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Scott in low-tech wheelchairScott in his low-tech wheelchair. His complex wheelchair won't fit on the commuter planes that fly out of Jackson, Mississippi.

Delays in Charlotte NC on American Airlines

Basically in a no-win scenario. I can either wait on the jetway for a ground crew person to show them how to stow my chair, delaying all the passengers…or I can allow them to transfer me to my seat on the plane via the aisle chair, and watch them struggle to figure how to lean a seat back. Just FYI, it’s EXACTLY like a conventional car seat, with a black lever on the side…if you’ve ever reclined a car seat, you know how to do it. Yes, it took the crew almost thirty minutes to get the chair off the plane in Charlotte, NC, and another thirty minutes to stow it on my connecting flight. I made every attempt to show them that lever, to no avail. The information doesn’t get communicated to the crew on the tarmac. EVERYONE gets delayed because nobody knows how to recline a glorified car seat. Ugh. I’m never going to be able to travel without complications unless and until I can travel *IN* my chair on the plane. We need to fix this, because it affects on-time performance of the ENTIRE FLIGHT, not just the wheelchair user!

Dr. Scott M Crawford, MS