Assistive Device - Stowage, Damage, and Delay

This page contains relevant, important information to help ensure passengers with disabilities have a pleasant travel experience.

Top Questions

• What is an Assistive Device?
• Can I bring my assistive device in the cabin of the aircraft?
• What if my assistive device cannot be stowed in the cabin?
• What if my device is damaged or delayed?
• Will an airline be held responsible for damage to my wheelchair or other assistive device during DOT’s pause in enforcement on the new liability standard?
• Can I use my portable oxygen concentrator (POC) onboard the aircraft?

Additional Resources

• Tips For Traveling With Your Wheelchair And Other Assistive Devices
• Top Assistive Devices

What is an Assistive Device?

An assistive device is any piece of equipment that assists a passenger with a disability in coping with the effects of his or her disability. These devices are intended to assist passengers with a disability to hear, see, communicate, maneuver, or perform other functions of daily life.

Assistive devices include (but are not limited to):

• Crutches, Canes, and Walkers
• Braces/Prosthetics
• Wheelchairs
• Hearing aids
• Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs)
• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines
• Prescription medications and any medical devices needed to administer those medications, such as syringes or auto-injectors

Click here to learn more about the types of assistive devices. 

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Can I bring my assistive device in the passenger cabin of the aircraft?

You may bring your assistive device with you on an airplane and stow it in the passenger compartment in the following locations:

• In an overhead compartment;
• Under the seat in front of you; or
• In a designated stowage area if the device fits and is in accordance with FAA or foreign safety regulations.

Assistive devices do not count to your baggage limit.

• However, if your bag also contains personal items, the airline can count your bag toward a baggage limit and it may be subject to a baggage fee.

Are manual collapsible wheelchairs allowed in the cabin?

• Individuals with a collapsible or break-down wheelchair may stow their device in the cabin’s overhead compartments, under seats, or in the designated wheelchair stowage area if the device fits and is in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety regulations.  
• Airlines are required to accept for transport at least one manual wheelchair in aircraft with 100 or more seats.
• If your wheelchair does not fit in the cabin of the aircraft, airline personnel are required to stow it in the cargo portion of the aircraft free of charge.
• Click here to learn more about flying with collapsible folding wheelchairs.

Are battery-powered wheelchair allowed in the cabin?

• Airlines are required to transport only manual wheelchairs in the cabin of the aircraft. Most battery powered wheelchairs are too large and too heavy to be safely stowed in the seating portion of the aircraft. Large and heavy powered wheelchairs are typically stowed in the cargo portion of the aircraft. 
• When your powered wheelchair is stowed in the cargo compartment, the airline must return your assistive device to you promptly and as close as possible to the door of the aircraft, unless you ask to pick it up in baggage claim.  
• Click here to learn more about flying with battery powered devices. 

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What if my assistive device cannot be stowed in the cabin?

Airlines must stow assistive devices as cargo in the baggage compartment at no extra cost.

• If your assistive device cannot be stowed in the cabin as carry-on baggage, you do not have to pay a checked-bag fee.

Your device must be returned to you promptly and as close as possible to the door of the aircraft, unless you ask to pick it up in baggage claim.

Click here to learn more about stowing devices.

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What if my device is damaged or delayed?  

Airlines must check and return your assistive device in the same condition as it was received.

If an airline damages your wheelchair, they are responsible for covering the cost of the damage, and the amount of the payment will depend on whether the damage occurred on a domestic or international flight.  

• On domestic flights, the airlines are liable for damaged assistive devices up to the cost of the original purchase price of the device. 
• On international flights, airline liability is governed by limits set by the applicable international treaty and may cover less than the entire cost of your assistive device. 
  • Click here to learn more about liability limits.

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Will an airline be held responsible for damage to my wheelchair or other assistive device during DOT’s pause in enforcement on the new liability standard?

The temporary pause in the standard used to determine an airline’s liability for damaged wheelchairs does not negate the airline’s responsibility to care for a passenger’s assistive device or the airline’s responsibility to pay for damage when it is the airline’s fault. An airline remains responsible for paying to repair or replace a wheelchair or scooter up to the original purchase price of the device if the airline damaged the device. 

• A December 2024 DOT final rule established a rebuttable presumption that airlines are liable for damage to wheelchairs, scooters, or other assistive devices while in their care.

• However, under the rule, an airline can overcome this presumption if it can prove the damage was pre-existing, caused by the passenger’s negligence, or that the damage claim is false or fraudulent. 

