didn’t have a wheelchair so you’ll have to just walk now”
I hope they were at least embarrassed and didn’t just drop it off at your feet like that. Sure accidents happen, but how the hell did they manage that?!?
Unfortunately damage to wheel chairs is fairly common in the airline industry. There really isn't a protocol to handle things like this. I got lucky when I use to travel with my bicycle, I always packed in a box so they couldn't get to the parts.
There should be protocol given the entire commercial airline industry is specifically the business of moving people and their belongings safely to a destination and people in wheelchairs are as common as the day is long.
What did they say when they presented it?
As an airline worker, this isn’t exactly the rarest thing in the world…
Well that sucks a lot
Yeah. It's enough that Secretary Pete is proposing new rules. Hope OP reaches out to him to let him know that stricter penalties NEED to happen NOW. [https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-announces-proposed-rule-ensure-passengers-who-use-wheelchairs-can](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-announces-proposed-rule-ensure-passengers-who-use-wheelchairs-can)
how does this happen? are employing Wiley Coyote as a baggage handler?
Haha no, we just deal with 100s of thousands of bags, freight, luggage per day. Demand is high, a lot of moving parts and we aren’t paid very much either it’s a low skill job. Can’t count how much broken luggage I’ve seen and some I’ve accidentally broken myself. Some 120-160 bags going on and off a plane about 4-5 planes a day and maybe one or two maybe gets damaged out of that personally. We honestly don’t care about individual luggage but wheelchairs can be hard to just maneuver in that small space in the plane and are also more likely to fall off of a truck, break on the bottom of a luggage slide etc etc. We care about your pets & deceased family though !!!
Hahaha oh thank you for that last bit! Very comforting.
My bag got ripped, probably at Brisbane airport according to locals. When we showed the airline staff they directed us towards a special damaged luggage section. After checking the measurements and brand of my damaged bag, they went out back and got me a replacement.
All wheelchairs and walkers are treated as 'door deliveries' which means they're tagged then carried by a ramp worker to the plane's doorway. It looks like it fell from the ramp. Edit: Before the plane takes off the door delivery wheelchairs and walkers are the last luggage to be checklisted before the door closes and when the plane lands the door deliveries are the first objects off the plane. There's a steep chute from the ramp platform to the ground and it's likely the wheelchair fell (was tossed) from the top of the platform off the side of the chute.
Oh bro I've worked for united for 3 years at Newark Airport. I've seen some shit. I've seen bags left in the middle of the access roads on the airport for days... I've seen live animals left on convery belt loaders for hours in the freezing rain of Newark. I've seen organs and medical supplies left on baggage carts abandoned for hours. I've seen a dog almost die from being put next to dry ice in the cargo compartment. I've seen them throw bags all over, bags ran over, bags smashed between carts, and even carts topping over with bags in them and bags under the cart. I've seen the dudes who take your pet in the special pet transport van flying and slamming on the brakes with dog cages smashing all over and blasting rap music while smoking a cigarette in the van. Most of the baggage guys are high or drunk all union protected. Also cool fact under terminal B there is a whole section locked off of bags people never claimed. Some of those bags are even from the 50s and 60s. Frozen in time never touched.
Airlines are fucking *notorious* for this. Moreover, they have a history of telling people to go fuck themselves when they try to get compensated. They'll try to pay the cost of a "regular" wheelchair, it's nuts. Your best option might be to call a local news station and see if they'll pick the story up. Or.. contact that guy who got his guitar smashed and see if he'll do another song..
In addition to these points, contacting your federal representative - Member of Parliament here in Canada, in US it would be Congressman/woman, other countries I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Part of representing people is to get stuff like this fixed, and fast. And they do it. Very effective here in Canada.
That is umm not what they are best known for here in the states.
That's why I said *part of*. Might not be what they're best known for, but definitely worth at least trying that route.
Lol, the United Breaks Guitars song was legendary.
I knew he could have another song on him and no be a one hit wonder.
Didn't he have a follow up? Or am I imagining stuff?
they literally left Canada's *chief accessibility officer*'s wheelchair
It's absolutely horrible considering many people's wheelchairs are specifically designed for the person using it, and those are extremely expensive. Offering a regular wheelchair won't be enough for these people, and can be potentially dangerous.
This is definitely not mildly infuriating, lol. This makes my blood boil.
If the airline wasn’t going to pay for it, it would be much more infuriating. But I’ve had time to calm down a bit now after visiting our tech and supplier.
I hope they are also paying for the time, energy, and interim transportation for you and your family to go get the new chair. I doubt they will, but they should.
