The CEO of Frontier Airlines has claimed that non-disabled airline passengers have exploited wheelchair services to get ahead of airport security boarding lines.
CEO Barry Biffle says he once saw about 20 people put into wheelchairs during departure and only three people using wheelchairs upon arrival.
‘There is massive and rampant abuse of special services. There are people who use wheelchair assistance and don’t need it at all. We are healing so many people,” he said at a luncheon.
The CEO said the unlawful abuse can cost the airline anywhere between $30 and $35 every time a customer requests an airline wheelchair.
It also causes unnecessary delays for other passengers who follow the rules and do not cross borders.
Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines, has claimed that non-disabled airline passengers have exploited wheelchair services to skip the lines at airport security checkpoints
Under the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, airlines must provide wheelchairs to passengers who need them.
The law was introduced to ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against when travelling.
Among U.S. Department of Transportation airline passengers with Disability Bill of Rightsa disabled passenger is anyone “with a physical or mental impairment that permanently or temporarily affects a major life activity, such as walking, hearing or breathing.”
Biffle says people who abuse the service should be fined, just as they would be if they parked in a disabled parking spot.
Under the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, airlines must provide wheelchairs to passengers who need them
‘Everyone should be entitled to it if they need it, but if you park in a disabled spot they will tow your car away and you get a fine.
“There should be the same punishment for misuse of these services,” he said CNBC.
Biffle’s statements come the same weekend that millions of Americans plan to fly across the country.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) forecast that the number of flyers over Memorial Day weekend will reach 3.51 million, which is almost 5 percent higher than last year’s number.
However, for the 10 most stressful US airports ranked by StressFreeCarRental.com, this increase may not matter.
StressFreeCarRental.com compiled this year’s list by analyzing data from their most popular US airport rankings to find the worst airports for travelers to pass through.
The website based its analysis on five factors: passenger numbers, distance from a commercial area, the number of flight destinations, parking prices and the airport’s overall satisfaction score.
StressFreeCarRental.com created this list by analyzing data from their most popular US airport rankings to find the worst airports for travelers to pass through
Chicago O’Hare International Airport is ranked as the most stressful airport in America and is a major hub for American Airlines and United Airlines
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) in Illinois ranked as the most stressful airport in America this year.
It is a major hub for American Airlines and United Airlines, headquartered in Chicago.
The airport has more than 40 airlines and gives its travelers the choice to book a non-stop flight to more than 200 destinations worldwide.
CNN ranked Chicago O’Hare International as one of the ten busiest airports in the world, serving nearly 74 million passengers in 2023.
About 47,300 travelers fly out of ORD every day, and with more than 800,000 fliers booked flights out of that airport from May 23 to 28, the number of passengers could be at least three times the usual daily total.