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Are airlines and airports getting better at welcoming travelers with disabilities?

Airport design, Uncategorized,

(This is a slightly different version of a story we prepared first for The Points Guy site)

Over the past two years, 25.6 million travelers with disabilities have taken a total of 76.9 million trips and have spent almost $50 billion on travel per year. When you add their travel companions to the equation, this group spends over $100 billion per year on travel.

This data comes from a 2024 market study from the Open Doors Organization, a Chicago-based group that advocates for accessible services and goods.

Despite all that traveling and spending, ODO’s study found that in the past two years, more than 80% of travelers with disabilities have encountered obstacles when dealing with airlines and airports.

The problems include difficulty navigating narrow aircraft aisles, problems hearing announcements, long distances between gates, difficulty navigating terminals and lack of adequate seating areas.

And that doesn’t even address the jarring statistics of how often airlines lose or damage medical equipment and wheelchairs.

It wasn’t until December 2018 that the U.S. Department of Transportation began requiring airlines to report the total number of enplaned scooters and wheelchairs as well as the total number of scooters and wheelchairs mishandled.

Now, the DOT’s data shows that for every 100 wheelchairs or scooters transported on domestic flights, at least one is damaged, delayed or lost.

In October 2024, the DOT announced a $50 million fine against American Airlines for mishandling thousands of wheelchairs and failing to offer prompt wheelchair assistance — along with various other “serious violations” documented between 2019 and 2023.

“These problems are not unique to American Airlines,” the DOT said in a statement. It noted that it currently has “active investigations” into similar violations at other U.S. airlines.

New federal rules designed to help

New federal rules, evolving airline programs and innovative technology may bring improvements.

In 2024 federal rules were set to go into effect that offer new protections for air travelers who use wheelchairs, though the government may not follow through under the incoming Trump administration.

This change sets standards for assistance and requires hands-on training for airline employees as well as any contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs.

For example, the rule requires that airlines provide “prompt enplaning, deplaning, and connecting assistance” and return all checked wheelchairs and other assistive devices to passengers “in the condition in which they are received.”

Airlines must also notify passengers — before they deplane — whether their wheelchair or scooter has been unloaded from the cargo compartment; they must provide appropriate loaner equipment if a wheelchair or scooter is mishandled.

Airport- and airline-specific changes

On their own, airlines and airports have been making progress in serving passengers with a wide range of disabilities.

Indiana’s Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA) is determined to become the most accessible airport.

It incorporates universally “rolled” curbs to floor-level baggage scales, couches without armrests to better accommodate travelers with mobility issues, and a tactile cane trail with ribbed tiles that runs from the check-in counters through the security checkpoint to the gates.

In France and 20 other countries, Air France offers a “bespoke” program called Saphir to provide assistance to travelers with disabilities.

In 2023, United Airlines became the first airline to add Braille markings on aircraft rows and inside lavatories. The full mainline fleet should have Braille signage by 2026.

More than three dozen domestic airports offer sensory rooms where neurodivergent travelers and their families will find furnishings, interactive activities and, in some cases, real airplane cabin seats that can help alleviate preflight anxiety.

And the list keeps growing. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston opened its second sensory area in early November 2024, and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) opened its first sensory room in mid-December.

Airports are also adding hearing loops that allow travelers with hearing disabilities to connect their hearing aids to an airport public address system and improve access to announcements for gate changes, boarding and other flight information.

Many airports also offer access to Aira — an app that provides people who are blind or have low vision with a live visual interpreter to help them navigate their surroundings — for free.

Delta Air Lines’ Flight Product division is working on a prototype for seating that will allow passengers to use their own wheelchairs on a plane.

American Airlines and its subsidiary Envoy Air currently offer travelers the use of autonomous, self-driving wheelchairs from Whill at a growing list of international and domestic airports, The list includes Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) and Narita International Airport (NRT), Miami International Airport (MIA), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is currently testing the wheelchairs, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is using them to supplement Alaska Airlines’ traditional, nonmotorized “pusher” wheelchair service.

