A Frontier Airlines plane is seen at Cancun International Airport. On Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at Cancun International Airport, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Artur Vidak | norphoto | Getty Images
The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 requires airlines to provide a wheelchair for passengers with disabilities at the airport. The problem: Many travelers are faking it, says Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines.
“There is widespread abuse of special services. There are people who use wheelchair assistance and don’t need it at all,” Biffle said at a Wings Club luncheon on Thursday in New York.
He said he had seen Frontier Airlines flights where 20 people were brought onto the plane in wheelchairs, but only three wheelchairs were used upon arrival.
“We treat a lot of people,” he joked.
Biffle was not talking about personal wheelchairs for passengers, but rather about the service that airlines provide when travelers arrive at the airport.
It costs the airline $30 to $35 every time a customer requests a wheelchair, and abuse of the service delays passengers who really need help, Biffle said.
“Everyone should have the right to have it and whoever needs it, but if you park your car in a handicapped space they will tow your car and fine you,” he told CNBC. “There should be the same penalty for misusing these services.”
Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation proposed stricter rules It aims to prevent damage to wheelchairs by airport ground staff and ensure “rapid assistance” to passengers with disabilities when boarding and disembarking the aircraft.
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