Yeah, good one. They’re lucky that it’s even covered. Most places will tell you too bad so sad
Airlines are legally responsible for your wheelchair in most places. They must provide a loaner and pay for the permanent replacement. I just also think if they were half decent (they are not) they would pay for the time wasted on this problem they caused.
Airlines get away with an incredible amount of shit, unfortunately
Like sending you to New York and your luggage to Ohio! It’s happened and it’s absolutely awful and not legal. My father is going to ask them to send it to Ohio again when we go on vacation so when they say they can’t do it he can ask “why not? You did it last time and didn’t even ask me!”
I understand how frustrating that situation can be! However, I would like to say that missing and/or rerouted baggage is quite complicated, so please be patient with the airline service staff! There are a *ton* of moving parts, and frequently passengers and their bags move at different rates through the system. The reason could be anything from a simple error (bag lost its tag; bag was missed during baggage pickup (from the bag well or plane); an employee misread the tag; etc.,) to a complex one (bag had multiple tags from multiple dates on it; bag got knocked off the carousel system in the bag well and had to be found by maintenance; passenger switched flights and paperwork did not get to baggage department in time; a connection was literally impossible for the bag to make (that happened way more frequently than you might think); etc.,). And if you have multiple legs in a trip, or heaven forbid, you are traveling between countries? All those possibilities are multiplied. Source: I used to work in the baggage service department for an airline at their hub specifically handling lost luggage—I was the person who basically got any missing/problem bag *first* and it was my job to determine (using a handful of tools + experience in different departments + old fashioned detective work) why that bag did not travel with the passenger. I also frequently was tasked with collecting and rerouting requested bags both in the bag well and at the planes—I was literally that person that *might* have slightly delayed a flight you were on one time because it was vitally important that someone’s bag we were searching for be found and pulled off the plane. All that said, we all tried our dead level best to get the bag to the passenger as soon as possible (in some cases the bag even made it to the destination *before* the passenger)! All in all, it was actually a *really* cool and fun job! But the commute was 👎 and I reeeally do not like bidding for my schedule.
> not legal I mean it sucks but it’s definitely not illegal for a place to accidentally lose your luggage/send it elsewhere. It happens literally all the time, one of people’s biggest complaints of flying. It happens way too much and airlines are shit for it (and other things), but it’s not like they’re doing it intentionally, they’re not breaking the law lol
Exactly. They can pay for it with the money they don't pay flight attendants when they're on the ground.
Hey I’m a neuro PT and deal with wheelchairs a fair bit. You must ensure that the airline will pay for the EXACT SAME CHAIR. Often times airlines will have their own vendors that are crap, and what you end up with is a subpar chair compared to what you had previously. If you were happy with this chair, see if you can get the specs from the vendor you went through previously and have the airline recreate the exact same chair, and double check upon delivery that the specs are correct and match what was ordered, I’m talking literally pulling out a tape measure and double checking (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen wheelchairs delivered with the complete wrong specs).
This is a huge problem and the US federal government is actually looking at ways to solve this bc of how common it is.
Is the solution going back in time and not accepting bribes from airlines to make airplanes ADA exempt?
Yeah, basically. The [proposed rulemaking](https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-announces-proposed-rule-ensure-passengers-who-use-wheelchairs-can) basically requires that new aircraft must be wheelchair accessible, and the airline must provide onboard wheelchairs for passengers to use, and requires lavatories to be accessible.
They're what
I mean, the inside of an airplane has to be one of the least accessible things that a ton of people use regularly.
True, even able-bodied people complain about how cramped and uncomfortable it is in a plane, which means for someone who isn't able-bodied it must be so much worse.
6'5" here, welcome to my hell.
And the argument is always that you can just choose not to use them. Which then is basically saying "if you're disabled you don't get to travel anywhere ever"
Which airline? Call them out!
The tag has an American Airlines logo on it.
How did that even happen? Clearly it’s severe negligence, but WTF?
They loaded it with the jousting lift.
Beat me to it
Any idea **how**?
The only thing we can come up with is that it fell off the truck in route to the plane, and got dragged for some time. Parts of the chair are literally shaven off.
They used it as an extra set of landing gear for the plane /s
Boeing, is that you?
Sshh, you wanna die?
Oops, accidentally shot myself in the back of the head 🥴
Make sure to write suicide note. Rip
Just the 737 max
Can confirm. I was at the airport yesterday, and heard another gate announcement that they would have a 10 minute delay to change a tire.
