SWA - first timer

[kkmauch]

Hello all,
I will be traveling by air next week for the first time in my new Quantum Edge Q6 HD power chair. I have read everything on their website. I have a mobility van picking us up when we land (Indianapolis, not MCO for this leg of the journey) and have filled out the SWA paperwork. Can someone reassure me this all going to be ok and that my chair will be there when we land? We have a layover in Houston, do we have to claim the chair and re-check for our last flight? Anyone with any experience with this type of chair/weight of chair (450lbs) and SWA?
Just nervous and looking for your experience. Thanks so much!

 

[Norandran]

Hello all,
I will be traveling by air next week for the first time in my new Quantum Edge Q6 HD power chair. I have read everything on their website. I have a mobility van picking us up when we land (Indianapolis, not MCO for this leg of the journey) and have filled out the SWA paperwork. Can someone reassure me this all going to be ok and that my chair will be there when we land? We have a layover in Houston, do we have to claim the chair and re-check for our last flight? Anyone with any experience with this type of chair/weight of chair (450lbs) and SWA?
Just nervous and looking for your experience. Thanks so much!

I flew with my mom and her power chair and the airline decimated it. My wife and I are going in June and I just chose to rent a power chair in Orlando rather than risk it. We will be bringing a manual chair until we can get the rental.
Just make sure you have a backup planned in case you do have an issue so it does not ruin your trip.
Please let us know how it went and I hope you have an awesome time!

 

[Tiggerish]

I too would like to hear how your trip went.

I have traveled on SWA with a simple power chair (Pronto M41) many times without any issues but on that model the joy stick arm was easily removable. So I would take off the head rest and joy stick at the end of the gateway to the plane, put them in a carry bag, put it in freewheel and get on the plane with the bag. Because the bag was considered medical equipment I could also have a carry on bag if I wanted. Then I would reassemble it when it was brought back to the end of the gateway after landing.

I have just up graded to a chair very similar to yours, an Amy Systems, Alltrack M3 HD. On this chair the joy stick is not removable. I am scheduled to fly SWA in the early June. Pre-covid, I flew three or four round trips a year and hope to resume that life style at some point in the future. So I am planning on making a protective sleeve for the joy stick arm out of bubble wrap and canvas.

 

[SteveMouse]

if you can take it off your chair, do so. Cushion any hard corners as best you can. Make it as close to a standard chair as you can (not elevated/reclined, leg rests in the base position, etc.

 

[cobright]

Remove any part that is meant to be removed. Secure any part of the chair that moves or folds or extends. Squish, bend, and tuck it into a tight self supporting ball (figuratively speaking). Then secure it that way with one of those extreme duck tapes (gorilla tape, Trexx Tape, etc). Yeah, you'll have to wipe it off with some alcohol or mineral spirit to get the sticky off but it's a small hardship.

If there are any exposed mechanical connections, like a metal socket to receive the controller support or whatever, wrap it with a chunk of pool noodle or a piece of PVC pipe, or stuff an appropriately shaped piece of wood into it. Even just wrapping something like that with an ace bandage (secure with monster-tape) will do a lot to prevent these fittings from getting dinged if something shifts into them in flight. a tiny tiny tweak is all it takes to prevent putting tab-a into slot-b sometimes.

If you have any part that sticks out all on its own, cut a chunk of pvc pipe to wedge against it for additional support.

I got so tired of the pre-flight packaging of my friends chair, or the post flight un-twinging of it, that I bought an identical chair to keep in Michigan.

That said ... your Quantum is a beefy boy. They can take a punch and they are a pleasure to own and use. There's plenty I complain about on them but they are dead solid. Like a Volvo from the late '80s.

good luck

 

[Ninjagrrl]

I flew with my mom and her power chair and the airline decimated it. My wife and I are going in June and I just chose to rent a power chair in Orlando rather than risk it. We will be bringing a manual chair until we can get the rental.
Just make sure you have a backup planned in case you do have an issue so it does not ruin your trip.
Please let us know how it went and I hope you have an awesome time!

Agree, my son has a manual chair but on our last flight, there was a woman with her sister in a power chair and when we landed, we were waiting for both chairs to be unloaded, and her power chair was WRECKED. They were so upset and I felt terrible for them. This was on Southwest.

 

[kkmauch]

Ok, so we didn’t take my Quantum. We took a Fold And Go (bought just for this). We flew SWA on the way out and Delta on the way back. SWA definitely handled the chair roughly and it took a pretty good thumping for being brand new (had it for 2 days prior). Delta was phenomenal and not a single new scratch in sight! We will avoid SWA for future flights for sure.