American Airlines Launches Automated Tagging for Mobility Devices, Plans Other Improvements

Millions of Americans rely on mobility devices on a daily basis, and many of them face significant obstacles when traveling by air.

American Airlines is making an effort to address lost and damaged assistive devices, launching automated tagging, beefing up staff training, and rolling out other customer-friendly improvements to reduce barriers to travel.

Here’s a look at the latest improvements.

American Airlines Launches Automated Tags for Mobility Devices

It may surprise you to learn this doesn’t exist already, but American Airlines is now the sole U.S. airline using automated tags for mobility devices like scooters and wheelchairs.

This should lead to improvements for travelers, as the Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that more than 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters were mishandled by airlines in 2023, resulting in damage and delays that significantly impact travelers who rely on this equipment. In response, the DOT increased penalties to get airlines to take action; American Airlines seems to have noticed.

Rather than using manual tags, which don’t convey the same breadth of information during handling and may be filled out incorrectly, automated tags will provide critical information like the customer’s itinerary, delivery point for the device, weight, type of battery included (if any), and how many items the customer removed to take on board. The other obvious advantage: automated tracking of the device.

“American is committed to improving the travel experience for our customers who use wheelchairs and mobility devices,” said Julie Rath, American’s Senior Vice President of Airports, Reservations and Service Recovery. “Streamlining the check-in and tagging process is an industry-leading effort that will help us further improve how we handle wheelchairs for our customers who entrust us to transport their devices on their journey.”

Other American Airlines Improvements for Mobility

The use of automated tags isn’t the only improvement passengers will encounter when traveling with American or its regional affiliates. In addition to web-based training for all employees, the airline hired an external agency to conduct training for customer-facing employees at airports.

Moreover, American is adding wheelchair movers and lifts at its hubs and at regional airports with high rates of mobility devices, reducing the risk of injury to passengers and employees handling these devices — as well as reducing the risk of damage to the devices themselves.

Plus, starting this fall, customers will be able to add their devices to their travel profiles. This will enable those with service animals, mobility devices, and other travel needs to save these details in their profiles and apply these details to upcoming trips on AA.com.

Final Thoughts

Those who require mobility assistance face numerous barriers during air travel. American Airlines is taking steps to reduce some of these, automating the tagging process for assistive equipment and promising updates to customer profiles online. Once enabled, customers will be able to save their mobility requirements and personal devices to their profile for use on their future American Airlines reservations.