Since August, more than 4,200 passengers at SEA have used autonomous wheelchairs, which drive themselves back to the base after delivering passengers to their gates.

Globally, air travel accessibility is getting attention as well. It was recently the topic of a symposium held by the International Civil Aviation Organization, Airports Council International and the International Air Transport Association.

“It is no secret that accessibility poses challenges for a significant number of our passengers who have disabilities,” IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh said in a statement. “Linking disparate approaches into a practical global outcome that will deliver for travelers without disappointment is the goal.”

Airlines cancel almost 2,000 flights on Tuesday

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A severe storm bearing down on the Gulf Coast will cause travel trouble for thousands on Tuesday – and beyond.

As of 1 AM EST on Tuesday, flight tracking service Flight Aware is showing close to 2,000 flights canceled, including all flights at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Hobby Airport (HOU), both of which halted operations at midnight.

Most flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) have also been canceled.

If you have a reservation to fly in the next few days, be sure to check with your airline for delays or cancellations.

Here are the links to the travel alerts and waiver policies in effect for flights affected by the Winter Storm Enzo in the Gulf Coast and Winter Storm Demi in the Northeast. Many airlines also have change fee waivers still in effect for the Southern California wildfires.

Alaska Airlines Winter storm change fee waiver in effect for flights to, from or through Washington DC (DCA), Dulles, VA (IAD), Baltimore, MD (BWI), Philadelphia, PA (PHL), Newark, NJ (EWR), New York, NY (JFK) and Boston, MA (BOS).

American Airlines About 40 cities are included in the carrier’s travel alert for flights scheduled January 20-22.

Delta Air Lines Change fee waivers are in effect for Atlanta, the Gulf Coast, the Northeast and Southern California.

Frontier Airlines Travel alert is in effect for many cities on the East Coast and the Gulf Coast.

JetBlue Travel alert is in effect for cities in the path of Winter Storm Enzo and Winter Storm Demi and those affected by the Southern California wildfires.

Southwest Airlines A travel alert is in effect for flights affected by Winter Storm Enzo, Winter Storm Demi and the Southern California wildfires.

United Airlines Travel alert is in effect for flights to, through and from dozens of cities affected by Winter Storm Enzo, Winter Storm Demi and the Southern California wildfires.

What We’re Reading: Waiting for Spaceships

Space, Uncategorized,

This is a slightly different version of a story we first prepared for The Points Guy site. All images courtesy Ted Heutter

In “Waiting for Spaceships: Scenes from a Desert Community in Love with the Space Shuttle,” photographer Ted Huetter documents the thousands of people who would gather to welcome home the space shuttles on their return to Earth.

For thirty years – from April 12, 1982, to July 21, 2011 – these were the five orbiters that flew in space for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Space Transportation System (STS), or space shuttle, program. (A sixth space shuttle, Enterprise, was a test vehicle that didn’t go into space).

As NASA proudly notes, the space shuttles flew 135 missions and not only repeatedly carried people into orbit, but they also “launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station.”

While all the space shuttle missions took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, more than 50 of those missions landed in the Mojave Desert at Edwards Air Force Base in California, about 100 miles from Los Angeles.

And, as photographer Ted Huetter documents in Waiting for Spaceships: Scenes from a Desert Community in Love with the Space Shuttle, thousands of people would gather to welcome the space shuttles on their return to Earth.

“Some spectators came because they had helped build the shuttles,” while many viewers came from greater Los Angeles and “adventurous retirees from around the country made Florida to California treks in the recreational vehicles, bookending the trips with the shuttle launch and landing,” Huetter writes.

But he also notes, “The only snag was that they had to watch [the landings] from a harsh patch of desert about three miles from the runway.”

To accommodate the enthusiastic and dedicated spectators, a day before each scheduled shuttle landing the Air Force would open an authorized viewing site where people could set up camp.

