Flying While Disabled

Responding to fears of lithium battery fires, Southwest Airlines will begin implementing industry best practices this month. As of September 25, 2025, Southwest will require, where possible, passengers with mobility devices to remove the lithium battery from their device and take it into the cabin with them. And from January 2026, Southwest will limit the maximum lithium battery size to 300 watt-hours (Wh). This will apply to mobility devices as well as all other lithium batteries that passengers might be carrying with them. Read more about the changes at: https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2025/09/14/southwest-tightens-lithium-battery-rules-for-wheelchairs/

Paralyzed Veterans of America and All Wheels Up are hosting a hybrid summit to bring together the community of advocates and allies working on making the dream of barrier-free air travel a reality. You can join them in person on September 26, 2025 at Microsoft in Washington, or online. ASL interpretation and captioning will be provided. Register at: https://web.cvent.com/event/4baa9657-ded7-43e3-9455-543e910db5e8/summary

From New Mobility:

While it may seem like a distant dream for wheelchair users to remain in their wheelchairs while flying commercially, promising news emerged from last week’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of the world’s largest aerospace and defense company, gave the public a first look at an improved version of the Prime wheelchair seating solution it debuted at the same conference a year earlier.

Register now for the UpLift INFORM Air Travel webinar tomorrow, January 23rd at 6pm London time, 1pm EST.

https://www.bigmarker.com/pathfinders-neuromuscular-al/UpLift-INFORM-Air-Travel

Hear Ross, who lives with SMA and is a full-time powerchair user, share his 30 years of experience traveling by air to Europe, Asia, the USA, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. He will share his insights into researching destinations, planning your trip, getting support in place, booking, making the most of your holiday, and dealing with emergencies.

There will also be an opportunity to ask him your questions.

Shu Cole of Indiana University will use the money to develop training programs for aviation employees who assist passengers with disabilities.

https://news.iu.edu/live/news/42731-25m-grant-funds-research-to-help-airlines-improve