Disabled-Woman-With-Luggage

Motor-based disability

Your wheelchair or personal mobility device

Air France transports 2 wheelchairs or personal mobility devices (manual or electric) at no extra cost. While there is no size or weight limit, it is possible that certain airports lack the necessary means for boarding or exiting the aircraft. In addition, the size of certain aircraft operated by Air France's partner airline companies may not allow loading heavy or large devices. To best arrange for the transport of your devices, we strongly recommend that you book no less than 48 hours before your departure. To ensure your wheelchair(s) are taken care of, we recommend that you arrive at the airport 3 hours before the departure of your long-haul flight* and 2 hours before the departure of your short- or medium-haul flight**. We will take every precaution to avoid any damages. However, we recommend that you keep any items that could easily be lost in your hand baggage: pressure-relief cushions, moveable footrest, etc.

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* Long-haul Air France flights include most intercontinental flights, such as:

  • between Metropolitan France and the Carribean or the Indian Ocean,
  • between Metropolitan and Overseas France
  • between Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa (except North Africa), the Americas, or the Middle East

Medium-haul flights include flights in Europe to/from the following countries:

  • Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France (except for flights witihn Metropolitan France), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
  • flights between Europe and North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia).

The short-haul network covers travel in Metropolitan France (mainland France and Corsica).

Transport conditions for your wheelchair

To view the conditions of transport for your personal mobility device, select your wheelchair type from the list below.

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In most airports*, you can keep it with you up to the aircraft opening or boarding gate if access to the aircraft is not direct via a walkway. Your manual wheelchair may also be delivered to you as soon as you exit the aircraft or enter the terminal. If you have a connecting flight, you can reclaim your wheelchair if:

  • your stopover lasts longer than 3 hours at Paris-Charles de Gaulle,
  • your stopover lasts longer than 1 hour and 30 minutes at Paris-Orly.

In other cases, you will receive assistance during your stopover. If you have specific needs for assistance, please indicate them during booking. We also ask that you please specify the type of wheelchair, its dimensions, its weight, as well as whether it is foldable. This will help us prepare for its transport in the best possible conditions. Some of our aircraft have a designated space in the cabin for storing a folded wheelchair:

  • For this, your wheelchair must not exceed 33 cm/13 in. in depth, 92 cm/36 in. in height, and 107 cm/42 in. in width.

If your folded wheelchair meets these dimensions and you wish to have it stored in the cabin, you can make a request by contacting our saphir assistance serviceor the airport check-in counter. During boarding, the cabin crew will inform you if this space is available. If your wheelchair cannot be stored in the cabin, it will be placed in the hold free of charge at the time of boarding. Upon arrival, your wheelchair will be returned to you immediately when exiting the plane if the infrastructure allows it. Otherwise, it will be returned to you at the baggage carousel. Please note: You must be able to disassemble footrests and store them in a cover. * To confirm which airports, please check when booking.

Baggage tags for your personal mobility device

We have created special baggage tags for wheelchairs and personal mobility devices. Print yours before the flight!

  1. Download the tag corresponding to your personal mobility device
  2. Print the tag on A4 paper (8 1/2" x 11") in color (mandatory)
  3. Fill in the required information
  4. Fold your tag in 4, following the dotted lines
  5. At the airport on the day of departure, insert your baggage tag into an Air France baggage tag holder (provided free of charge at the airport) and attach it to your device

Please note: baggage tags and baggage tag holders are reusable.

Safety rules regarding wheelchair batteries

Two types of batteries are possible:

  • So-called “invertible” batteries (also called “dry-cell batteries”): lithium batteries are considered invertible,
  • So-called “non-invertible” batteries (also called “wet-cell batteries”).

To view the transport conditions for batteries, please see the list below.

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  • The battery may remain attached to the wheelchair or mobility device if it is well affixed.
  • The terminals need not be disconnected if they are already inside of a cell case or isolated (to avoid any short circuits).
  • The motor is disengaged.

We recommend that you indicate the type or types of wheelchairs you intend to transport no less than 48 hours before your departure.

Assistance wheelchairs

Assistance staff use wheelchairs to take you from a designated place in the airport to the aircraft, and then from the aircraft to the airport exit. These wheelchairs are also used during your connections if you are unable to recuperate your personal wheelchair. In certain cases, you must also use these wheelchairs on board, to move to and from the aircraft’s doorway and seat.

Onboard wheelchairs

All aircraft operated by Air France are equipped with an onboard wheelchair that is designed to circulate in aircraft aisles and access the restrooms during the flight. If you cannot transfer yourself to and from your seat and the onboard wheelchair, our staff will help you do so. They will also guide you through the aisles or to the restrooms. However, you will not receive any assistance within the restrooms. Please note: the maximum authorized weight on an onboard wheelchair is 100 kg / 220 lb, with a width of 35 cm / 165 in between armrests. If your body mass or disability prevents you from using the onboard wheelchair, please inform us during booking.

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