  • Pre-existing damage: Airline can demonstrate the device was damaged before receiving it.
  • Passenger negligence: Airline can show the damage was a result of the negligence of the person with a disability, such as  improper labeling or instructions.
  • False allegations: Airline can provide evidence that the allegations of damage to the device are false.

• The December 2024 final rule does not allow airlines to overcome the presumption of liability for damage to an assistive device in their care by demonstrating that the damage is the result of “an act of God” or other circumstances beyond the control of the airline.

• In a recent enforcement notice, DOT announced that it is temporarily not enforcing certain revisions to its disability regulations that were made in the December 2024 final rule, including the establishment of a rebuttable presumption.

• DOT will continue to enforce airline’s liability for damaged wheelchairs as it did prior to the  revisions in December 2024 final rule. As a matter of practice, even prior to the revisions in the December 2024 final rule, DOT did not hold an airline responsible if the damage to a wheelchair or other assistive device occurred before the airline received the device, if the damage was a result of  a passenger’s negligence, or if the damage allegations were proven to be false or fraudulent.

• During the pause in enforcement on the rule’s presumption of liability, DOT intends to conduct a case-by-case analysis to determine liability if an airline asserts that “an act of God” or other circumstances beyond their control caused damage to the assistive device.

• When DOT conducts its case-by-case analysis, it will focus on whether the damage to the device could have been avoided by the airline.

  • It is an "act of God” or other circumstances beyond an airline’s control if extreme weather causes damage to a wheelchair despite the device being properly loaded and secured in the cargo compartment. In this scenario, the damage is the result of an unforeseeable natural event with no negligence on the airline’s part.
  • It is not an "act of God” or other circumstances beyond an airline’s control if extreme weather causes damage to a wheelchair after the device is moved out onto the ramp and left there. In this case, the airline could have avoided the damage by taking reasonable precautions to protect the device.

Passengers should continue to report any damage to wheelchairs or other assistive devices to the airline as soon as possible and file a complaint with DOT if they are unable to resolve the issue with the airline.

Again, the pause in enforcement of the new rule relating to damage applies only to the establishment of the rebuttal presumption and does not change the duty of airlines to return wheelchairs and other assistive devices in the same condition in which the airline received them, and to pay to repair or replace any device damaged because of an airline’s actions.

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Can I use my portable oxygen concentrator (POC) onboard the aircraft?

Airlines must allow you to bring your POC onboard the aircraft as long as it meets FAA requirements.

In order to travel with your POC, airlines can require you to:

• Provide up to 48-hours advance notice that you will use your POC onboard;
• Provide a medical certificate for the use of your POC onboard;
• Bring a supply of fully charged batteries to power your device for no less than 150% of the duration of the flight; or
• Check in one hour before the regular check in time for the flight.

Click here to learn more about flying with a POC.

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Tips For Traveling With Your Wheelchair And Other Assistive Devices

Before Your Trip

• Provide notice that you will be traveling with a personal wheelchair in advance whenever possible so that the airline can best accommodate you.
• Confirm with the airline that your wheelchair will fit in cargo hold if you are traveling on a small plane, like a commuter aircraft or a regional jet.
• Share information about your wheelchair such as the device’s size, weight, and battery type to help the airline safely and properly handle your assistive device. Some airlines have wheelchair information request forms on their websites that can be completed before travel. Check with your airline to see if it offers one of these forms.
• Attach clear assembly and disassembly instructions to your wheelchair before you head to the airport. Having written instructions will assist airline personnel and contractors in case your wheelchair needs to be disassembled for transport.

At the Airport

• If you travel with a battery-powered wheelchair, you must arrive at the airport 1 hour prior to the normal check-in time.
• If your wheelchair or walker cannot be carried in the cabin, you can check it. 
• If you have a wheelchair or walker, you do not need to check them until you are at the gate.
• Airlines must check and return an assistive device in the same condition as it was received; the device must be returned to the passenger promptly and as close as possible to the door of the aircraft, unless the passenger asks to pick it up in baggage claim.
• Upon receiving your wheelchair, do a quick inspection before you use it.  If there is any damage go immediately to the airline’s customer service and file a claim.

If Something Goes Wrong

• On domestic flights, U.S. carriers must fully compensate passengers for loss or damage to wheelchairs or other assistive devices, without regard to rules limiting liability for lost or damaged baggage.
• On international flights, the Montreal convention provisions control payments for items including assistive devices. 
• If you believe your rights have been violated and the airline employee you find at first is unable to help you, ask to speak with a Complaints Resolution Official (CRO). A CRO is the airline’s expert on disability accommodation issues. Airlines are required to make one available to you, at no cost, in person at the airport or by telephone during the times they are operating.

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Top Assistive Devices