The short answer
- Assistance is free, and so are two mobility itemsAirports and airlines must help disabled passengers and people with reduced mobility at no charge, and carry up to two pieces of mobility equipment free.
- Ask when you book, and at least 48 hours beforeTell the airline, travel agent or tour operator what help is needed and give the wheelchair's details, including the battery.
- Their own chair goes to the gate and comes back at the doorYour relative can use their own wheelchair up to the gate, and it should be returned at the arrival gate.
- Someone should travel with them if they need personal helpCrew will not help with eating, medicines or the toilet itself, so a family member or a carer needs to come too.
Rules are the UK rules for disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility, and Civil Aviation Authority guidance, checked in October 2026.
Free assistance
Help through the airport and on the plane is free, and it is a legal right
The rules for disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility come from Regulation 1107/2006, which the UK kept in law after leaving the EU. The Civil Aviation Authority oversees them.
If your parent or partner uses a wheelchair, or can walk a little but not the length of a terminal, they are entitled to free help through the whole journey. The Civil Aviation Authority says this applies to any flight from a UK airport, whichever airline it is, and to flights into the UK on a UK or EU airline. The help is for people with reduced mobility as well as wheelchair users. If the walk from the car park to the gate would be too much for them, that is reason enough.
The help is split between the airports and the airline. The airport your relative flies from is responsible from the moment you arrive until they are in their seat. The airline is responsible during the flight. The airport at the other end takes over at the aircraft door and stays with your relative through passport control and the baggage hall to the exit. If anything is missing on the day, this tells you who to ask.
| The airports | The airline | |
|---|---|---|
| When they help | From arrival at the departure airport to the seat on the plane, and from the aircraft door to the exit at the other end | On board, from the moment your relative is seated to landing |
| What they help with | Check-in and bags, security and passport checks, getting to the gate, boarding with a lift or aisle chair where needed, getting off, the baggage hall and any connecting flight | A seat that suits your relative's needs where possible, a companion seated next to them where it reasonably can, help to the toilet using an onboard wheelchair, and flight information they can follow |
| Equipment | Handling the wheelchair and any other mobility equipment, and a temporary replacement if it is lost or damaged | Carrying up to two pieces of mobility equipment free of charge, including an electric wheelchair |
When they help
- The airports
- From arrival at the departure airport to the seat on the plane, and from the aircraft door to the exit at the other end
- The airline
- On board, from the moment your relative is seated to landing
What they help with
- The airports
- Check-in and bags, security and passport checks, getting to the gate, boarding with a lift or aisle chair where needed, getting off, the baggage hall and any connecting flight
- The airline
- A seat that suits your relative's needs where possible, a companion seated next to them where it reasonably can, help to the toilet using an onboard wheelchair, and flight information they can follow
Equipment
- The airports
- Handling the wheelchair and any other mobility equipment, and a temporary replacement if it is lost or damaged
- The airline
- Carrying up to two pieces of mobility equipment free of charge, including an electric wheelchair
From Regulation 1107/2006, Annexes I and II, as kept in UK law, and the CAA's guidance on how to access help and support, October 2026.
GOV.UK's page on help for disabled passengers on planes says the two mobility items are carried on top of the normal baggage allowance. That means your relative's wheelchair, and a walking frame or a second chair if they use one, do not count towards the cases you have paid for. If your relative is deciding between a stick, a frame and a wheelchair for the trip, walking aids and how to choose explains what each one suits.
The rules give your relative rights, but they do not cover everything. An airline can refuse a booking, or insist that someone travels with your relative, if that is needed to meet safety rules or if the aircraft or its doors are physically too small to board them. If that happens, the airline must tell you why straight away and, if you ask, put the reasons in writing within five working days. The section on who travels with them explains when a companion is needed.
What to tell the airline
Ask for assistance when you book, and describe the wheelchair in detail
The airport and the airline can only prepare for what they have been told. The request goes to whoever you booked with, and the more precisely you describe your relative's needs, the better the help on the day.
The law says the request must reach the airline, travel agent or tour operator at least 48 hours before the published departure time. If it is made later, or forgotten, the airport must still make all reasonable efforts to help, but it is no longer bound to in the same way. The CAA's advice is to ask when you book the tickets, using the free method the airline must offer, and to get written confirmation that the assistance has been recorded. Keep that confirmation with the tickets.
Each airline publishes its own special assistance information on its website, whether you fly with Ryanair, easyJet or anyone else, and the CAA says it must give you a free way to ask for help when you book or at a later stage. The rights are the same whichever airline you choose. What differs is how each airline asks for the details, and its own rules for batteries and larger equipment, so read the airline's page before you pay for the flights rather than after.
What to give the airline
0 of 8 ticked
About your relative
About the wheelchair
Health and medicines
On medical clearance, the CAA says that someone with a stable condition generally does not need to be cleared to fly. The airline makes the decision, and if it has concerns it will ask you to fill in a further form, which may need a doctor's input. Even if nobody asks, it is worth telling your relative's GP about the trip.
