Finding out that your mobility scooter or powerchair has been damaged by your airline is understandably very stressful and frustrating. It’s often a vital piece of your day-to-day life and can be very expensive to repair or replace. To support you if this happens to you, we’ve prepared a guide on how to claim for mobility scooter damage when travelling abroad.
Contents
- Key Takeaways
- Claiming For Damage From An Airline
- Claiming for a Mobility Scooter Lost by an Airline
- When To Inform Your Insurance Provider
Before booking a flight, it’s important to familiarise yourself with each airline’s policy on transporting mobility aids, especially in cases of loss or damage. Policies can vary significantly between airlines- some are more cooperative and supportive than others. This information may influence your decision on which airline to choose.
Most airlines require advance notice if you plan to travel with a mobility scooter or wheelchair. This allows them time to meet your accessibility needs and ensure your equipment can be safely accommodated on the aircraft. You’ll typically need to provide key details such as the weight, dimensions, and battery type of your scooter to confirm it is safe for air travel.
Once you arrive at the airport, and it’s a good idea to make sure you have plenty of time there, speak directly to the airline staff at their check in desks to find out the exact process you need to follow to safely stow your Mobility device. You may be able to take your device to the plane or they may require you to use the airport assistance service.
When you arrive at your destination, you are likely to reverse what you have done at the departure airport and this is where it is critical that you make sure you check your device is undamaged. If you discover that this is not the case, you must make the airline aware before you leave the airport.
Key Takeaways
- Always check over your scooter for damage before leaving the airport
- You must notify the airline you travelled with whilst you are still in the airport with your damaged scooter
- The more claims that go through the airline the more we can improve the handling of mobility scooters and wheelchairs in the future and reduce
Claiming For Damage From An Airline
Making a claim from an airline can feel like an extra stress to your holiday but you’re well within your rights to claim. Here’s how it works so that you can take action and get things resolved:
- Go straight to the Baggage Desk or Lost Property when you get to arrivals and report that your mobility scooter or powerchair has been damaged in transit
- Request a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) and use it to submit a formal written claim against the airline
- Take photos of the damage before you leave the airport and use them to create a before-and-after comparison document
- Make sure to submit your claim within seven days of the date of your flight, and include the PIR file reference
Claiming for a Mobility Scooter Lost by an Airline
The sinking feeling of arriving at your destination only to discover your mobility scooter has been lost in transit is something no one wants to face. Being prepared and knowing what to do can help reduce stress and make the situation more manageable. You will need to:
- Just like a damaged scooter you should report it immediately to the Lost Property desk.
- Ask for written confirmation of your report, including a description of the scooter and the details of the loss.
- Give the airline specific information: make, model, serial number, and photos if possible.
- Keep your boarding pass, baggage tags, and any mobility assistance paperwork you submitted before the flight.
- Ask the airline or airport if they can provide a hire scooter, wheelchair, or mobility assistance until yours is found.
Mobility Insurance
Cover available for:
- Mobility Scooter
- Powered Wheelchairs
- Manual Wheelchairs
- Cabin Cars
When To Inform Your Insurance Provider
If you have a Mobility Insurance policy with us and your scooter has been lost or damaged while in transit, you must notify us within 30 days of the incident.
This allows us to update your policy with the relevant details and note that you have an ongoing claim with the airline. At this stage, we’ll also ask whether you need a hire scooter to keep you mobile while your claim is being processed.
If you do not receive a response from the airline within 30 days, we will then proceed with your claim directly.
Unfortunately, we regularly hear reports of mobility scooters being damaged by baggage handlers. We believe the airline industry must improve in this area, which is why we encourage our policyholders to pursue a claim with the airline first– helping to raise awareness and drive positive change moving forward.
Our Mobility Scooter Insurance policies from just £3.80 per month. Covering you against breakdown, accidental damage, theft, personal accident, third party liability and more, our insurance aims to help you live life confidently under any circumstances.
