USA TODAY is tracking airline accessibility in 2026

• Airlines mishandled over 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters in 2024, a slight improvement from the previous year.
• Official complaint data is used to validate funding and hold airlines accountable for accessibility issues.
• USA TODAY is seeking stories from disabled travelers whose mobility devices were damaged during air travel.

Flying can be stressful for everyone, but especially for disabled travelers who face the risk of the mobility devices they depend on being damaged or destroyed by airlines.

According to the Department of Transportation, U.S. airlines collectively transported 899,385 wheelchairs and scooters in 2024. Of those, 11,357 (1.26%) were reportedly damaged or destroyed in transit. It’s a very slight improvement over 2023, when 1.38% of the mobility devices airlines transported were mishandled. 

Those numbers are based solely on consumer complaints, which is why it's important for disabled travelers to notify airlines and the DOT when something goes wrong.

“We know you don’t want to be a statistic, but if you don’t make the complaint, the airlines report out that they’re doing a great job,” Erwin said. “Those numbers are needed to validate the funding.” Michele Erwin, founder of All Wheels Up, a travel accessibility advocacy organization, told USA TODAY.

But those travelers who are affected deserve to be more than just a statistic, as Erwin said. USA TODAY wants to make sure their stories are told beyond official government documents, and that's why we're highlighting these incidents again in 2026. If your mobility device was damaged or destroyed during your flight, or if you encountered another accessibility issue in air travel, we want to hear from you.

Throughout 2026 and beyond, we plan to highlight how airlines and other travel companies can be more accessible, but we need your input to tell these stories. If you want to share, please complete the form or email me at the address below.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].