‘It’s our legs’: Southwest Airlines disassembled athletes’ wheelchairs without telling them

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) - Athletes are raising concerns about how Southwest Airlines handled their wheelchairs during their flights.

In a video posted on Instagram, athletes who traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to compete in the National Wheelchair Basketball Championship shared their frustration over how Southwest Airlines disassembled their wheelchairs during their flights.

Justin Walker is one of many athletes who traveled for the game and said the staff was asked not to break down their wheelchairs.

“We know how to get our chairs in through the doors, so we even asked them and showed them how to get those chairs through the doors so they didn’t have to break it down,” he said. “Nevertheless, they did end up breaking down all the chairs, taking all the wheels off the chairs, and basically telling us that everything was packed and ready to go.”

When the teams touched down, Walker said they found out airline staff disassembled their wheelchairs, causing some to break.

“We’ve got this giant mess, a jigsaw puzzle, like wheelchair pieces everywhere,” said Myranda Shields, a social media manager for one of the teams participating in the championships.

The Department of Transportation’s website said airlines must check and return your assistive devices, including wheelchairs, in the same condition as it was received.

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said the airline does not have any reports of damage to the wheelchairs and added that the airline had a very high number of wheelchairs to transport in the cargo hold of their 737-700, which the company notes is the smallest of the three aircrafts in their fleet.

Staff removed wheels to fit all the wheelchairs and as many bags as possible, the airlines said. Southwest Airlines said there was a delay as staff worked to match the wheels with the chairs.

“We have reviewed the situation and addressed it with the appropriate parties so we are able to provide a better experience for our customers the next time they fly with Southwest. We have a long history of caring for our customers and apologize any time we don’t meet those expectations,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement to WWBT.

Southwest Airlines said it has connected with its staff at the airports where those athletes were traveling to ensure mobility devices are properly tagged so they can be reassembled as quickly as possible.

Walker hopes this situation will raise awareness and spark change.

“Anyone that has a device, anyone that needs assistance, anyone that has to use something to feel like they’re human, which we all are, that needs to be recognized,” he said.

A spokesperson for Richmond International Airport said they will work with airline partners to make the balance of arrivals as welcoming as possible.