Accessible travel

We are committed to make your travel an easy and stress-free experience. Tell us if you need assistance at the airport and on board our aircraft. 

Reservation of the assistance service | Assistance types | Travelling with own wheelchair | Passengers with a sensory impairment | Guide dog | Restrictions and legislation

Ground service assists a passenger with a wheelchair

Reservation of the assistance service

Tick the assistance service during the process of booking and purchasing your ticket, or at any time after you made your booking in the "Manage My Booking". Due to organisational reasons, we advise that you submit your request for assistance at least 48 hours before departure by filling in a special form.

Assistance types

  WCHR WCHS WCHC
Assistance in crossing longer distances at the airport ✅ ✅ ✅
Assistance in entering/leaving the aircraft (in the absence of a boarding bridge), use of specialized equipment (such as an elevator) ❌ ✅ ✅
Assistance in getting from the airplane door to your seat on board ❌ ❌ ✅

Remember:

  • read the above information carefully and choose the appropriate form of assistance to allow others in need to use the service as well
  • check on the website of the airport from which you are departing the exact location of the waiting area for assistance
  • when disembarking from the plane upon arrival at your destination airport, the assistance will be waiting for you at the door
  • assistance is a service offered by airports (not by the carrier), so if you have any questions or are not assisted at a certain time, contact airport information
  • we provide, through the appropriate entry in the reservation, information about what type of assistance was selected, so that the annotation is visible to airport staff.

Travelling with own wheelchair

At the airport

Due to limited space on board, during check in, your private wheelchair will be collected by airport personnel to be placed in the airplane's baggage hold. (this applies to any wheelchair, except for flights to/from the U.S., see "Wheelchair transportation on board the Dreamliner"). It will be returned to you upon arrival at the destination airport. Meanwhile, our personnel will assist you in moving between the check-in counter and the airplane, and from the airplane to the baggage claim area after landing, in another wheelchair.

You can take maximum two mobility aids free of charge.

To ensure that your check in and travel are as comfortable as possible, please tell us the dimensions and weight of your wheelchair. This will allow us to arrange for the adequate space in the aeroplane's baggage hold. 

On board

On all our long-haul flights (operated by Boeing 787s Dreamliner), we provide on-board wheelchairs to ensure that you can move around the cabin during your flight. This service is not available on Embraer and Boeing 737 aircraft.

  • Some seats in all our airplanes are equipped with lifting armrests for ease of movement.
  • Some lavatories in all our airplanes are fitted with special handrails. 
  • Our cabin crew can assist you on your way to and from the lavatory. However, they are not authorised to lift and carry you from your seat to your wheelchair, or to assist you in the lavatory.
  • If you require assistance with activities such as eating, taking medication, or using the lavatory, we encourage you to travel with a companion. Please inform us of your companion at the ticket booking stage, so we can assign seats next to each other.
A blind passenger and an accompanying person leave the plane

Assistance for passengers with a sensory impairment

Ground staff provides assistance to Passengers who are visually impaired, blind, hearing impaired, deaf or with limited ability during the check-in process. Special assistance will accompany you on your way from the check-in desk to the plane and from the plane to the arrivals hall after collecting your baggage at the destination airport.

Our cabin crew is always at your service and ready to assist you.

Traveling with an accompanying person

If you are travelling with a companion, you will be seated next to each other. Please inform us that you are travelling with a companion when booking your ticket.

Passengers travelling with a guide dog

An assistance/guide dog is an appropriately trained and specially marked dog, in particular a guide dog of a blind or visually impaired person, and a dog assisting a person with a physical dysfunction, which helps the person actively participate in social life.

Read more about traveling with an assistance / guide dog.

 

 

Restrictions and legislation

Restrictions

If you are travelling on a flight operated by one of our partner airlines, some regulations may differ from those applied by LOT. We recommend contacting our sales offices and the LOT Call Center to confirm the details.

Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)

Consumers can obtain a copy (Part 382) containing the rules regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in air travel, in an accessible format from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) by any of the following means:

  • By phoning the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at 202-366-2220 (Voice) or 202-366-0511 (TTY),
  • By mail at Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building, Room W96-432, Washington, DC 20590,
  • On the website of the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at: https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer

Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights

Read the Department of Transportation's regulation on travel for people with disabilities and the current Bill of Rights. (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab)