CNBC reports Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle has one request for flyers: Only use the wheelchair service if you actually need it.

 

Biffle Claims “Massive, Rampant Abuse of Special Services”

Although the Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to provide equal services to travelers who have mobility issues, Biffle is alleging that the system is being overrun by those who don’t actually need a wheelchair.

 

“There is massive, rampant abuse of special services,” Biffle said at meeting of The Wings Club in New York. “There are people using wheelchair assistance who don’t need it at all.”

 

According to Biffle, Frontier pays as much as $35 per wheelchair when requested for a flight. Not only does an abundance of flyers asking for wheelchairs add costs to the ultra-low-cost-carrier, but Biffle says it creates a backup for flyers who actually need assistance getting off the plane and across the terminal. To make his case, the chief executive cited a flight where 20 flyers were brought to the aircraft in wheelchairs, but only three required them to get off.

 

“Everyone should be entitled to it who needs it, but you park in a handicapped space they will tow your car and fine you,” said Biffle, as quoted by CNBC. “There should be the same penalty for abusing these services.”

 

The discussion about wheelchair access comes after the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a major change affecting how mobility devices are handled. In January 2024, the agency suggested any mishandling of a wheelchair would be a violation of the Air Carrier Access Act, which would result in several additional consumer protections.

 

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Source: frugal travel guy