A concept proposed a while ago by Delta Airlines is moving, if slowly, toward reality: A redesigned airplane seat that adapts to allow wheelchair-bound passengers to stay in their own equipment in flight. Delta, the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration announced last week that they are actively working on the project, with an official feasibility determination expected next year.
The prototype seat, developed by Delta Flight Products, a Delta subsidiary, working with a British group Air4All would allow a safe attachment in a folded-up aisle seat, and would have access to tray table and infotainment systems. Long a goal of disability rights organizations, the concept also got a safety OK from the National Academy of Sciences in 2021.
A DOT spokesperson told press that “At the direction of Secretary Buttigieg, the FAA has been conducting and supporting research on installing wheelchair restraint systems in the aircraft cabin to enable passengers to fly in their own wheelchair. Currently, the FAA has not identified any major issues to installation, and mitigations for any minor issues are being developed. We are pleased to share that the FAA expects to determine the feasibility of wheelchairs on aircraft by the end of 2025.”
If approved and fully-implemented by airlines, it would resolve one of the greatest travel difficulties for wheelchair users not only in flight but by avoiding the possibility of serious damage if wheelchairs are checked; an estimated 15,000 a year suffer serious damage while being handled by airlines.
