Jon Pielaet calls himself “cynical” about flying.
He remarked, “I feel like every other time I fly my equipment is damaged.” “I feel like there is a lot of underreporting and the statistics don’t reflect reality.”
Pielaet uses a manual wheelchair due to cerebral palsy. On June 2, he visited his mother in Missoula, Montana, via Portland, Oregon, and connected in Salt Lake City. He knew his wheelchair was broken when he landed in Utah.
“I felt off but I had to focus on making my connection,” he said. I didn’t have time to investigate the terminal chair, so the damage wasn’t obvious. I can’t do it in the chair.”
His wheelchair frame was twisted in transportation
“The front wheels weren’t making contact with the ground, it needed my body weight,” Pielaet remarked. There were also scratched push rims and broken wheel spokes.
Pielaet dehydrates before flying since he can’t use the restroom, so he’s rarely in a good mood.
“I didn’t fully understand the damage until a few days later when I had rested and recovered from my trip,” he added. “It’s difficult to fully document at the time when it happens.”
When he returned to Portland, he told a Delta agent, but the company never received a formal complaint. Pielaet told USA TODAY on Aug. 17 that Delta hadn’t contacted him since the incident, but the airline stated it did.
“We believe travel is for everyone, and it’s our priority to deliver the best service and ensure accessibility for all Delta customers,” the airline said. Delta handles most wheelchairs and scooters with care, but we understand the frustration when we don’t. The customer has been contacted by our care staff to discuss his experience and make things right.”
A Delta representative advised mobility device users to contact a complaint resolution authority or visit the baggage service office. Pielaet is unsure if he spoke to the right department, which may have slowed his resolve.
“I don’t think it was a complaint official or baggage. He said in an email that he was weary and late. I learned to always get a claim tracking number when reporting damage, no matter who you spoke to.
In the meanwhile, Pielaet has had to pursue repairs separately and is unsure how quickly the situation may be rectified.
He remarked, “In my experience, it just takes a very long time to get durable medical equipment repaired or replaced.”
He can still use his wheelchair, but its malfunctions disrupt his routine.
“These issues might seem insignificant compared to catastrophic damage that has happened to others or myself in the past, but even this minor damage impacts my daily quality of life,” he stated. “When you damage my wheelchair, you damage my body and function.”
Pielaet advised airlines to train baggage handlers on mobility gadgets and adopt tie-down rules to keep them secure in the cargo hold.
He remarked, “Flying can feel dehumanizing to a wheelchair user on a good day.” “It’s easy for them to give me a travel allowance, airline miles, or a written apology, but I can’t use them without a wheelchair.”
How common is air travel mobility equipment damage?
The Department of Transportation reports that airlines “mishandle” 1.5% of mobility equipment. In 2022, U.S. airlines reported 11,389 incidents, up from 7,239 in 2021.
