TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Airlines

American Airlines Backpedals After Wheelchair Travel Blogger Speaks Out

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American Airlines planes at Chicago Airport, city skyline in background.

Last month, American Airlines made headlines after it refused to transport WheelchairTravel.org Founder and TravelAbility Advisory Board member John Morris, citing a new airline policy that deemed his power wheelchair too heavy to fly.

John, who has flown more than a million miles as a wheelchair user, took his case to the media, generating coverage by NPR, Travel + Leisure, The Dallas Morning News, Forbes and numerous other publications. Following the original NPR story, American Airlines stated that it would review its policy and “ensure all customers can travel wherever American flies.”

Last week, the airline announced that it had reversed the policy, allowing power wheelchair users like John to fly once again. Congratulations, John, on your successful advocacy campaign!

To read the latest NPR story, click here.   -JS

Can this Dreamy Universal Design for Aircraft Cabins Fly Above the Utility Wires?

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Airplane cabin.

For years, disability advocates have called for greater consideration to accessibility in the design of aircraft cabins and that message is slowly beginning to pierce the airline industry bubble.

In exploring how universal design might best be applied to passenger jets, Runway Girl Network identified a number of possibilities, including putting flight attendant call buttons within easier reach of passengers, improving connectivity onboard, the installation of larger lavatories with hands-free doors and the expanded use of high-visibility and iconography-based signage.

OUR TAKE: Air travel has been consistently identified as a major pain point by disabled travelers, so the industry’s increased attention to universal design is welcome. With improved accessibility in air travel, larger numbers will take to the skies to explore new destinations.

To learn more about the dream scenario for universally designed aircraft cabins, click here.

“Achoo! Will Plexiglass Dividers Make Post- Pandemic Airlines Feel Safe?’

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A mock-up of an interior with 3 seats, the middle turned in the opposite direction. Pretty genius! illustration courtesy Avio Interiors

The New York Post reports on an Italian company, Avio Interiors, that’s already designed the latest in virus-proof comfortable airplane seating. While there are no wheelchairs seats yet, there are some serious upgrades including more space and plastic germ shields. (You have no idea how far a sneeze droplet can travel until you’ve ridden the New York City subway.)

OUR TAKE: If airlines are going to go back to cattle car mode to survive, adding plexiglass seat dividers to their existing protocols and create opposing-facing middle seats may at least one way to mitigate the risk of infection 

Try Game Theory to Secure Your Preferred Airline Seat

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drawing of inside an airplay with three rows of 2 seats
It even comes with a game board!

Ultimate traveler John Morris of the blog wheelchairtravel.org found himself in 4A instead of his favorite, 4F on the last flight he was scheduled to take pre-pandemic. No problem, he masterminded a plan, “I decided to play a classic game of chicken with Mr. 4F, hoping that fear of coronavirus would cause him to surrender the seat.” Find the seat map, or game board, here.

 OUR TAKE: This is pure genius in a six-feet-apart world. John even gave readers the gameboard or seat plan, above.

TravelAbility Insiders Making Big News This Month

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Abilitrek employee seated screaming doing a Tedx talk people laughing
Daman Wandke, Abilitrek

  • Expedia, a longtime partner of NAJ, has signed the Valuable 500 Inclusion Pledge first presented at Davos in 2019. Toby Willis of Expedia is a new member of TravelAbility Summit’s Advisory Board.
  • Peter Slatin of The Slatin Group wrote a strong piece this month in Forbes.com on The Trouble With Accessibility, which you can read here.
  • Geriatrician Leah Witt, M.D., who also recently joined the TravelAbility Summit Advisory Board, was interviewed about age-friendly airports of the future.
  • Daman Wandke of Abilitrek was inducted into the Class of 2019  Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame for his mentoring excellence and impact regarding disability inclusion. 

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