At that remote site, the military directed traffic and supplied tanks of potable water, portable sanitary facilities, generators, streetlights, a first aid station, and a command post, Huetter reports, “but generally kept a low profile and a friendly presence.”

Huetter was working in Los Angeles and made the trek to the desert to camp with the shuttle aficionados for eight of the space shuttle landings during the 1980s, beginning with STS-4, the fourth mission for the Space Shuttle Columbia, which landed at Edwards Air Force Base on Independence Day, July 4, 1982. STS-4 was also the fourth shuttle shuttle mission overall and the final test flight before the program was deemed officially operational.

“I was there as a fan like most of the people at the public landing site, to experience some spaceflight history,” in person instead of watching it on TV, said Huetter.

For each shuttle landing adventure, Huetter packed his camera gear along with his camping gear. And the photographs he took during those trips not only document a unique slice of the space age but also of the viewing site and of the people who gravitated to it year after year.

His images, taken with film in the pre-digital camera era, show the landing runways, but also the diverse range of RVs and tents, the food and souvenir vendors and the diversity of people waiting, mingling, enjoying themselves, and, finally, welcoming the shuttles home. His selected shots are organized to create a composite of twenty-four hours at the campsite, from the arrival of the first campers to the touchdown of the shuttles.

Here’s where you can see the retired Space Shuttles

Space Shuttle Atlantis is at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merrit Island, Florida, where the vehicle is displayed in flight, along with dozens of interactive exhibits about the history, technology and impact of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.

Space Shuttle Discovery is on view at the National Air & Space Museum’s Steven Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Space Shuttle Endeavour is at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California but is off view while construction of a 200,000-square-foot addition to the main building is underway.

Space Shuttle Enterprise, NASA’s prototype orbiter, is at the Intrepid Museum in New York City.

Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff on January 28, 1986. Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated returning to Earth on February 1, 2003.

Best use of airport shelters

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As promised, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) ushered in 2025, and an 18-month centennial celebration, by lighting up its signature canopies with a New Year’s countdown.

Here’s what it looked like.

Each of ATL’s North and South steel canopies stretches out 864 feet by 200 feet. The canopies provide shade over eight lanes of traffic at the airport’s curbside drop-off and pick-up areas and have LED lighting displays.

In 2025, a special centennial design will be displayed on the canopies every night except for the nights when a scheduled holiday or special day is being honored. The 2025 schedule isn’t posted yet, but in 2024 ATL’s canopies were lit in various colors for more than 22 special days marking everything from Valentine’s Day and President’s Day to Autism Awareness, Earth Day and Christmas.

If only ATL had a Canopy Cam!

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int’l Airport turning 100

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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) will turn 100 in 2025. And to mark the occasion the airport is launching 18 months of celebrations starting on New Year’s Eve.

As 2024 rolls over to 2025, ATL’s canopies will display a New Year’s countdown and a special centennial design that will be visible most nights of the year.

We haven’t seen the centennial design yet, but based on previous designs – like this rainbow version – we’re looking forward to something snazzy.

In addition to the New Year’s Eve countdown, ATL centennial events will include a centennial gala, art displays, stories documenting the Airport’s history, and a look ahead to the future.

In the meantime, ATL is sharing some historical milestones:

*On April 16, 1925, Walter Sims, the 44th mayor of Atlanta, signed a five-year lease for an abandoned auto racetrack that City Council member William Hartsfield thought would make a good airfield.

*The first commercial flight into what was then known as Candler Field, took place on Sept. 15, 1926 when Florida Airways delivered mail on the Tampa/Jacksonville/Atlanta route.

*William Hartsfield served as the 47th and 49th mayor of Atlanta. And when he died, in 1971, the Airport’s name was changed to William B. Hartsfield Atlanta Airport.

*In October 2003, the Airport’s name was changed again to honor Maynard Jackson, the city’s first Black mayor who served as the city’s 52nd and 54th mayor.

Holiday fun at Boston Logan Int’l Airport

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Many airports have already wrapped up their holiday entertainment and activities, but Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) still has some fun underway.

