You planned everything. Here’s how to handle it when your mobility device doesn’t arrive with your flight.
Traveling with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) often requires extra planning and preparation. Many people with CMT rely on wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, or other mobility devices to navigate airports and reach their destinations with confidence and ease. Airports and airlines offer accommodations for travelers who use mobility devices, and while those supports are essential, they aren’t always enough.
That reality was recently brought into focus by a USA Today story that resonated across the CMT community, highlighting a traveler living with CMT whose wheelchair was left behind on his flight home. It’s a situation many fear and too many know firsthand. It underscores a critical reality: we’re often taught how to request accommodations, but not how to respond when those accommodations fail.
When a mobility device doesn’t arrive, or arrives damaged, it’s more than just lost luggage. It’s a loss of mobility and independence, and the ability to fully participate in daily life.
Airlines have processes for handling mobility devices, but those processes don’t always translate into meaningful help in the moment. When a device is delayed or damaged, knowing what to do next can make the difference between regaining mobility and being left stranded.
Preparing Ahead of Time: When a mobility device doesn’t arrive or arrives damaged, it can be overwhelming to know what to do next. These practical tips can help you prepare ahead of time and respond if something goes wrong.
Communicate Early & Clearly: Letting your airline know about your mobility device ahead of time can help avoid surprises on travel day. It can help to share:
- The make, model, dimensions, and weight of your mobility device
- Any handling and disassembly instructions
- Any assistance you’ll need at the airport, such as help navigating stairs, a wheelchair to the gate, or full assistance to your seat using an aisle chair
- Battery type, if applicable
Use Tracking Tools: A small Bluetooth or GPS tracker, such as an Apple Air Tag or similar device, can help you locate your mobility device if it doesn’t arrive as expected.
Label and Document Your Device: Before checking your mobility device at the airport with your luggage, a few easy steps can help if something goes wrong:
- Ensure your device is clearly labeled with your contact information
- Take photos showing its condition before travel
- If available, ask about gate delivery so your device is returned as close to the aircraft door as possible upon arrival
If your device doesn’t arrive or is damaged
If your mobility device is delayed, damaged, or doesn’t arrive at all, it can be hard to know what to do next. While this often becomes clear after you land, many of the most helpful steps take place before you ever leave the airport. This is not about misplaced baggage. It’s about staying mobile, safe, and independent.
Once you realize your device is missing or damaged, it’s important to connect with airline staff before leaving the airport. Ask to file a report and make sure the device is clearly documented as a mobility or assistive device, not standard luggage. Having this clearly recorded can help with next steps and follow-up.
Next, you should ask what interim mobility support is available while your device is located or repaired. This may include an airport wheelchair, accessible transportation, or other short-term options, depending on what’savailable. If support is offered, be sure to ask for basic details in writing, such as a reference number, next steps, and who to follow up with.
It can also help to document what’s happening as you go. Take photos and videos of your device and visible damage, and note where and when it occurred. If you use a tracking device, saving screenshots of its location can be useful later for repairs, replacement, or any needed follow up.
Follow up and keep records
If your device still hasn’t arrived or repairs are delayed after you leave the airport, continuing to follow up can help. Keep records of who you’ve spoken with, any reference numbers provided, and related expenses. Saving emails, receipts, and notes about the impact of the delay can make later conversations, repairs, or reimbursement easier to manage.
A final word
Traveling with CMT often means planning ahead and adapting along the way. When a mobility device doesn’t arrive as expected, the disruption can be immediate and deeply felt. Knowing what to do and when to do in those moments won’t solve every problem, but it can make a difficult situation more manageable.
Preparation doesn’t guarantee a smooth trip, but it can help you hold onto your independence when plans fall apart. Sharing practical guidance is one way we can support each other and navigate travel with a little more confidence. You deserve to arrive at your destination with your mobility intact.
