Delta
Accessibility & Assistance
Accessibility is important to us. Learn about our accessibility features at the airport and onboard our aircraft. Also, find out about all the ways our people are ready to help you get everything you need to get where you're going.
We lease ticket and gate counter space from local airport authorities. We work closely with the airports to ensure that our services are accessible to everyone.
Flight and Gate Information Accessibility
At most of our airport locations, we have monitors displaying flight information for all our passengers. Similarly, most gate areas have electronic displays that indicate specific flight information. Gate agents provide verbal flight information including boarding announcements and any flight irregularity data for all our passengers, including the visually impaired.
Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD)
TDDs are available at most airports and are appropriately marked. Our customer service representatives will be happy to help you find them. Keep in mind that some airport facilities are not under our control, and that the availability of this equipment may vary from location to location.
Security Screening
Airport security screening is required for all passengers. However, a hand search can be performed for people with disabilities, and private screenings are available upon request.
Airport Assistance
Our personnel are available to assist passengers with disabilities in boarding, deplaning and connecting with their flights.
We provide connecting flight assistance for ambulatory individuals who may need help from one departure gate to another. However, we are not equipped to provide full monitoring while waiting at the gate. Should a passenger's condition require this level of attention, the passenger should make arrangements for a traveling companion.
For more information, see Wheelchair Services.
Aircraft Accessibility
Most of our aircraft are subject to federal accessibility requirements for our passengers with disabilities. Depending on aircraft type and age, accessible features of our fleet include movable aisle armrests, wheelchair stowage locations, on-board wheelchairs and, on larger airplanes, wheelchair-accessible lavatories.
Movable Aisle Armrests
Depending on the aircraft, we provide movable aisle armrest seats so passengers who use aisle chairs to board the aircraft can more easily transfer into their seats. The number and locations of movable aisle armrest seats may vary by aircraft type.
If you should find that your seat doesn't have a movable armrest, our gate agent or in-flight personnel will be happy to determine if another seat with a movable armrest is available on that specific aircraft.
Priority Wheelchair Stowage Location
We provide a designated location onboard most aircraft for stowage of one personal wheelchair on a first come, first served basis. Passengers wishing to use this wheelchair stowage location must request this service and take advantage of pre-boarding.
The chair or scooter must fit in a FAA approved storage area and must be of the weight and size that will fit in the onboard location.
Onboard Wheelchair
All of our aircraft have an onboard wheelchair. These wheelchairs are specially designed to fit the aisle of our aircraft and may be used by our passengers to move to and from the lavatory.
While our flight attendants are trained in the operation of this wheelchair and will assist you with its use, they are not required to lift or carry you.
Accessible Lavatories
Many of our larger aircraft have a wheelchair accessible lavatory. This feature is dependent on the size and configuration of the airplane.
In-flight Assistance
Do you have special in-flight needs? Our flight attendants are highly qualified to ensure your in-flight safety and comfort. Our flight attendants can assist you in using the onboard wheelchair and stowing or retrieving carry-on items, identifying food items on your meal tray, and opening packages.
Flight attendants are not permitted to assist with feeding or personal hygiene and lavatory functions. They cannot lift or carry you, and they cannot provide medical services such as giving injections. If your medical condition requires others to provide this type of care, you should travel with a ticketed companion who can see to these needs during the flight.
TTY /Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD)
TTY are available at most airports and are appropriately marked. Our customer service representatives will be happy to help you find them. Keep in mind that some airport facilities are not under our control, and that the availability of this equipment may vary from location to location. TTY are also available in Delta's Reservations Department by calling 1-800-831-4488 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Our agents are also available to take voice relay calls.
Wheelchair Services
We offer wheelchair services at the airport and on board the aircraft. We are also happy to accommodate most types of personal wheelchairs.
We have wheelchairs available for use at airport locations. Request this service when making reservations; and upon arrival at the airport notify one of our passenger service personnel that you require a wheelchair for transportation to the departure gate.
Aisle Chairs
We also have available a specially designed wheelchair for our non-ambulatory passengers to use in reaching their seat when boarding and deplaning our aircraft. We call these special wheelchairs "aisle chairs" or "boarding chairs." We suggest you request this service when making reservations so we can have the equipment available at your departure gate.
Onboard Wheelchairs
Every one of our mainline aircraft has an onboard wheelchair. These wheelchairs are specially designed to fit the aisle of our aircraft and may be used by our passengers to move to and from the lavatory. Our flight attendants are trained in the operation of this wheelchair and will assist you with its use. However, they are not required to lift or carry you. Since this onboard wheelchair is not used outside the aircraft, it will always remain onboard. Arrangements can be made for you to use an airport chair at any connecting point.
Alternative Boarding Devices
In some instances stairways are used for boarding instead of loading bridges. If you are unable to ascend or descend steps, let us know, and we will provide an alternative boarding method.
Delta Electric Cart Service
Electric carts are available at some major airports such as in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, and New York (JFK Airport). These carts are available for use by our semi-ambulatory passengers who have difficulty walking long distances. The carts will pick-up and drop-off passengers throughout the terminal or concourses.
