Enhanced visibility: American Airlines introduces new tags for mobility devices
Travelers who rely on mobility devices may find a more streamlined check-in process at American Airlines after the carrier rolled out automatic device tags across its network.
Previously, wheelchairs and other mobility aids needed to be manually tagged. Now, the airline and its regional partners have activated the capability of printing mobility device tags from kiosks and other systems, just like bag tags.
“American is committed to improving the travel experience for our customers who use Wheelchairs and Mobility devices.” Julie Rath, American’s senior vice president of airports, reservations and service recovery, said in a statement. “Streamlining the check-in and tagging process is an industry leading effort that will help us further improve how we handle wheelchairs for our customers who entrust us to transport their devices on their journey.”
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According to the airline, the new tags include more specific data about the mobility devices, including full itineraries, delivery points, device weight, battery type and the number of components a customer removed and brought aboard as carry-on.
Checked devices will continue to travel in the cargo space with other checked luggage.
The new tags “will ensure more accurate and consistent information for team members handling the devices and provide enhanced visibility of the devices throughout customers’ travel journeys,” the airline’s statement said. American also said the new tag system will make it easier for all frontline employees to access information about mobility devices as they move through the airline’s network.
According to the Department of Transportation, U.S. airlines typically mishandle about 1.4% of the mobility devices they carry, with 11,527 incidents reported across the industry in 2023. American Airlines and its regional partners were slightly above the industry average, mishandling 1.77% of the devices they brought aboard in 2023 – 2,589 incidents reported in total.
American said it’s working to improve the experience for its customers with disabilities, including by improving training for employees who interact with or handle the equipment of disabled travelers and investing in new airport infrastructure to make travel easier for disabled customers.
In addition, American said this fall that it will start allowing travelers who rely on mobility devices to include information about their device in their online profiles and automatically add that information to any new reservation they make.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New American Airlines tags aim to improve mobility device handling