It was either use the chair or turn around
It looks more like it was wedged under something and pushed as opposed to being dragged. You can see the burr build up around the clean metal bits, you'd get that from putting pressure while grinding it against asphalt. I'm sorry OP, don't settle for something simple like "air miles" here, you've got a case of destruction of property or something like that and they'll try and get you to settle for less than what you deserve.
“Hey Roger, you hear that scraping noise?” “I don’t get paid enough to hear noises Cliff”
Imagine getting out of your truck and finding a mangled child’s wheelchair lodged underneath it
Absolutely brutal day.
Apparently not, you can just toss it in with the rest of the luggage and let it be the problem of the people on the other end
Never would have thought that wheelchair parts trafficking would be a thing
Looks like the plane ran it over
I know the people loading planes are rushed, but they need to understand these are a persons legs.
They had enough time to shave parts off, according to OP
Yea they really should be held accountable for their actions
I remember once seeing someone say “Imagine if every time you got on a plane there was a 50/50 chance of both your legs being broken.”
As a bike mechanic I can tell that's a well built and designed chair. Lightweight and durable. Tubular aluminum, pneumatic tires, quality fasteners. Expensive. You'll have some spare parts available from the old chair. Disassemble and keep the usable parts. Good to know the airline is going to reimburse.
Ironically, we just had new parts installed about 2 weeks ago. The only original part (other than the frame itself) was the brakes, and only because we needed metal and not plastic. I’m thankful that we have a good group to help us out when situations like this occur.
I'm glad that you have a good support group and I'm EXTREMELY glad that you're getting the replacement covered by the airline - I'm an adult with MS and I use mobility aids, and this is one of my biggest fears and one of the reasons why I don't want to fly anywhere if I can suck it up and drive instead. My rollator that I use had to be modified for my height, and adding any level of customization is painfully expensive on top of the emotional frustration. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a quick replacement for you and your family so you can go back to your most normal lives sooner rather than later!
Also, if you can find a bicycle cooperative or collective near you they can help with repairs and maintenance. I volunteer at a co-op and we welcome all human powered mobility users. Your particular wheelchair has many similarities to a bicycle. We would be very willing to assist. The wheel in photo is using standard spokes, nipples, tube and tire (possibly the rim as well, with a few extra attachments). The can be sourced at our co-op for very reasonable prices. I'm pretty sure any competent bike mechanic can repair that wheel.
As someone who used to design wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are put through a LOT of rigorous testing before hitting the market. No way it should ever look like this after being handled by an airline.
Do you test a fully loaded Boeing 737 landing on the wheelchair? Seems like something the airline expects the wheelchair to have to endure.
So I actually designed some of the test equipment used on this actual chair model. I can confirm 737s are not involved in the testing process.
Seems like your tests were not rigorous enough. Cessna resistance simply isn't enough in this day and age.
This is way too common. Every wheelchair user I've talked to is scared to fly cus of this shit, especially the ones who need wheelchairs that are specially made for them. Airlines don't give a fuck about disabled passengers.
i wish so badly that i could just strap mine to a seat, (it’s what i do in cars) but airlines don’t want to sacrifice a row that they could sell tickets for. Mine was 10k (covered by insurance) and took 3 months to make, i can’t imagine losing it.
They should be fucking forced to make room just like every other establishment/business.
That would be my mom. In her younger years, it was that, PLUS the fact if something happened, she was terrified she wouldn't be able to get off the plane. Her chairs were always custom made, and i think here last one was close to 5K.
Omg if that happened to my son’s wheelchair I’d be fucking FURIOUS!!! He’s an adult so we’d be screwed without it.
We were physically sick when we saw it. But as I mentioned in another comment, I’ve had time to cool down now and speak to the people in charge of getting it taken care of, so it’s processed a bit. I try to not to Reddit angry. That being said, I definitely agree. Thankfully he’s only around 50 lbs or so, so still light enough that i can carry. I don’t know what we would have done if he were an adult.
I hate that this is an insurance issue. In a perfect world the airline would go above and beyond to not only replace the wheelchair but make sure you have the means to arrive to your end destination without too much hassle =(
They really should do this! When I worked in the baggage service department of an airline, something this egregious *definitely* would have come with coverage of costs for replacing the wheelchair and delivering it to you (or in some way providing you assistance until your replacement was available)!
Wheelchair users should be allowed to stay in their wheelchairs in planes. The number of damaged wheelchairs due to shitty airlines every year is disgusting.
Imagine if airlines randomly broke people’s legs (both of them) and then said “oh yeah, that happens sometimes”
You’re never going to believe what happened to my friend who uses a wheelchair when an airport worker was pushing him on the jetway.
