Plane seat unveiled that allows flyers to use their own wheelchairs

John Morris had to see it for himself. An accessible travel expert who uses a power wheelchair, Morris flew to Hamburg, to check out a prototype of a new airline seat being unveiled by subsidiary of Delta Air Lines on Tuesday that could dramatically - although not immediately - improve the flying experience for wheelchair users. In an email from Germany, Morris called the seat a "tremendous first step in the race to accommodate disabled passengers' personal wheelchairs in the aircraft cabin". Travellers who use motorised wheelchairs have been asking for such a solution for years as complaints mount about damage to chairs that have to be stowed with luggage. Last year, US airlines mishandled 11,389 wheelchairs and scooters, or 1.54 per 100 that were loaded onto planes. Delta Flight Products, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, showed off the prototype at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. The concept is the result of years of work, first among a group called Air 4 All that includes design studio PriestmanGoode, advocacy organisation Flying Disabled, wheelchair manufacturer Sunrise Medical and SWS Certification, which works to get approvals for aeroplane interior products. The consortium has been working with Delta Flight Products for more than a year but only announced the partnership in recent days. "With their contribution we have reached a position where we have a fully working prototype that DFP can showcase to all airlines," Daniel MacInnes, director of PriestmanGoode, said in an emailed response to questions. "Having something tangible for users to test and to demonstrate brings it much closer to flying, but no announcements have been made on the first airline partner."<br/>