For medicines, the same CAA page allows essential medicines in containers over 100ml through security with supporting documents, such as a letter from the doctor or the prescription, and says a medical certificate is needed for liquid or gel medicines over 100ml. GOV.UK explains the rules for taking medicine in or out of the UK, including when you need a letter from the prescriber. If your relative has a medical condition, declare it to the travel insurer before you book; travel insurance with a medical condition explains what to look for.
The day of the flight
Where your relative goes, and where their wheelchair goes, at each stage
On the day, your relative and their wheelchair take slightly different routes. This is the whole journey in order, with who is responsible at each point.
Your relative
Their wheelchair
Arriving at the airport
Departure airport- Your relative
- Go to an assistance point at the drop-off, car park or station, or to the assistance desk inside, and give the booking reference. Allow time: without a set time from the airline, the law expects you at check-in at least an hour before the published departure time, or two hours if you start at an assistance point.
- Their wheelchair
- Stays with your relative. If they use their own wheelchair, they can stay in it.
Check-in and bag drop
Departure airport- Your relative
- Staff help with check-in and the bags. Ask them to confirm that the assistance booking and the wheelchair details are on the record.
- Their wheelchair
- The wheelchair is checked in for the hold, but your relative keeps using it for now. Ask for it to be brought back to the aircraft door at the other end.
Security and passport control
Departure airport- Your relative
- Staff take your relative through security and the departure checks. Tell them if your relative cannot stand, or cannot walk through the scanner.
- Their wheelchair
- The chair is screened along with your relative. Medicines and spare lithium batteries stay in the hand luggage.
At the gate
Departure airport- Your relative
- Staff board your relative with whatever help they need, which can be a lift, an aisle chair or another kind of help. If you would rather help them yourself, the law says you must be allowed to.
- Their wheelchair
- The CAA says your relative should be able to use their own wheelchair up to the gate. It goes into the hold from here.
On the plane
The airline- Your relative
- The airline seats your relative to suit their needs where it can, and seats a companion next to them where it reasonably can. Crew can help them to the toilet using an onboard wheelchair, but not with the toilet itself.
- Their wheelchair
- In the hold, stored there after the gate.
Arriving at the other end
Arrival airport- Your relative
- Staff help your relative off the plane, through passport control and customs, and to the baggage hall to collect the bags.
- Their wheelchair
- The CAA says it should be returned at the arrival gate unless there are extenuating reasons. Check it for damage before you leave the gate.
Leaving the airport
Arrival airport- Your relative
- Staff take your relative to a designated point, such as the taxi rank, the car park or a train station, where you have arranged to be collected.
- Their wheelchair
- Back with your relative. If it was lost or damaged, the airport must lend a temporary replacement, though not necessarily the same kind.
Two points from the law are worth knowing before you set off. The first is timing. Unless the airline has given you a time, assistance is due if your relative reaches check-in at least one hour before the published departure time, or an airport assistance point at least two hours before. Arriving earlier than that means nobody has to hurry a transfer from the wheelchair to an aisle chair or a seat.
The second is that a companion can help. The law says that a person travelling with your relative must, if you ask, be allowed to give the help themselves in the airport and when getting on and off the plane. The CAA's guidance adds that a companion can push your relative's wheelchair through the airport. Some families prefer the airport's staff to do the lifting, and some prefer the person their relative knows. Either is allowed, and you can tell staff on the day.
The CAA publishes yearly reports on how well each UK airport delivers assistance, which can help if you have a choice of departure airport.
A long flight brings its own risk for someone who cannot easily get up and walk. The NHS lists journeys of more than four hours by plane as a risk factor for blood clots in the leg, and suggests loose clothing, plenty of water, no alcohol and moving about when you can. Ask your relative's GP what they suggest for the length of flight you have in mind, particularly if your relative sits in one position for most of the day already.
If the wheelchair is damaged
What to do if the wheelchair is damaged or lost
A wheelchair is part of how your relative gets through the day, and losing it on holiday can leave them unable to get about. The law says who is responsible, but the limits on compensation mean it is worth preparing.
The law says that a passenger whose wheelchair or other mobility equipment is lost or damaged while it is handled at the airport or carried on the plane must be compensated. The CAA's guidance says airlines are liable for damage to mobility equipment, but that compensation is often limited to around £1,300 under the international rules on baggage. If your relative's wheelchair would cost more than that to repair or replace, the CAA suggests taking out extra insurance for valuable equipment.
While your relative's own chair is being repaired or replaced, the airport must provide a temporary alternative. The law says this does not have to be like for like, so a borrowed manual chair may be what is offered in place of a powered one.
