Frontier Airlines CEO wants crackdown on imposters using wheelchairs on flights
‘There is massive, rampant abuse of special services. There are people using wheelchair assistance who don’t need it at all,’ CEO Barry Biffle says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The CEO of Frontier Airlines has called for a crackdown on “rampant abuse” of special services on flights, including passengers requesting wheelchairs who do not need them.
Barry Biffle said that penalties needed to be put in place for those exploiting such services, in the same way that those who park in handicap spaces are fined and towed.
The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 prohibits air carriers from discriminating against handicapped persons. In February, US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg proposed a new rule that would ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can travel “safely and with dignity”.
At a Wings Club luncheon last Thursday in New York, Biffle said that such accommodations were being taken advantage of.
“There is massive, rampant abuse of special services. There are people using wheelchair assistance who don’t need it at all,” Biffle said, according to CNBC.
He later described some Frontier flights where around 20 people were brought in wheelchairs to the departure gate, then only three people using them upon arrival. “We are healing so many people,” Biffle joked.
Biffle said that abuse of the service – which costs the airline between $30 to $35 per wheelchair – leads to delays for travelers with a genuine need.
According to CNBC, the CEO clarified he was not talking about personal wheelchairs but rather the service that airlines provide when travelers arrive at the airport.
“Everyone should be entitled to it, who needs it, but [if] you park in a handicapped space they will tow your car and fine you,” he told the outlet. “There should be the same penalty for abusing these services.”
Such concerns have been voiced by other airport executives. In July 2022, John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, said people had abused wheelchair support on planes "to get fast-tracked through the airport".
Holland-Kaye told LBC that such behavior was "absolutely the wrong thing to be doing" amid reports of genuine wheelchair users being stuck on planes waiting to be helped off.
An estimated 5.5 million Americans use a wheelchair, and many encounter barriers when it comes to air travel, according to a Department of Transport release in February.
Secretary Buttigieg’s rule requires that airlines meet rigorous standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities safely and with dignity.
“The proposal will set new standards for prompt, safe, and dignified assistance, mandate enhanced training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs and specify actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged during transport,” the release said.
The Independent has contacted the Department of Transportation for comment about Biffle’s remarks.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments