Southwest Airlines Accused Of Damaging Wheelchair Basketball Team’s Chairs Before Tournament
Summary
- Ability 360’s wheelchair team faced damage from Southwest Airlines on Friday.
- Disability rights advocates push for safe and dignified assistance for disabled passengers when traveling by air.
- Southwest promised to handle the situation better in the future.
The Ability360 wheelchair basketball team suffered a mishap when traveling on Southwest Airlines between Phoenix, Arizona, and Richmond, Virginia, where they were due to participate in the national championships on Friday. The non-profit corporation plays a vital role in the integration of disabled Americans back into society.
Ability360 offers and promotes programs designed to empower people with disabilities to take personal responsibility so that they may achieve or continue independent lifestyles within the community.
The basketball team helps disabled young people participate in a sport as a team, promoting social well-being and assisting them in living their everyday lives.
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How the events unfolded
According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the American low-cost carrier disassembled all their chairs, and many were damaged. In the same article, Justin Walker, a player on the affected team, said he and his teammates were stranded by the airlines. In an interview with the news outlet, he explained his frustration.
If you must take a wheel off to get it through the door, put the wheel back on before it goes under the plane. If you take all those wheels off, what do you think will happen?
You’ve got like a hundred wheels. You got 50 chairs. You don’t know who goes to what. You don’t know which wheels match, and the only person that knows is on the plane.
Even Christopher Rodriguez, the CEO and chairperson of Ability360, the charity that runs the team and other services, commented on Phoenix journalists, reportedly saying this was not the first time it happened when their sports teams traveled by air. He called on airlines to better care for customers requiring special assistance.
In a statement to FOX 10, Southwest commented on the situation.
We have reviewed the situation and addressed it with the appropriate parties so we are able to provide a better experience for our customers the next time they fly with Southwest.
Traveling with a disability in the USA, what are your rights?
Photo: Ryanair
The US Department of Transportation recently proposed an extensive set of rules to improve the experience of travelers with mobility limitations.
- Safe and dignified assistance: Proposes are required to ensure that all airline assistance provided to individuals with disabilities is secure and dignified. Disability rights advocates have reported to the Department that airlines frequently provide unsafe and undignified aid that results in physical injuries and emotional distress to passengers with disabilities.
- Prompt assistance: Proposes to require airlines to provide prompt assistance to passengers with disabilities, including the following
- Personnel and boarding wheelchairs are available to deplane the passenger when the last passenger not requesting assistance deplanes the aircraft.
- The passenger’s wheelchair is available as close as possible to the aircraft’s door.
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US Airlines Could Be Fined For Mishandling Passenger Wheelchairs Under DOT Plans
The DOT has proposed an extensive set of rules to improve the experience of travelers with mobility limitations.
