Airport Accessibility: A Guide for Passengers with Disabilities

Requesting Wheelchair and Mobility Assistance

Passengers who need wheelchair assistance or other mobility support should request it at the time of booking, not at the airport. Most airlines allow you to note assistance requirements in your booking profile or during the reservation process. In the U.S., the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) requires airlines to provide assistance to passengers with disabilities at no charge, including wheelchair transport from check-in to the aircraft door and from the aircraft door to baggage claim on arrival.

When you check in — online or at the counter — confirm your assistance request has been noted. A special assistance record is attached to your booking and shared with the airport handling agent. Arrival 30 minutes earlier than the standard check-in recommendation allows the assistance team to position a wheelchair and agent before the queue builds.

At major international airports, assistance is coordinated by dedicated teams rather than individual airline staff. At London Heathrow, the OCS (Operations Cleaning Services) team manages all passenger assistance across all terminals. At Frankfurt, the Fraport Ground Services team coordinates. These teams use radio communication to track every passenger requiring assistance and dispatch agents to meet them at key transfer points — security, the departure gate, and the aircraft door.

Assistance at the aircraft door means either boarding via the jet bridge (an enclosed walkway at the same level as the aircraft door) or using an ambulift — a vehicle with a hydraulic platform that raises to aircraft door height for passengers who cannot use stairs. Not all airports have jet bridges at every gate, particularly at regional or low-cost carrier terminals. If stairs are a concern, confirm in advance whether your departure gate will have jet bridge access or an ambulift.

Accessible Facilities Throughout the Terminal

Accessible restrooms are required by law at all public airports in the U.S., EU, UK, and Australia. The standard is full wheelchair access with grab bars, turning radius, accessible sinks and mirrors, and baby-changing facilities. At most modern airports, accessible restrooms are distributed throughout the terminal at intervals of no more than 200 meters. At older terminals that predate modern accessibility standards — parts of JFK Terminal 4 and Rome Fiumicino Terminal 1 — the spacing can be greater, and locating accessible facilities may require asking staff.

Airports increasingly provide sensory rooms — dedicated quiet spaces designed for passengers with autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing differences, or severe anxiety. Manchester Airport was among the first to open a sensory room in 2019, and the concept has spread to Glasgow, Dublin, Birmingham, Brisbane, and a growing number of U.S. airports including Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver International. These rooms typically contain weighted blankets, low lighting, noise-canceling options, and calming visual stimuli. They are available on request from airport assistance staff.

Hearing loops (also called induction loops) are installed in most U.S. and European airport check-in areas, departure lounges, and information desks. Passengers with hearing aids equipped with a T-coil (telecoil) mode can switch to the loop signal to hear announcements and staff communications directly through their hearing aid without background noise. Look for the international hearing loop symbol (an ear with a T) at service desks. If announcements are unclear from the loop, ask any airport staff member — most are trained to provide information in writing on request.

Service animals are permitted in all areas of the airport and aircraft in the U.S. under the ACAA, including service animals trained for psychiatric conditions (as of DOT rules updated in 2021). Airlines require advance notice and documentation for psychiatric service animals on long-haul flights. Relief areas specifically for service animals are now required at all U.S. commercial airports — these are located both before security (in the terminal) and after security (airside), the latter a critical requirement that took effect in 2016 and is now well established at major airports.

Navigating Security with a Disability or Medical Device

Passengers who cannot pass through walk-through metal detectors or millimeter-wave scanners due to a medical implant — pacemakers, cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators, metallic prosthetics — should inform the TSA officer before screening. Officers can perform a pat-down inspection instead. TSA Notification Cards, available on the TSA website, allow passengers to discretely communicate a medical condition or device to the officer without verbal explanation in a crowded queue.

Wheelchairs and mobility devices are screened by X-ray or by swabbing with explosive trace detection. If your wheelchair cannot be transferred through the X-ray machine (manual chairs with removable wheels typically can be; power wheelchairs cannot), the chair will be inspected by ETD swabbing and a physical inspection while you are seated or transferred to a manual chair provided by the checkpoint. Power wheelchair batteries must meet airline specifications — lithium batteries must be declared and may require specific approval from the airline in advance.

Insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), and other wearable medical devices should not be put through X-ray or subjected to millimeter-wave scanners without manufacturer guidance. Many CGM manufacturers advise against scanner exposure. Inform the officer of your wearable device, and request a hand inspection or pat-down rather than scanner exposure. Keep your medical documentation (prescription letters, device manuals) accessible.

Liquid medications in quantities exceeding 100 ml are permitted in cabin baggage when declared to the screener before X-ray. This includes insulin, liquid nutritional supplements, and other medically necessary liquids. A simple declaration — "I have liquid medication over 100 ml in my bag" — typically results in the officer setting it aside for a separate, brief inspection rather than confiscation.

Assistance Programs and Air Travel Rights

In the United States, the Air Carrier Access Act prohibits discrimination by airlines against passengers with disabilities and mandates specific accommodations. Airlines must provide boarding assistance, allow storage of assistive devices in the cabin, and cannot charge extra for disability-related accommodations. The DOT's Disability Hotline (1-800-778-4838) handles complaints and can intervene directly with airlines in some cases.

In the European Union, EU Regulation 1107/2006 requires airports and airlines to provide free assistance to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility on all flights to or from EU airports. Passengers must request assistance at least 48 hours in advance when possible. The regulation covers assistance at check-in, through security, at gates, during boarding, and during the flight. Airlines and airports that fail to provide required assistance are subject to enforcement by national aviation authorities.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme is a voluntary lanyard-based program now recognized at over 200 airports worldwide, including all major UK airports, airports in the U.S., EU, Canada, Australia, and Asia. Wearing the Sunflower lanyard (available free at airport information desks and many airline lounges) signals to airport staff that you have a hidden disability and may need additional support. Staff across these airports are trained to recognize the lanyard and proactively offer assistance without requiring the passenger to explain their condition.

Planning for a Smooth Journey

Document your assistance requests. When you receive confirmation that special assistance has been added to your booking, save the email or confirmation number. If something goes wrong at the airport — an agent who is unaware of your request, a missing wheelchair at the gate — having documentation allows the issue to be resolved quickly rather than argued.

Familiarize yourself with the airport layout in advance. Most major airports publish detailed accessibility guides on their websites, including precise locations of accessible restrooms, assistance desks, lifts, and sensory rooms. The Heathrow website includes a dedicated accessibility portal with terminal maps showing every lift, accessible toilet, and assistance service point. IATA's Airport Accessibility Guide provides standardized summaries for hundreds of airports.

Arrive earlier than the standard recommendation. The standard two-hour domestic check-in window assumes a mobile passenger moving at a brisk pace. With assistance coordination, allow three hours for domestic departures and three and a half for international. This buffer allows for any queue at the assistance desk and ensures there is no pressure during boarding.

Request assistance when you book your ticket, confirm it at check-in, and mention it again to the gate agent. The system works best when the information flows ahead of you rather than being requested at each handoff point.