WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep. Greg Stanton pressed the CEO of Southwest Airlines for answers after members of the Wheelchair Suns, a Phoenix-based basketball team, had their mobility devices damaged on a flight to compete in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Championship Series.
“When the players’ chairs were loaded in the plane’s cargo hold, Southwest staff removed the wheels from their chairs – despite players’ explicit instructions to leave the wheels on to avoid damage. After they landed in Richmond, players from Phoenix and two other teams were stuck on the plane for more than two hours while they watched their chairs – necessary equipment for them to participate in the game – fall off the conveyor belt and on to the ground. Players and their families then had to spend four more hours at the airport making sure everyone’s wheels were put back on correctly. After hours of delays and the manipulation of their devices, Southwest offered Wheelchair Suns players travel vouchers of just $150. This travel voucher will not be able to assist with potential damage to these mobility devices or make up for time lost ahead of the Championship competition,” Stanton wrote to Southwest CEO Robert Johnson.
He continued, “As a Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I would like to know what Southwest is doing following this incident to better train and educate their employees on how to properly care for and stow mobility devices. What will the strategy be to ensure anyone who is traveling with a mobility device is treated with dignity, and is able to exit a landed aircraft in a timely manner?”
The full letter is HERE.
Stanton met with athletes at Ability360 in April, before the incident with Southwest, to discuss their experiences with air travel.
On the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Stanton has worked to hold airlines accountablefor mishandling mobility aids, and to include provisions to improve the flying experience for passengers with disabilities in the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization.
In December, Stanton led 30 of his colleagues in a letter to Airlines for America (A4A) President and CEO Nicholas Calio expressing concern and dismay regarding the continued trend of mishandled wheelchairs and scooters.