Friday, October 12, 2012

Wheeling and Dealing


Looking for ways to cut to the front of airport security lines? Apparently you’re not the only one.

Airport workers say they are seeing an increased amount of travelers abusing the complimentary wheelchairs provided at airports. It has even gotten to the point that airport workers expect increased wheelchair requests whenever they see security lines that are especially long.
Wheelchair passengers go through an expedited security screening and get to board the plane first, so maybe it should be of no surprise that there are a few unsavory characters who try to take advantage of this.

Airports are required by law to accommodate disabled travelers free of charge. However, there is no requirement for passengers to prove their disability when requesting a wheelchair. Which begs the question, should airports start to charge or require proof of disability for wheelchairs?

I think it is safe to say that requiring proof of disability (much like a handicap parking placard) would weed out most of the abusers of this service and leave the wheelchairs for those who are truly in need of them!

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