Traveling Tips for Customers with Disabilities
Every year, more and more Customers with disabilities join Southwest Airlines to exercise their freedom to fly, and we want that experience to be as simple and dignified as possible. Below, we have compiled some tips to help make the air travel experience enjoyable, and, above all else, to help our Customers with disabilities know what to expect when traveling with us. Remember, communication, on our part, as well as our Customers’ part, is key for a successful, stress-free trip. Working together we can make that happen.
See important information on Emergency Exit Seating Requirements.
Advance Notice of Disability
We recommend that Customers who need assistance to their departure gate or those who need other special assistance arrive at the airport no later than the recommended airport arrival time. (See Suggested Airport Arrival Times.)
If you are traveling in a power wheelchair with a wet cell battery, in order to ensure that proper HAZMAT packaging materials are available at the departure airport, please advise a Reservations Agent by calling 800 I FLY SWA (800 435-9792) at least 24 hours prior to your departure. In addition, you must arrive at the Departure Gate one hour prior to scheduled departure so that we may assess the stowage needs of your chair.
If you are traveling in a group of ten or more Customers who use wheelchairs, please advise a Reservations Agent by calling 800 I FLY SWA (800 435-9792) at least 24 hours in advance so that we can ensure adequate staffing and room in the cargo compartment of the aircraft for the wheelchairs.
Security Screening
A Customer with a disability is subject to no more and no less security screening than any other member of the traveling public. If a Customer passes through the magnetometer (metal detector) and the alarm sounds, additional screening with a hand-wand is required. In cases where the hand-wand does not “clear” the Customer, a physical pat-down of the Customer will be performed. The Customer has the right to undergo the additional screening in the public screening area or may request that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Representative conduct a private screening.
Assistance in the Airport and with Boarding
Upon arrival at the airport, please inform a Southwest Airlines Agent or Skycap at your first point of contact, either at the Skycap podium or ticket counter, if you need an airport wheelchair and/or assistance within the airport.
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Need a helping hand? If you need wheelchair assistance, a friend or family member is welcome to assist you on your way to/from the gate area. Just have them stop by the ticket counter with a government-issued photo ID to obtain a gate pass. |
Priority preboarding is available for those who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability and/or need assistance in boarding the aircraft. If a Customer has a disability and requires preboarding, the Customer should request a blue preboarding sleeve from our Customer Service Agent positioned at the Departure Gate. The sleeve serves as notification to our Operations (Boarding) Agent that the Customer has a need to preboard. It’s important to keep in mind that Customers who preboard may not occupy an emergency exit seat.
An aisle chair is available at every gate and will be used if you need assistance transferring from your wheelchair into the aircraft seat. Each aisle chair is equipped with a Passenger Transfer Kit (PTK), which contains a slide board and a transfer sling. The sling allows for two or three Employees to lift the Customer safely from his/her wheelchair into the aisle chair and then into the aircraft seat.
For ease of transfer, fifty percent of the seats on each aircraft are equipped with movable armrests.
Our Employees are trained on assisting our Customers into and out of the aircraft seat; however, the Customer being transferred knows the best way for us to help. We encourage the Customer being assisted to direct the Employees in how best to perform the lift and transfer so everyone will be most comfortable, and so that we will have a successful transfer.
Manual and Power Wheelchairs
Southwest will stow one collapsible folding wheelchair in the aircraft cabin as long as it can be stowed in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety guidelines. Each aircraft is equipped with a specially designed wheelchair storage compartment to allow in-cabin stowage of at least one standard-size adult folding wheelchair. The wheelchair compartment is located in the rear of the aircraft and is available for Customer use on a first-come, first-served basis.
If the wheelchair will not safely fit in an approved cabin bin or stowage area, we will transport it in the cargo compartment at no additional charge. However, we suggest that all removable parts (i.e. cushions, arm or leg rests, and side guards) be stowed in an overhead bin or under a seat if the parts fit and meet all FAA safety requirements for onboard stowage. The Customer has the option to retrieve the checked wheelchair at the gate or baggage claim upon arrival at his/her destination.
If you are traveling in a power wheelchair with a wet cell battery, in order to ensure that proper HAZMAT packaging materials are available at the departure airport, please advise a Reservations Agent by calling 800 I FLY SWA (800 435-9792) at least 48 hours prior to your departure. In the event that we need to prepare your wheelchair for stowage, we may ask that you relinquish your power wheelchair up to an hour in advance of departure. In that case, you will be transferred to an airport wheelchair until boarding begins. Power wheelchairs and scooters will be securely stowed in the cargo compartment of the aircraft. Southwest recommends that all removable parts of the wheelchair be stowed in the overhead bins.