Selfie stations in Terminals B and C invite passengers to pose in a ski gondola, the Boston Common Frog Pond, a sleigh, various Boston neighborhoods and a decorated cabin living room.

For last-minute travelers (and shoppers), BOS’s complimentary holiday gift wrap stations operate through Tuesday, December 24 from 10 am to 6 pm in Terminals B and E. Each passenger can get up to five packages wrapped for free.

Holiday entertainment continues through Tuesday, December 23 and last minute shoppers who purchase gifts totaling $75 or more at Boston Logan Shops through December 24th will receive a free gift with purchase.

And, through January 7, 2025, anyone who orders food ahead for pickup food using the BOS2GO service online or in the app will receive 25% off their order.

Safe travels!

Stuffed lobster at Boston Tops shop at Logan Airport

Sleigh the Layover at Denver International Airport

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This holiday season there’s a special airport lounge for Santa and other busy travelers at Denver International Airport (DEN).

And you don’t need airline status or a special invitation to gain entry into Santa’s Layover Lounge at DEN.

Instead, it’s a holiday pop-up bar open to all temporarily taking over an existing bar on the mezzanine level in the center core of DEN’s concourse B.

Stop by and you’ll find Santa’s Layover Lounge decorated for the holiday season with festive decor, reindeer, a giant snowman and Buddy the Elf.

The menu includes holiday-themed cocktails such as the Winter Wonderland Cosmo, the Gingerbread Old Fashioned, the Polar Expresso Martini, the Feliz Navidad (made with tequila, agave, apple cider and cinnamon), the Mule-Tide Carol and the Pa Rum Pa Rum Punch.

There’s also a decadent hot chocolate bar with a buffet of toppings that includes peppermint and gingerbread syrup, Christmas sprinkles, whipped cream and tiny marshmallows.

Menu options at Santa’s Layover Lounge at DEN include breakfast sandwiches, sandwiches and personal-sized pizzas named for (but not made of) Santa’s dedicated team of reindeer.

Santa has been stopping by the pop-up lounge during his pre-Christmas travels. We just missed him on Tuesday but got a tip from one of Santa’s elves that he’ll be back on December 23rd from 4-6 pm.

Santa’s Layover Lounge at Denver International Airport is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

SFO Airport adds a Sensory Room

family travel, Uncategorized,

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the latest airport to open a Sensory Room for passengers.

Designed for Neurodiverse travelers and their families, the interactive room offers a variety of experiences.

Spaces include an ‘Activity Area’ with both analog and digital options, a ‘Calming/Soothing Area’ for contemplation and wonderment and a life-size ‘Cabin Experience’ featuring a realistic, full-scale aircraft interior mock-up which allows families to acclimate to the experience of flying before boarding their actual flight.

Look for SFO’s Sensory Room post-security in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which can be accessed from any SFO terminal via connecting walkways.

The SFO Sensory Room will be open daily from 5:00 am to 11:00 p.m and will not be staffed.

5 Thing We Love About Luxor International Airport

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The Stuck at the Airport team visited Egypt’s Luxor International Airport as part of a Viking Cruises adventure on the Nile River aboard the just-christened Viking Sobek.

On this journey, we visited airports in Seattle, Dubai, Cairo and Luxor.

Luxer International Airport (LXR) is a medium-sized airport with enough amenities in the domestic flight zone to warrant adding it to the 5 Things We Love About… series.

1. Luxor Airport’s signage

2. The kid’s play area at Luxor Airport

Luxor Airport has a colorful and lively play area for kids.

3. The souvenir shops at Luxor Airport

4. The Pearl Lounge at Luxor Airport

The Pearl Lounge at Luxor International Airport is “cozy,” but our Priority Pass membership gave us – and 6 guests – entry and offered a nice, but simple, assortment of drinks and snacks.

5. A great clock

It’s difficult to find a clock at some airports. Not a Luxor International Airport, where we spotted this giant clock on the wall.