We recently reported on a prototype seat from Air4All that would allow wheelchair users to fly in their chairs. While the Air4All prototype is the most developed, there are a number of other innovative systems now in the works to allow wheelchair users to travel in their own wheelchairs on commercial aircraft.

Freedom Seat:

Colorado-based Molon Labe Seating designed an aisle-side seat that can slide over to create a space for a wheelchair user to park their chair and lock down. I had the opportunity to test the Freedom Seat in a mockup feasibility study at the Boeing 737 Configuration Studio in Renton, Washington, in July 2021. After some precise driving and a couple of attempts, I was able to back into a major carrier’s current cabin configuration unimpeded and dock into a Q’STRAINT QLK personal docking system mounted to a piece of plywood in the vacant space below.

Fly Your Wheels Suite:

Collins Aerospace teamed up with researchers and students at the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University to develop a concept that reengineers the cabin’s front closet into a multipurpose module that can function as a safe parking berth for a wheelchair user in-flight. This design generated significant buzz last year because it effectively adds another paying customer without the need for drastic changes to existing in-cabin seating. The Fly Your Wheels Suite was shortlisted for a 2022 Crystal Cabin Award, along with the Air4All seat.

Air4All:

Delta-subsidiary Delta Flight Products’ prototype is by far the most fleshed-out public concept. It features novel accommodations for adjustable armrests, and tray tables that can be customized to a wheelchair-user’s height needs. Like the Freedom Seat, Air4All’s original design incorporated the Q’STRAINT QLK docking system, but both have switched to the Q’STRAINT ONE retractable tie-down system as showcased at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2023 to allow for more universal access for all types of wheelchairs.

Molon Labe CEO Hank Scott sees the ongoing work as a collective team effort rather than a competition. “The release by Chris and the DFP folks of their design recently has given the idea of flying wheelchairs a real boost to the momentum,” he says. “This movement is more about collaborating and offering a worldwide solution. We have an aim … and we will achieve [it] together with these advocates, partners and airlines.”