If your wheelchair/scooter is powered by a wet cell battery, the battery will be removed and placed in a protective battery box, as required by federal HAZMAT safety regulations. It would be most helpful for the Customer to label the battery cables with corresponding colored tape or provide detailed disconnection and reconnection directions so that the Agents at the destination city can quickly and easily reconnect the battery to the wheelchair. You may bring one “spare” battery for each battery needed to operate your wheelchair. Those batteries will also be packaged in a protective battery box.
If your wheelchair/scooter is powered by a nonspillable battery that is in good condition and can be stowed upright in the cargo bin of the aircraft, we will ensure the battery is secured and will not remove the battery. In order to prevent shorting and possible electrical fire, we must disconnect the battery either by using a quick disconnect mechanism, if present, or manually removing the cables from the battery. Again, if the Customer can provide disconnect directions or label the corresponding cables, our Agents can easily reconnect the battery and return the assistive device more quickly at the Customer’s destination. We do not limit the number of “spare” nonspillable batteries a Customer may check in.
Other Assistive Devices
Other assistive devices, such as walkers, canes, crutches, CPAP machines, etc., that can be stowed in compliance with the FAA safety regulations, will be given priority onboard stowage, and will not be counted toward your one carryon plus one personal item limit.
If an assistive device cannot be stored safely in the cabin, we will transport it in the cargo compartment.
Inflight Assistance
Southwest has an onboard wheelchair available on every aircraft for our Customers who need help to and from the lavatory, and our Flight Attendants are trained on providing this assistance. Our Flight Attendants will also assist in stowing/retrieving items, opening packages, and identifying food items for Customers with disabilities who need this assistance. Please keep in mind that our Flight Attendants will not assist a Customer with certain functions such as eating, drinking, using the lavatory, or administering/withholding medications. If this type of care is needed during the flight, the Customer may want to consider traveling with a ticketed attendant.
Medications
We suggest that all medication be packed in carryon luggage. If a Customer’s carryon must be checked because of space constraints, we suggest that the Customer remove the medication from the bag and keep it with him/her.
Southwest Airlines’ aircraft are equipped with a first-aid kit, which contains common over-the-counter medications. Our Flight Attendants will offer the medication to a Customer if the need arises and will provide the medication once the Customer determines acceptability. While our Flight Attendants will assist the Customer as best they can, the Flight Attendants will not physically administer the medication themselves. Flight Attendants also will not administer a Customer’s personal supply of medication. If this type of care is needed during the flight, the Customer may want to consider traveling with a ticketed attendant.
Needles/syringes used to inject medications are permitted past the security checkpoint as long as the Customer has in his/her possession the medication that requires the use of a needle/syringe. The medication must have a professionally printed label identifying the medication, a manufacturer’s name, or a pharmaceutical label.
Peanut Dust Allergies
Because it is nearly impossible for persons who have an allergy to peanut dust to avoid triggering a reaction if peanut dust is in the air, Southwest Airlines is unable to guarantee a peanut-free or allergen-free flight. We have procedures in place to assist our Customers with severe allergies to peanut dust and will make every attempt not to serve packaged peanuts on the aircraft when our Customers alert us to their allergy to peanut dust. We ask that Customers with allergies to peanut dust advise our Reservations Sales Agents of the allergy at the time the reservation is made. If the reservation is made on southwest.com, there is a field to indicate a peanut allergy on the Payment and Passenger Information page during the booking process. If the reservation is made via travel agent, the Customer should telephone 1-800-I-FLY-SWA afterward to speak with a Reservation Sales Agent.
We suggest that Customers with an allergy to peanut dust book their travel on early morning flights, as our aircraft undergo a thorough cleaning only at the end of the day. Customers with allergies to peanut dust must check in at the departure gate one hour prior to departure and notify our Customer Service Agent at the gate of the allergy. (Please allow enough time to park, check luggage and/or receive your boarding pass, and to pass through security checkpoint.)
Upon advising our Customer Service Agent at each departure gate (including connecting flights), the Customer Service Agent will complete a Peanut Dust Allergy form and ask the Customer to present the form to our Flight Attendant upon boarding. This form notifies our Employees that a Customer with allergies to peanut dust will be traveling on the flight, and our Flight Attendants will make every effort to serve an alternate snack. As some of our other snack items may contain peanut particles, peanut oil, or have been packaged in a peanut facility, Customers who have allergic reactions to eating/ingesting peanuts should read the ingredients on any packaged snack before consumption. Of course, all Customers are welcome to bring their own snacks with them.
Although following the above procedures will ensure peanuts are not served on a flight, Southwest cannot prevent other Customers from bringing peanuts or products containing peanuts onboard our flights. In addition, Southwest cannot give assurances that remnants of peanuts and/or peanut dust/oil will not remain on the aircraft floor, seats, or tray tables from flights earlier in the aircraft’s routing.
