United

Customer wheelchair equipment

We'll accept your wheelchair or other assistive device in addition to your checked baggage allowance at no additional charge. We accept all types of wheelchairs and scooters, including folding, collapsible, non-folding, manual or powered. Excess, oversized and/or overweight baggage charges may apply for checking additional wheelchair(s) that are used for recreational purposes.

Advance notice of forty-eight (48) hours is required for powered wheelchairs and you must arrive an hour earlier than the published airport check-in processing time of your originating airport if you'll be traveling on an aircraft of 60 seats or less.

Please see our Accessible travel page for more information.

Checking your equipment

Your wheelchair can be checked at the ticket counter and/or gate. If you're traveling with a battery-powered wheelchair or other similar mobility device, you should arrive at the airport an hour before the published airport check-in processing time for your departure airport. This gives us ample time to ensure proper handling of your equipment. For your convenience, the following airports have assistance centers in their lobbies, which are located near:

DEN – Terminal West, Level 6, between Doors 606-608
EWR – Terminal C, Level 2, Door 4
IAD – Main Terminal, Door 4B
LAX – Terminal 7, Door L2-10
ORD – Terminal 1, Door 1G
SFO – Terminal 3, Door 11

You may use our wheelchair equipment after checking your personal wheelchair. Checking and returning your wheelchair at the gate can also be arranged. Please tell us in advance if you request use of your equipment at airports for connecting flights. In this case you will need to allow sufficient connection time to recheck your wheelchair, if required. Please note, we do our best, but damage does sometimes occur, particularly with heavier powered wheelchairs.

Helpful suggestion: Have written instructions for your device, which will help airport personnel as they load and unload it. You can design your own set of instructions or use our wheelchair information card. Fill out as much information as you can and attach the card to the device. Keep a copy for yourself and have it available in case the one on your device is lost.

Powered equipment, carts and wheelchairs

Powered equipment will not be disassembled and the batteries will be left attached whenever the scooter and/or wheelchair will fit upright through the aircraft bin door. If the size of the aircraft bin door prohibits this, airport personnel may ask you for instructions on how to disassemble your equipment. It is helpful to have the assembly/disassembly instructions with you, along with the type of battery used. We encourage you to take advantage of our wheelchair information card, which provides our staff with information about your device.

Batteries on powered equipment will remain attached whenever the scooter and/or wheelchair will fit upright through the aircraft bin door. Batteries must be identified as spillable, non-spillable or lithium ion so the ground staff can establish proper dangerous goods handling. Dry cell and gel cell batteries are considered non-spillable and fewer handling requirements are necessary. It is helpful if you have this information ready and available for our employees. Battery packs showing cracks and/or damage will not be accepted for transportation.

Lithium ion battery

Lithium ion batteries are classified independently of other battery types. Lithium batteries may overheat and ignite in certain conditions and, once ignited, may be difficult to extinguish. Lithium batteries are considered a hazardous material for which the following restrictions apply:

There must be at least one effective means designed into the wheelchair or mobility aid to prevent accidental activation or possible short-circuiting.
If you have a collapsible mobility device, the battery must be removed and can’t exceed 300-watt hours. A maximum of one spare battery not exceeding 300-watt hours or two spares not exceeding 160-watt hours each must be carried on.
If you have a non-collapsible device, federal regulations allow for one large lithium ion battery to be transported installed in the device and one spare battery not exceeding 300-watt hours or two spares not exceeding 160-watt hours in carry-on bags. There is no watt-hour limit for the battery installed in the device.

The watt-hour rating is a measure by which lithium ion batteries are regulated. If you are unsure of the watt-hour rating of your lithium ion battery, contact the manufacturer of your device. Lithium ion batteries manufactured after January 1, 2009, are required to be marked with the watt-hour rating.

Spare or loose lithium batteries must be carried on. Spare batteries must be effectively protected against short-circuiting by:

Packing each battery or each battery-powered device in a fully enclosed inner packaging made of non-conductive material (such as a plastic bag)
Separating or packing batteries in a manner to prevent contact with other batteries, devices or conductive materials (e.g., metal) in the packaging
Ensuring that exposed terminals or connectors are protected with non-conductive caps, non-conductive tape or by other appropriate means
Lithium metal batteries (non-rechargeable) with more than two grams of lithium content are forbidden on commercial passenger aircraft

Notice regarding lost, damaged or destroyed assistive devices

In the case of a lost, damaged or destroyed wheelchair or other assistive device, you must provide documentary proof of the loss to process a claim for damages. If you plan to submit a claim, please file a report at the airport immediately after your flight lands. If that's not possible, contact the United Airlines Assistive Device Desk at 1-866-261-2395 (toll free within the U.S. and Canada) or 281-553-2395 (worldwide) or email AssistedDevice@united.com within seven calendar days of arrival for international flights, and within 24 hours of arrival for domestic flights. In the event of failure to comply with these timeframes, no action shall lie against United. Please see Rule 28 of United's Contract of Carriage for additional domestic claim reporting requirements.

If your wheelchair or other assistive device can be returned to you in the condition in which it was received by making reasonable repairs, United may, in its sole discretion, make the repairs. United has the right to inspect and document any pre-existing damage prior to accepting wheelchairs or other assistive devices as checked baggage. The baggage liability limits authorized by Part 254 of Chapter 14 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations do not apply to claims for loss, damage or delay concerning assistive devices in connection with transportation wholly within the United States. United's liability for the destruction, loss, damage or delay of assistive devices in connection with international transportation is subject to the terms, limitations and defenses set forth in the Warsaw Convention and the Montreal Convention, whichever may apply. All claims for the destruction, loss, damage or delay of assistive devices are also subject to any limitation or defense recognized by a court with proper jurisdiction over a claim.

Additional Documentation

Some items you use every day can be considered dangerous at 35,000 feet. To help you pack, we’ve listed the policies for the most common dangerous items below.

Want more details about dangerous items? Check out these pages:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): PackSafe

Transportation Security Administration (TSA): What Can I Bring?

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT): Air Travel Tips

Links:

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/special-needs/disabilities/customer-wheelchair.html

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/baggage/dangerous.html