Reporting Requirement Has Been In Effect Since December

Under a requirement included in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Bill, airlines must report the number of gate-checked wheelchairs and mobility scooters that are damaged in transit.

The requirement was placed in the bill by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) after she witnessed an incident at an airport in 2017 in which an Army venteran's wheelchair was damaged by an airline.

USA Today reports that, according to statistics reported to the Department of Transportation by U.S. Airlines, at least 7,747 wheelchairs have been "mishandled" between January and September, an average of 29 per day.

That number represents 1.6 percent of the chairs and scooters checked on flights. But the damage can have significant emotional, financial and medical consequences for those who rely on them, according to the report.

It is believed that the actual number of damaged chairs is much higher, according to advocates for the disabled, because many passengers do not report the damage to the airlines, or it might not be obvious.

The statistic also does not include the number of chairs that are lost in transit.

Senator Duckworth said she hopes the new requirement allow federal regulators to keep better track of the problem, and to make recommendations about how to improve. “Ultimately, it's about treating medical devices with respect," she said.

FMI: Source report