More than five million people in the U.S. rely on wheelchairs while traveling, and their experiences can greatly differ depending on the airline.

Air travel can pose unique challenges for wheelchair users, from barriers in accessing restrooms and aisles to potential damage or loss of mobility devices, which can be quite costly and significantly affect their quality of life.

Sara Boisvert, the Director of Marketing at InsureMyTrip, commented on the findings:

“Air travel should be accessible for everyone, but that’s far from the reality. We hope this study shines a light on which airlines are getting it right and which have room for improvement – so wheelchair users can make an informed decision when booking a flight.”

In 2024, new regulations were enacted to enhance protections for wheelchair users during flights, making airlines responsible for compensating passengers for damage to wheelchairs.

A recent study by InsureMyTrip assessed major airlines based on their accommodations for passengers requiring wheelchairs, revealing significant disparities in accessibility throughout the aviation sector.

Scores were derived from data including mishandled mobility equipment and user reviews, allowing an overall score out of ten for each airline, with higher scores indicating better support for wheelchair users.

Frontier Airlines received the lowest rating at 2.2, with 1.8% of the 30,448 mobility devices it boarded reported as mishandled. Reviews indicated a high rate of dissatisfaction, with over 50% of wheelchair-related comments rated one star.

American Airlines scored 3.3 after having to compensate for its treatment of wheelchair users and having 1.6% of its mobility devices mishandled.

Sprint Airlines scored 4.5, facing 2.1% mishandling among its boarded devices. Meanwhile, Allegiant Air and United Airlines scored 5.0 and 5.2, respectively, based on similar statistics and user sentiments.

In contrast, JetBlue emerged as the best airline for travelers needing wheelchair support, achieving a score of 7.4 and mishandling only 1.6% of the wheelchairs board.

Following JetBlue, Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines received scores of 6.9 and 6.7 respectively, with Delta introducing innovations to allow wheelchair users to utilize their wheelchairs on board, enhancing their experience further.