04/19/2026
A wheelchair user flying with Delta Air Lines next week had to personally call to confirm whether their power chair would even fit on the plane—despite already providing all required details at booking.
The aircraft? Boeing 717 and Boeing 737.
The issue? Their chair is larger than the cargo hold clearance.
Initial response: “It won’t fit.”
Final response after pushing: “We’ll lay it on its side—it’ll be fine.”
If you rely on a power chair, you know that’s not a reassuring answer. That’s your independence, your mobility, your life being treated like luggage.
Why are wheelchair users still forced to do all the legwork to ensure basic accessibility?
Why is this still a gamble every time someone flies?
This isn’t a one-off—it’s a decades-old problem.
Accessible travel shouldn’t require this level of stress, advocacy, and risk just to get from point A to point B.
Please read and think about this. It deserves attention.
I’m currently on the phone with Delta Air Lines. I am flying next week and want to cross my Ts and dot my Is. The flights available have Boeing 717 and 737 airplanes with 30” and 34” (respectively) cargo holds. My power chair (with a low back) is 35”.
When you book a flight as a wheelchair user, they ask for dimensions, weight, and type of battery. Why do I provide this info if no one looks at the information? No one reached out to me, so I reached out to Delta.
At this point, the (very pleasant) woman with Delta Disability Assistance (404-209-3434) is saying my chair won’t fit. No options or alternatives. Just … “It won’t fit.” How is this not discrimination? I’m not one to cry foul quickly, but decades of this is getting old.
Well, now she has said the forward door dimension of the cargo hold is 27”x51”. My 400lb chair will be laid on its side and “be just fine.”
Why must wheelchair users live in fear of flying? Spend extra time and money for travel? Why can’t airlines use planes that have a cargo hold large enough for our chairs?
This is a decades-old problem that no one seems to be addressing. Some people are pushing to sit in their chair during the flight. I’d be happy knowing my chair would be safe and sound—and in one unmangled piece—in the belly of the plane.