Personal Wheelchair Services
We transport all types of personal wheelchairs. This includes folding, collapsible, and non-folding manual wheelchairs, electric/battery-powered wheelchairs and electric-powered carts and scooters, one additional wheelchair battery, crutches, braces, or other prosthetic devices on the same flight with the passenger who is dependent on the device.
Give us at least forty-eight hours advance notice, and be sure to check in at the ticket counter at least one hour ahead of departure if you need to check any battery-powered equipment. We need this time to ensure your equipment meets all federal "dangerous goods" handling requirements.
Cabin Stowage
If you have a collapsible personal wheelchair you can ask to have it stowed onboard when you are pre-boarded. We can stow it if it meets the size and weight restrictions for the approved storage space on the aircraft. We limit the number of personal wheelchairs to one personal wheelchair per flight. Not all aircraft stowage locations accommodate all sizes of wheelchairs. Wheelchairs stowed onboard have priority over other carry-on items except those of through passengers.
Checking Your Wheelchair
You can check your wheelchair at the ticket counter or the gate. We appreciate your checking powered equipment that may require disassembly at the ticket counter so we can arrange for proper handling. You may use our wheelchair equipment after checking your personal wheelchair. Detachable items such as seat cushions and footrests can be carried onboard or checked with the wheelchair in the cargo compartment.
We will not need to disassemble your electric/battery-powered wheelchair and will leave the batteries attached if the wheelchair will fit upright through the aircraft cargo compartment door or if it can be stowed upright in the cargo compartment.
If we do need to disassemble the wheelchair, our employees may need instructions. Attach assembly/disassembly instructions and your wheelchair's specific battery type to the wheelchair. For help identifying your specific battery type, see Batteries below.
You can arrange to have us check your personal wheelchair at the departing gate and return it at the destination gate when you arrive, or at a connecting airport. Let us know in advance if you prefer to use your own personal wheelchair at your connecting airport. However, you should be aware that the time between connecting flights may be insufficient to provide this service during layover, especially if disassembly and re-assembly of your wheelchair is required. If time is a factor, we recommend that you take advantage of our wheelchair service instead.
Special Permit Allows the Acceptance of Battery Powered Wheelchairs without Disconnection
Effective June 1, 2008, Delta and Delta Connection Carriers will allow customers with battery powered wheelchairs to check these assistive devices at the gate without having to disconnect the battery before transport. In order to transport your wheelchair or scooter using the the U.S. DOT PHMSA (Pipeline of Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) special permit (SP 14548), your assistive device must possess a defect-free battery in a rigid compartment that is integral to the chair. The equipment must also have two effective methods of preventing accidental activation during transport. This would include:
Inserting charger (effectively disengages power to the battery)
Turning key off, removing the key (Note—the key may be required to transport the chair to the ramp for loading on the aircraft)
Turning a kill switch
Removing a power arm
Taping a switch in closed position (see owner's manual if available)
There are still circumstances that require the battery be disconnected. If you have any questions prior to travel please contact Reservations and ask to be connected to the CRO Desk. At the airport, ask any Delta representative for assistance. Further information concerning battery types is listed below.
Batteries
Help us by identifying your wheelchair batteries as either spillable or non-spillable, so that our employees may establish correct federal Dangerous Goods handling procedures.
Wet-cell batteries are considered spillable, so we need to make special preparations to transport them by air. We have to disconnect the battery and protect the terminals against electrical shorting. We have to remove the battery if we cannot fit your wheelchair equipment upright through the aircraft cargo compartment door. The battery will be shipped in Delta's battery box to meet all federal "dangerous goods" handling requirements. We cannot transport damaged or leaking batteries by air.
Dry-cell and gel-cell batteries are considered non-spillable and have fewer requirements for handling. We can leave powered wheelchair batteries attached when the equipment fits upright through the aircraft cargo compartment door. Our personnel will disconnect the battery post connectors and wrap each post connector with tape to prevent electrical shorts during shipping.
Seating Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities
We accommodate any request for seating that helps you manage your disability. It is our responsibility to provide you with any available seat in advance, which you are qualified to use. Additional accommodation may be made for:
Passengers who uses an aisle chair to get on the aircraft and can't readily transfer over a fixed aisle armrest can be provided with a seat that has a moveable aisle armrest on aircraft equipped with this feature.
Passengers traveling with an attendant helping them during the flight with be provided side-by-side seating
Passengers traveling with a service animal will be accommodated with any available seat but will be provided a bulkhead seat if requested.
Passengers with a fused/immobilize leg will be provided with any available seat they qualify for,on the side of the aircraft that appropriately accommodates their disability and if requested, a bulkhead seat.
Service Animals
We welcome service animals in the aircraft cabin, such as dogs and monkeys trained to assist passengers with mobility, visual, or hearing disabilities.
A service animal must be in the floor space where the passenger sits and may not get in the way of an aisle or any area that needs to remain clear for emergencies. (That's why we can't seat you in the exit row.)
Some locations (Hawaii, Great Britain, etc.) have quarantine laws for animals, or might not permit their entry at all.
We, or your travel agent, will be able to help you find out what the requirements are for your destination. But remember, it's up to you to follow the regulations.