All airlines North America
United Airlines
Powered wheelchairs accepted · carried free.
- Advance notice
- Not published
- Powered wheelchair
- Yes
- Lithium, battery installed
- Not published
- Cost to carry
- Free
Who to contact
Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.
- PhoneUSA — Accessibility Desk
- PhoneUSA — Assistive Device Desk (lost, damaged or delayed wheelchair)
- EmailAssistive Device Desk — wheelchair claims
- EmailSpecial travel needs
- Online form
- Online form
A Complaint Resolution Official (CRO) is a trained employee at the airport; United says to tell any United employee and they will get one for you.
Read it from the source
Powered wheelchairs & batteries
The part that goes wrong. Battery chemistry and watt-hours decide whether your chair flies, and the rules differ depending on whether the battery can be removed.
Electric wheelchairs are carried free but must be checked at the ticket counter or gate and transported as cargo. If the itinerary includes another carrier and the device uses a lithium-ion battery, United says extra steps may be required by that carrier.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
Lithium-ion chairs: if the battery is in a protective casing the chair is loaded with the battery attached; if not, the battery must be removed and stored in your carry-on and you must tell a flight attendant you have brought it on board.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
United publishes no watt-hour cap for a battery that stays installed in a wheelchair.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Dangerous items — batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
United publishes no watt-hour cap specific to a wheelchair battery removed into the cabin; it says only that it goes in your carry-on and must be declared to a flight attendant.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Dangerous items — batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published for a spare wheelchair battery. United's 'up to two lithium batteries with a max of 160 watt-hours' sits on the general dangerous-items battery page written for personal electronics (devices under 100 Wh), and the wheelchair page sets no watt-hour figure at all — so the 160 Wh is not recorded here as a mobility-aid allowance.
Dangerous items — batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No mobility-aid spare count is published. United's general dangerous-items page allows up to two lithium batteries of at most 160 Wh in carry-on, each covered or with terminals taped; that is the consumer-electronics rule and United's wheelchair page says nothing about spares.
Dangerous items — batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Depends on battery type and fit: a lithium-ion battery not in a protective casing must be removed and carried in the cabin; a wet-cell battery must be removed into a battery box if the chair cannot go through the cargo door upright; gel/dry batteries stay attached.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
Dry- or gel-cell chairs: if the chair cannot fit upright through the cargo door it is loaded on its side with the battery attached and set upright inside the hold. United needs confirmation the chair cannot be accidentally switched on, or the battery cables must be disconnected. 'Most wheelchairs utilize a gel-cell battery.'
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
Wet-cell chairs are carried: if the chair cannot fit upright through the cargo door the battery is removed and transported in a special battery box to meet federal dangerous-goods requirements. A damaged or leaking battery cannot be transported, and wheelchairs with wet-cell batteries are never tilted during transport.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
For gel/dry-cell chairs United needs confirmation the wheelchair cannot be accidentally turned on before loading, or the battery cables must be disconnected. Spare lithium batteries must be individually covered or have exposed terminals taped over.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Dangerous items — batteries (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Our ground crew looks for written instructions when loading and unloading wheelchairs. You can create your own or fill out our wheelchair information form and attach it to your chair. We'll only take off the removable pieces of your wheelchair if you give us permission in your written instructions."
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
No stated maximum chair size. United's booking wheelchair filter takes your chair's width and height and lists the aircraft it fits; the airplane accessibility page lists a cargo door size per aircraft but never says which figure is the height. See aircraft_hold_note.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Airplane accessibility — armrests, lavatories and cargo door sizes (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum published; the same FAQ answer covers powered chairs. United says only 'If your wheelchair is under 250 pounds it can be stored in cargo on most planes' (250 lb = 113.4 kg), that above that it 'might not be able to fly it depending on the type and size of plane', and that it may deny boarding to a chair whose weight presents operational or safety concerns.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
Electric wheelchairs can be checked at the ticket counter or the gate and returned at the gate on arrival if you tell a gate agent before boarding.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
United may tilt a chair to load it and says it tries to avoid this; use the wheelchair filter when booking to see only aircraft whose cargo door takes the chair without tilting. Chairs with wet-cell batteries are never tilted. If you must buy a more expensive flight because your chair does not fit, United refunds the fare difference (same origin and destination, both United/United Express, both non-stop or both with connections).
Manual wheelchairs
Manual wheelchairs are carried free; folding or collapsible chairs may be stowed in the cabin and all others go in the cargo hold.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
All planes have dedicated space to store at least one adult-sized wheelchair in-cabin when folded or collapsed. Ask a United agent to place it in an onboard closet when you pre-board; if it does not fit properly it is stowed in the cargo area.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Airplane accessibility — armrests, lavatories and cargo door sizes (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
United does not publish the in-cabin closet dimensions; it says only that every plane has space for at least one adult-sized folded or collapsed wheelchair.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Airplane accessibility — armrests, lavatories and cargo door sizes (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
United states no maximum chair size. It publishes a cargo door size per aircraft plus an interactive fit tool, but the published pairs are not labelled height vs width (737 '45 x 32 in', CRJ-900 '20 x 42 in'), so no figure is recorded here — see aircraft_hold_note.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Airplane accessibility — armrests, lavatories and cargo door sizes (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No maximum published. United says only 'If your wheelchair is under 250 pounds it can be stored in cargo on most planes' (250 lb = 113.4 kg) and that a heavier chair 'we might not be able to fly... depending on the type and size of plane', reserving the right to deny boarding to a chair whose weight presents operational or safety concerns. That is a guideline, not a stated limit, so no number is recorded.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
You can wait until the gate to check your wheelchair, and it can be returned at the gate after you land instead of at baggage claim — tell a gate agent before boarding. Say so before your first flight of the day if you want to use it during a layover.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
United asks travellers to attach written handling instructions to a checked chair; detachable pieces such as seat cushions, side guards and footrests may be carried on or stowed with the chair.