Southwest Airlines cannot guarantee that a flight will be free of other allergens such as perfumes, lotions, cleaning solutions, etc.
Assistance Animals
Trained Assistance Animals
Southwest Airlines welcomes trained assistance animals on all of our flights. In accordance with federal safety regulations, the animal must be positioned so as not to obstruct Customers’ expeditious evacuation in the unlikely event of an emergency. Except when too large to be safely accommodated, a trained assistance animal traveling with and providing assistance to a Customer with a disability will be accommodated in the aircraft cabin on the floor in front of or next to the Customer with a disability.
Should the assistance animal be too large to travel safely in the aircraft cabin, the Customer should provide a suitable carrier and we will transport the assistance animal in the cargo compartment of the same aircraft as the Customer with a disability. The Captain will pressurize and heat the cargo bin so that the assistance animal is comfortable.
Emotional Support Animals
Animals used for a Customer’s emotional support are accepted in the cabin. In order for a Customer to travel with an emotional support animal, the Customer must provide to a Southwest Airlines Employee current documentation (not more than one year old) on letterhead from a mental health professional stating (1) that the Customer has a mental health-related disability; (2) that having the animal accompany the Customer is necessary to the Customer's mental health or treatment or to assist the Customer with his or her disability; and (3) that the individual providing the assessment of the Customer is a licensed mental health professional and the Customer is under his or her professional care. Emotional support animals must be trained and behave properly within the airport and on the aircraft.
Customers traveling with an assistance animal or an emotional support animal cannot sit in an emergency exit seat.
Department of Transportation’s Guidance Concerning Service Animals in Air Transportation (in pdf format)
Medical Oxygen
Southwest is not equipped to transport or provide medical oxygen or other hazardous materials and/or contained gas - either in the passenger cabin or as cargo or baggage. Any Customer who requires a constant supply of compressed or liquid medical oxygen cannot travel on Southwest Airlines.* If there is a question as to a Customer’s ability to travel the duration of a flight without the use of medical oxygen, we may request documentation from a licensed physician to verify that the Customer can complete the flight safely and without the use of medical oxygen.
Liquid oxygen cannot be carried onboard our aircraft. If a liquid oxygen unit is empty (and contains a gauge or color indicator verifying the unit is empty), then the unit can be transported, so long as the valve remains open.
*Southwest will accept for travel Customers needing supplemental oxygen who may be accommodated by using certain personal portable oxygen concentrators. See Portable Oxygen Concentrators below.
Portable Oxygen Concentrators
While Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC) devices may be brought onboard our flights, in accordance with Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) No. 106, 14 CFR Part 121, only the AirSep FreeStyle, AirSep LifeStyle, Inogen One, Respironics EverGo, and SeQual Technology Eclipse POC models are approved for use during flight.
AirSep FreeStyle, AirSep LifeStyle, Inogen One, Respironics EverGo, and SeQual Technology Eclipse POC Conditions that Must Be Met:
- The POC may only be used in its battery-operated mode. Southwest Airlines does not have electrical outlets onboard for commercial product use.
- To be used onboard the aircraft, the AirSep FreeStyle, AirSep LifeStyle, Inogen One, Respironics EverGo, and SeQual Technology Eclipse POCs must have a label attached indicating that it has been approved for use in aircraft.
- The Customer must have a sufficient number of fully charged batteries to cover the duration of the flight and anticipated delays, plus one extra battery for unanticipated delays. Extra batteries must be packaged for carryon in a manner to prevent short circuit. Battery terminals must either be recessed or packaged so as to prevent contact with metal objects, including terminals of other batteries.
- The Customer must have a letter from his/her physician on letterhead with an issue-date of no more than one year prior to flight departure date. You may have your physician draft his/her own letter or have your physician select the link and print and fill out our Physician Consent Form. (This document will only be accepted if it is printed on the physician's letterhead.)
Regardless of which option you choose, the physician's letter must state:- whether the user is able to operate the device and recognize and respond appropriately to its alarms, and if not, that the user is traveling with a companion who is able to perform these functions
- the phases of the flight (taxi, takeoff, cruise, landing) during which use of the device is medically necessary, and
- the maximum flow rate corresponding to the pressure in the cabin under normal operating conditions. (Cabins are pressurized to an altitude of 8,000 feet.)
Making Reservations:
- At the time the reservation is made, the Customer must inform our Reservations Sales Agent (RSA) of the intended use of the POC and the model of POC to be used.
- If booking through a travel agent, the Customer should call (800) I-FLY-SWA after the reservation is made.
- Customers also may indicate the intended use of the POC when booking travel via southwest.com.
At the Airport:
- The Customer using the AirSep FreeStyle, AirSep LifeStyle, Inogen One, Respironics EverGo, or SeQual Technology Eclipse POC must check in by receiving a boarding pass and arrive at the departure gate no less than 45 minutes prior to departure. The Customer must then see a Customer Service Agent to receive a Preboarding Sleeve and Notice to Preboarding Customers.
