The prototype needs to be certified and tested before it is equipped on planes.
Wheelchair user will finally get the comfort they deserve on plane — or at least , that ’s the visionDeltais seek to make a reality .
Thanks to a collaboration with UK - based consortiumAir 4 All , Delta Air Lines ' Flight Products branch is launching a new airplane stern that is able to accommodate a wheelchair if need , Insiderreports .
If put into practice , it would be a immense deal for wheelchair users , as it would countenance them to seethe their own wheelchair from the aerodrome onto the plane and then off once at terminus . As of now , instead , wheelchair users have to utilise a wheelchair provide by the air hose for move across the airport and to the plane , and once they ’re on the aircraft , they are transferred onto a posterior . Their own wheelchair is checked and usually hive away in the cargo hold for the duration of the trajectory .
Image courtesy of @priestmangoode
In plus to it being a not - so - unseamed procedure , the current way of dealing with wheelchairs when flying has resulted in many issues for traveler who use wheelchairs . According to theUS Department of Transportation ’s February 2023 Air Travel Consumer Report , in 2022 alone , 11,389 wheelchairs were mishandled by US airlines , which leave in potential delays , property damages , and a corking stratum of stress for owners , who have to confront huge worriment if their wheelchair is delayed , wanting , or broken .
The job is spring up , too . The later Air Travel Consumer Reportreleased in May 2023 reports that between January and March of this year the routine of total mishandled wheelchairs and scooter was 2,547 ( versus 2,028 in the same period last yr ) .
This raw seat would set these problems apart for skilful , as the rider would n’t need to get off their wheelchair at any point . consort to a press release by Air 4 All , the young seat — which is still a image , and needs to be attest and tested before it line up its spot on commercial-grade planes — is designed in a way that allows for a wheelchair - favorable prat conversion when needed . That have in mind that if there is a wheelchair drug user alongside , the seat can be flipped up , its back cushion take , and the wheelchair backed into the space and safely attach .
Here ’s a closer look at how the buttocks function :
If no one needs the wheelchair nates , no headache — the bum can work as a regular seat as well , allowing the space to be used by all passengers . For airway , this is yet another bonus to equip plane with the novel tooshie . " air hose have been resistant to provide a wheelchair space as this would result in a loss of can counting , " reads the Air 4 All website . " The Air4All system removes that anomaly . "
And get this : the upgrade would be a unsubdivided one . The implementation of the new seat would n’t require any change to current cabin constellation . Plus , wheelchair exploiter would get the same level of ease and comforts as any other passenger , as the seat is always able to offer access to the headrest , tray mesa , and cocktail table .
