Your rights · Act now
The airline broke my wheelchair — what do I do?
A broken wheelchair is not lost luggage — it's your mobility. US airlines mishandle roughly 1.4 of every 100 wheelchairs and scooters they carry, and since the 2024 DOT wheelchair rule, mishandling your chair is automatically a violation of the Air Carrier Access Act.
The airline owes you prompt repair or replacement at its cost, plus a suitable loaner in the meantime. Most travelers never collect because they leave the airport without the two documents that matter.
Do this now
- Before you leave the airport, ask for the Complaint Resolution Official — use that exact title. Every airline must have a CRO available at every airport it serves.
- Demand a written damage report. The airline must provide one on request.
- Photograph the damage from every angle, including serial numbers.
- File the airline's own claim, then file with DOT at transportation.gov/airconsumer — the DOT complaint is the one that shows up in the airline's public mishandling numbers.
- Need repair now? Our transport pages list wheelchair repair shops by city.
Where to file: U.S. Department of Transportation (Air Carrier Access Act complaint)
Before leaving the airport: demand a written damage report from the airline's Complaint Resolution Official (they must provide one on request). Then file at transportation.gov/airconsumer. Airlines owe repair or replacement at their cost — the 2024 DOT rule made mishandling a chair an automatic violation.
Common questions
Who pays to fix a wheelchair an airline damaged?
The airline, in full. Under the Air Carrier Access Act and the 2024 DOT wheelchair rule, the airline owes prompt repair or replacement at its cost — the domestic liability caps that apply to ordinary baggage do not protect them on assistive devices.
What is a CRO and why should I ask for one?
The Complaint Resolution Official is the airline employee with actual authority over disability issues. Every US airline must have one available at every airport during operating hours. Gate agents can shrug; a CRO cannot.
Does the airline owe me a loaner wheelchair?
Yes — a loaner that meets your needs as closely as possible while yours is repaired or replaced, at the airline's expense.
Is there a deadline to file?
File the airline claim immediately — ideally before leaving the airport, since some airlines impose short claim windows. The DOT complaint has no meaningful deadline, but filing promptly keeps the paper trail clean.
Does complaining to DOT actually do anything?
Yes. DOT publishes every airline's wheelchair mishandling rate monthly, and complaints drive enforcement actions — including multi-million-dollar penalties in recent years. Your complaint literally moves the airline's public number.
Keep the pressure on
- Log this incident — timestamped, exportable, complaint-ready. Agencies act on patterns; your record builds the pattern.
- Read the full guide on this situation.
- All your rights, and the routing wizard for any other situation.
This page is education, not legal advice. Your state's Protection & Advocacy organization provides free legal advocates for exactly these situations.