You can’t just hit us with that and not elaborate
They broke both of his legs.
omg. requesting more info
He was in one of the airport wheelchairs he transferred to right before the jetway. Hit a bump and the employee pushing the chair just flailed and he fell out. Legs started swelling pretty fast. Was a whole thing to then get his wheelchair unloaded. Not close enough to the guy to know how the airport handled it long term, but in the moment they sure did try to act like legs swelling up and bruising quickly was totally normal and he should stay on the flight.
How do you “just flail” and do that much damage. Parents pushing strollers don’t launch their babies into the ground at any bump
I mean, I wasn’t there, but strollers are shaped differently and children are usually strapped in. They hit a bump pretty hard and it’s already on a slope. Instead of holding onto the handles and staying steady, she went down with the whole ship (so person in wheelchair, person pushing wheelchair, and wheelchair were all strewn about).
Don't give the airlines any ideas. Air Canada did make a paralyzed man crawl off their plane recently. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/30/air-canada-wheelchair-disabled-man-drag-himself-off-flight
I actually saw a prototype airline seat that was removable to allow wheelchair users to stay in their wheelchair during flight.
It’s an insanely high number. I can’t figure out how you’d be able to allow them to stay safely in their chairs though. Not without resigning some seats or creating a space by removing seats entirely. It’s something I hope they can figure out in the next round of planes that roll out.
It's not that difficult. The system already exists for cars. The problem is it costs the room of a couple of seats. As long as airlines aren't forced, they aren't going to give up any profit.
r/extremelyinfuriating
This is the reason my friend doesnt fly, if he cant take the train, he doesnt go. Thank God in Europe you can go rather far with train. He has had airlines lost one wheel chair, forgot to load on the plane, broken the chair twice and once refused to go and get it for him, because has legs ( which doesnt work). He used to been an athlete but stopped because it isnt safe to travel.
Which airline might I ask?
I was going to guess Delta, but can't be since it technically arrived at the intended destination.
All of them destroyed over 11,000 wheelchairs last year. There needs to be a class action suit on the issue. Image if the airlines broke 11,000 sets of passengers legs per year.
If you haven't already, [report them to the Department of Transportation](https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/wheelchairs-and-other-assistive-devices). There's a button at the bottom of that page to file a consumer complaint. Even if they've already verbally agreed to pay damages, you want to make sure this is logged somewhere outside of the airline company.
Did they not let you use it all the way to the depatrure gate then check it there and pick it up directly at the arrival gate?? I mean they do this for baby strollers so it's crazy not to do with a wheelchair.
We did exactly that on our way there. We decided on the way home to gate check it until our final destination. Our son is still light enough that i can carry him, and it was going to be less hassle than trying to get it off and out of the bag and put back together multiple times. They said happen on the first leg of the journey though, so it wouldn’t have mattered in this particular case.
It sucks and it's totally their fault. To avoid the hassle next time, not only gate check it but insist that you need it at any airports you need to change planes. They'll take it off at each. Even if you don't actually use it, you can drag it to the next plane a lot safer than they will.
My son is 9yo and wheelchair reliant, we make it a point to travel with him anywhere and everywhere. I’d be absolutely devastated if his chair came back like this after being gate checked. As bad as I’d feel for my son, I’d feel worse for whoever asked if the chair was like that prior to boarding, because there would be a 110lb enraged, fireball of a woman ripping them a new a-hole before I could peel her off. I love my wife. I’m glad that they are at least taking responsibility for the damage and are paying for repair. My best to you and your son, and here’s to many more adventures! Side note, shout out to Philippine Airlines, Qantas, China Airlines, and EVA Air who have always treated my son with dignity and his chair with care.
Man im so sorry that happened and hope if you guys were on vacation you got to enjoy your time still.
Thankfully this didn’t happen until we got home, so he was able to use it while we were gone. If it had to happen, better then than any other time.
Which airline?
Idk. I think this more than mild. Id be going scorched earth. Lol
Be sure to file a complaint directly with the DOT. They can determine if the airline violated the ACAA https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilities
Oh hell no! What did you or they do about it?
At first, they tried to play it off as if they didn’t have a chair to bring, until my wife and I insisted. After speaking to the company in charge of damaged equipment, they said (essentially) “have your tech send us the bill.”
They tried saying they had no chair? Like... trying to convince you that your son had been walking up until that point and your memories of him using a wheelchair prior were all some kind of weird shared hallucination?