- Prior to boarding, the Southwest Airlines Operations Agent will verify the POC model, physician’s letter, and number and packaging of batteries.
- Although preboarding is not required, we strongly suggest that Customers using POCs in the aircraft board with the Preboarding Group. Note: Customers who do not make themselves available for preboarding in order to secure an aircraft seat that meets FAA safety requirements may be denied boarding or rebooked on an alternate flight to their destination in order to be seated appropriately. While we will make every attempt to accommodate a Customer using a POC who does not preboard, we will not delay the aircraft to reseat Customers.
Onboard the Aircraft:
- In accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Safety Regulations, the Customer using an approved POC must be seated in a seat closest to the window than any other Customer in that row. In many situations, the Customer using the approved POC must be seated in a window seat to comply with the Safety Regulations.
- Approved POCs that will be used during any phase of flight must be stowed completely underneath the seat in front of the Customer using the POC. As a result, the Customer may not be seated in a bulkhead seat.
- Pursuant to FAA Safety Regulations, a Customer using a POC may not occupy an emergency exit seat.
Advanced Aeromedical
3429 Chandler Creek Road, #102
Virginia Beach, VA 23453
24-hour toll-free: (800) 346-3556
International: (757) 481-1590
Fax: (757) 481-2874
http://aeromedic.com/rentals.html
Oxygen To Go
“Oxygen when and where you need it.”
For rentals: toll-free 866-692-0040
For medical information: toll-free 888-362-4321 via Board Certified physicians. (For OxygenToGo customers.)
For fax: toll-free 866-903-9709
Web: http://www.oxygentogo.com
Email: info@oxygentogo.com
Please mention that you were referred by Southwest Airlines in order to receive a discount.
OxygenToGo agents and physicians are available at any time of day, every day of the year.
Customers with Cognitive and Developmental Disabilities
Southwest will provide assistance to individuals who need help within the airport, such as assistance to/from Gates, between Gates for flight connections, and to other airlines’ personnel if the Customer has a continuing flight on another airline. The attendant will not remain with the Customer or administer/withhold medication for the Customer. When considering air travel as an option for an individual with a cognitive or developmental disability, please consider the possibility of flight delays, diversions, or any other flight irregularities. Although we will provide assistance to any Customer with a disability, we will not provide a personal escort to remain with the Customer for the duration of the irregularity. If a Customer requires personal or continuous assistance, he/she should travel with an attendant.
Upon arrival at the airport please inform a Southwest Airlines Agent or Skycap at your first point of contact, either at the Skycap podium or ticket counter, if you need assistance within the airport. If assistance is needed during boarding or onboard the aircraft, please notify our Employees at the departure gate, and, if applicable, one of our Flight Attendants when you board the aircraft.
Customers Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Our deaf and hard of hearing Customers may call our Teletypewriter (TTY) number, (800) 533-1305, and speak with a Reservations Agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our Reservations Agents can assist with making reservations and answering general questions. There are also TTY phones located in each of the airports we serve. Because it is sometimes difficult for our Employees to know when a Customer is deaf or hard of hearing, if the Customer identifies his/her needs to our Customer Service Agent at the Departure Gate and to our Flight Crew once onboard the aircraft, we can be sure to establish an acceptable means of communication. This way we can relay important flight information.
Upon arrival at the airport please inform a Southwest Airlines Agent or Skycap at your first point of contact, either at the Skycap podium or ticket counter, if you need assistance within the airport. If assistance is needed during boarding or onboard the aircraft, please notify our Employees at the departure gate, and, if applicable, one of our Flight Attendants when you board the aircraft.
Customers Who are Blind or Have Low Vision
At your request, we will be happy to assist our blind or low vision Customers to/from Gates, with flight connections, with identifying Inflight snacks, etc. Each aircraft has Inflight Safety Briefing Cards available in Braille overlaid with large print. Please ask a Flight Attendant once onboard the aircraft if you would like to review this briefing card.
Upon arrival at the airport please inform a Southwest Airlines Agent or Skycap at your first point of contact, either at the Skycap podium or ticket counter, if you need assistance within the airport. If assistance is needed during boarding or onboard the aircraft, please notify our Employees at the departure gate, and, if applicable, one of our Flight Attendants when you board the aircraft.
Your Rights
Southwest Airlines policies and procedures are developed in accordance with 14 CFR Part 382, Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel. Every Airport is staffed with trained Complaint Resolution Officials (CRO) who have received training and are knowledgeable of the regulations ensuring accessible travel for Customers with disabilities. You have a right to request to speak with a CRO, and we will promptly provide a CRO either in person or over the telephone.