- 1
Photograph the wheelchair before you hand it over
At check-in or the gateTake pictures from each side, with any damage it already has. Remove cushions, bags and anything that could come loose, and take them into the cabin. - 2
Check it as soon as it comes back
At the arrival gateLook it over before you leave the gate, and try the controls and brakes of a powered chair. Report any damage to the airline or the airport staff there and then. - 3
Ask for a temporary replacement
Before you leave the airportIf the chair cannot be used, ask the airport for a temporary one. Note the names of the staff you spoke to and the time. - 4
Make a written claim to the airline
As soon as you canSend the photographs, a repair quote or invoice and the booking details. If the airline does not resolve it, the CAA explains how to take a complaint further.
Check your relative's own insurance before you go. Some home insurance and wheelchair insurance policies cover a chair away from home and on a flight, and some do not. If a wheelchair was provided by the NHS wheelchair service, ask the service what it expects you to do if it is damaged while you are away. And if your relative has a second, lighter chair, it may be the better one to take.
Who travels with them
Who should travel with your relative, and when an airline can insist on it
Airport assistance gets your relative through the building and onto the plane. It does not help them eat, take their tablets or use the toilet, and nobody from the airport stays with them during the flight.
GOV.UK says that a passenger who needs help with eating, breathing, taking medication or using the toilet must travel with a companion. The law also lets an airline insist that someone travels with your relative where that is needed to meet safety requirements. The companion usually needs their own ticket, and the airline should make all reasonable efforts to seat you next to each other.
If your relative needs help with any of those things, the next step is to decide who goes with them. If your relative also has dementia, flying with dementia covers the extra things to plan for.
A family member or friend
No fee, but nobody to share the lifting with
A carer who already visits at home
Someone your relative already trusts
A carer who stays for the whole holiday
For a longer trip
A carer travelling with your relative is priced for the whole trip, as one fixed amount quoted before you book, rather than by the hour. The carer's flight, room and meals are agreed between you and the carer as part of that, so put it all in writing before anybody buys a ticket. Can you take a carer on holiday with you? goes through what to agree, and can I take a live-in carer on holiday? covers a live-in arrangement. If your relative is over State Pension age and needs help with personal care but does not yet claim Attendance Allowance, who qualifies and how to claim explains the benefit.
Agree with the carer what happens if the flight is cancelled. Under the standard contract, a visit you cancel is still payable in full unless the reason is an unplanned hospital stay, illness, or a reason the carer agrees to. PrimeCarers is an introductory service, so the arrangement is between you and the carer, who is self-employed, and PrimeCarers does not set those terms.
If your usual carer cannot come, tell us about the trip below: the dates, where you are going and what the carer would do. For now this is for trips within the UK, such as a flight to Scotland, Northern Ireland or one of the islands. Every carer on PrimeCarers has had an ID check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check (or PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last 2 years, and an online interview. Visits booked through PrimeCarers are covered by the carer insurance policy PrimeCarers arranges, within its terms, and moving and handling is covered only where the carer has been trained for it, so ask about transfers before you book. We do not check qualifications, training or references. Reviews and references appear on profiles unverified, so ask the carer directly about their experience of helping someone with transfers and of travelling.
Take a carer with you
Tell us the dates, where you are going and what the carer would do, and we will set your account up as you go.
If a flight starts to look like too much, a break closer to home is a sensible choice, and holidays with an older relative covers planning one with a carer coming too. Holidays as a disabled person in the UK covers places with step-free access, and holiday cover while you are away explains how to have a carer at home if you travel on your own.
Questions
Questions families ask about flying with a wheelchair
Yes, but it travels in the hold rather than the cabin. The CAA says your relative should be able to use it up to the departure gate, and that it should be returned at the arrival gate unless there are extenuating reasons. Up to two pieces of mobility equipment are carried free, outside the normal baggage allowance.
No. Assistance at UK airports and on flights from the UK is free, and so is carrying up to two mobility items. The airline, travel agent or tour operator must also give you a free way to ask for assistance when you book.
Ask anyway, as soon as you remember. If the request comes later than 48 hours before the published departure time, the airport must still make all reasonable efforts to help, although it is not bound to in the same way. Allow extra time on the day.
The rights are the same on any airline flying from a UK airport. Each airline has its own way of recording the request and its own rules for batteries and larger equipment, so read its special assistance page before you book and give the details it asks for.
Some can, if they can eat, take their medicines and use the toilet without help. GOV.UK says a passenger who needs help with any of those, or with breathing, must travel with a companion, and an airline can insist on one where safety rules require it.
The airline must compensate your relative, but the CAA says compensation is often limited to around £1,300, so extra insurance is worth considering for a valuable chair. The airport must lend a temporary replacement, though it may not be the same kind. Photograph the chair before you hand it over and report damage before you leave the airport.
Yes. A carer who already visits at home may be willing to come away, or, for a trip within the UK, you can tell us the dates and where you are going and meet carers who could come. The carer is paid a fixed amount for the whole trip, quoted before you book, and their flight, room and meals are agreed between you and the carer at the same time. Can you take a carer on holiday with you? covers what to agree.