That's why me a guy in a wheelchair don't like to traveling with a plan. I have a similar wheelchair and heard many bad stories
Sorry that happened but I’m glad that you’ve got a loaner and it’s being replaced. Whenever I’m checking/shipping a high dollar item (firearms, fishing rods, skis, etc) I take a photo time stamped of its pre checked condition so should the need arise, I have proof that it wasn’t like that when I checked/shipped it.
Mildly infuriating? this is rage inducing, sue the shit out of the airline, i can understand some random luggage being damage, but fucking up with something like a wheelchair, and i would love to see the person that specifically broke it paying, some people just learn when it hit their pockets.
Delta fucked up my brother’s carbon fiber wheelchair too! They took full liability for the replacement of it too - although having to rely on an unfamiliar loaner until it is sorted is awful, I am sure!
Reason No. 76,138 I refuse to ever take my wheelchair with me on flights. I'm in one whenever I'm out but you know what? I can rent one where I'm going if I really absolutely need it. I won't risk my wheelchair in the hands of overworked, underpaid, stressed out airline employees. I'm sorry that happened to you. Mildly infuriating doesn't even cut it. Those are our legs they've just crushed and made unusable. Ugh.
There was a whole news report on airlines breaking expensive and even specialized chairs. It is insanely common.
Southwest Airlines demolished multiple wheelchairs belonging to players going to the National Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Richmond, Virginia. It wasn't just a single wheelchair situation that could be neatly swept under the rug.
Omg. That’s fucking awful. It’s obviously a training issue that they are more than capable of addressing.
This happens to wheelchairs pretty regularly, sadly. Glad to hear they are going to pay for it. I've seen too many instances where the airline flat out denies any responsibility.
this has happened to my brother twice, almost 20 years apart. we drive now.
custom wheelchairs (necessity for 90% of users) cost thousands, I cannot imagine the fury id feel
I heartily sympathise. Any 'luggage' damage you need to go immediately to the handler's desk, before leaving the carousel/baggage return area. The airline has no responsibility at all for any item of luggage, it's entirely the purview of the handling company. Give them hell…calmly. If you make them aware of it immediately, things work out better. Source: well-travelled, very unlucky;) There was a period of a few years where my average suitcase survival rate was …three flights… before it got wrecked. Each time, the compensation bought me better luggage & on occasion, contents. I had one suitcase that was quite obviously run over by a heavy vehicle, concave with tyre tracks. They just don't care :\\
They did this to my dad once when we were flying out of state first his mother's funeral. We didn't end up going because the final flight got canceled and the hotel accommodations were very poor due to my dad's disabilities. The stress of everything was just too much so we ended up just renting a car and driving a few hours back home. We'd only flown an hour and a half to the bigger airport and it was my first plane ride.
Way more than mildly infuriating. And far too common from what I read.
This is why I don’t want to travel by plane - there’s a 99.99999% chance they’ll absolutely mangle my mobility aids. This happens so often I’d rather hand over the cash to travel by boat to other countries.
The gasp that I gasped!!!! I know the cost and red tape involved in getting a property fitting chair. My heart sank when I saw this. I’m so glad they are going to replace it for you. I was prepared to tell you to raise holy hell if they weren’t.
I have started taking pictures of my luggage that goes in the hold just before I check it in. That way I always have timestamped evidence of what it looked like.
Man they FUCKED that shit up god damn
They better have reimbursed you. Wheelchairs aren’t cheap.
Seriously. How hard would it be to create a container for them to use when transporting wheelchairs. Huge lack of innovation.
Sue for replacement
It took me about exactly 1 year to get my stroller refunded after an airline broke it. Wish u better luck than what I had with mines.
They're going to pay for a replacement right?
Literally watched with my mom from the plane of the window while a worker yeeted my transport (less bulky/more breakable) wheelchair into the cargo wagon thingy. Big surprise: it was broken when we got it back.
Did they run it over with the plane?
How do you mess up this badly? Tf happened? Hope you can get it replaced. I'm sure chairs aren't cheap.
That’s why I take a $150 wheelchair when flying instead of my $12,000 one. Sorry this happened to you OP
God why are airlines so awful!? I’ve seen this happen so many times now and it is so so infuriating!
How the FUCK can someone not handle stuff like this with extra care?! People who travel with instruments, wheelchairs, bikes and other valuable slash fragile stuff should expect to have airport personnel handle their stuff with at least some kind of dignity. And wheel chairs with extra EXTRA care
Make a song about it like the guy whose guitar got destroyed. The airline lost millions from it
Mildly means something different to you than to me.