Booking & cost
United publishes no advance-notice deadline in hours; it says only that 'for the best experience you should let us know you have one before you even get to the airport', and recommends arriving an hour before the minimum check-in time.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
United's flight search has a wheelchair filter: enter your chair's width and height and it labels which flights the chair will fit on. Assistance can be requested when booking, or afterwards in My Trips, and collected at the ticket counter or the lobby wheelchair assistance centre. Arrive about an hour before the minimum required check-in time.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
"It's free to check your wheelchair or mobility device in addition to your checked bags. This includes manual and electric wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes, and crutches. They can be folding, non-folding, or collapsible."
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
Free to check up to two wheelchairs, scooters or mobility devices, including sports wheelchairs and personal medical equipment, in addition to checked bags. Ordinary bag charges apply to further devices.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
File with the Assistive Device Desk on 1-866-261-2395 or assisteddevice@united.com with the baggage incident report number, itinerary, bag tag, proof of ownership, and the chair's model and serial number. "Failure to file a claim may make it harder to recover your mobility device." Chairs are inspected at check-in and pre-existing damage documented. On US domestic flights and to/from Canada, claims are subject to any limitation a court recognises, "however, the notice and claim requirements do not apply".
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
On board
"All planes with more than 60 seats have an onboard wheelchair, which can be used to access the lavatory." Aircraft with 60 seats or fewer therefore have none.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
Varies by aircraft: 'accessible bathroom available' on 787, 777, 767, CRJ-700, CRJ-900 and E170/175; 'bathroom with privacy curtain and handrails' on 757, 737 and A319/A320/A321neo; 'no accessible bathroom available' on CRJ-200, CRJ-550 and E145.
Airplane accessibility — armrests, lavatories and cargo door sizes (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Crew help with getting to and from your seat, accessing carry-on bags, and opening food packages and drinks. But: "We will not assist you in the bathroom, with medication, or feed you", and United recommends travelling with a companion if you cannot leave the aircraft unaided in an emergency.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30
Many planes have movable armrests for transferring from an aisle wheelchair; the exact rows and seats are published per aircraft type. If your seat has no movable aisle armrest, ask a gate agent or flight attendant for a more accessible seat.
Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-30 Airplane accessibility — armrests, lavatories and cargo door sizes (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. United publishes a 'cargo door size' per aircraft on its airplane accessibility page as an unlabelled pair of inches: 787-8/-9/-10 37 x 42 in; 777-200/-300ER 103 x 61 in; 767-300/-400 67 x 43 in; 757-200/-300 52 x 41 in; 737-700/-800/-900 45 x 32 in; A319/A320/A321neo 69 x 46 in; CRJ-900 20 x 42 in; CRJ-200/-550/-700 40 x 30 in; E170/E175 40 x 32 in; E145 36 x 41 in. Because the page never says which figure is the height, use United's booking wheelchair filter (enter your chair's width and height) as the authoritative fit check.
Worth knowing
United is one of the few carriers with a real fit tool: enter your chair's width and height in the flight-search wheelchair filter and it labels which flights the chair fits, with a fare-difference refund if you have to buy a more expensive flight that does. Two mobility devices travel free, on top of checked bags. The weak point is the cargo-door table: the pairs are unlabelled (737 '45 x 32 in' reads width-then-height, CRJ-900 '20 x 42 in' reads height-then-width), so those numbers are deliberately not written into the dimension fields here — a human should ask United to clarify the column order. United publishes no watt-hour cap for wheelchair batteries, so every lithium field here is null; the 160 Wh / two-battery figures quoted in those details are its general carry-on lithium rule on the dangerous items page, not a mobility-specific limit, and are deliberately not recorded as values. United also publishes no maximum chair weight: 'under 250 pounds ... on most planes' (250 lb = 113.4 kg) is a soft guideline — heavier chairs are aircraft-dependent, not refused — so max_weight_kg is null with the 250 lb figure kept in detail. No advance-notice deadline in hours is published. The mobility FAQ on the wheelchair page is an accordion that did not render in the 2026-07-29 live capture; its text (weight, two-device allowance, battery-type table) was read from a same-day rendered capture of the same URL. 2026-07-30: the page was supplied by a human. Its FAQ accordions ("Is there a weight limit for my wheelchair?", "How will my electric wheelchair be transported?", "Will you tilt my wheelchair while loading it in cargo?") are collapsed and their answers did not come through, so United's weight limit and battery rules remain unread and stay null. United's own airport wheelchairs are "typically 18 inches wide". Motorised riding luggage is out of scope here. Where a codeshare partner operates and the device uses a lithium-ion battery, United says to contact that carrier separately.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Accessible travel (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Wheelchair assistance and mobility services (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-30
- s3 Airplane accessibility — armrests, lavatories and cargo door sizes (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Dangerous items — batteries (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Air Carrier Access Act (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 Special travel needs contact information (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s7 Customer wheelchair information form (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 7 official sources · 6 contacts · 64% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 30 July 2026, the day this page was built. What these mean.