When it comes to catching a plane, being disabled or overweight can be a problem. Some travelers, on several occasions, have suffered discomfort due to their physical qualities, which, due to being overweight or having a disability, have been forced to pay more than necessary on the tickets. In this article, we talk about the general conditions of disabled people and the current situation regarding this issue.

Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.

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Flights for the disabled and obese: discounts and conditions

Free flights and discounts

There are quite a few people with disabilities or with a family member with a medical condition who request to have flights free or cheap to be able to travel more easily. In Argentina, an online petition was even made to create a law, since road trips in this country are too long.



While in some countries there is free ground transportation for people with mobility problems, there is still no airline or country that offers free plane tickets, not even discounts or offers, so being a disabled person does not allows you to get a cheaper flight.

This is a major economic problem for some people, since a significant percentage of disabled people, like some children, need to be accompanied by a family member to travel.

Additional seats

Some airlines have a rule for decades that stipulates that disabled or obese passengers must be overpaid the actual value of the ticket or plane ticket. Even a large number of people who are often overweight must pay the price of an extra seat. This fact supposes for some of them cruelty, humiliation and even shame.

This varies depending on each airline, since they are the ones that stipulate these types of conditions inside the plane. Some recommend that obese people pay for an extra or wider seat. However, in some cases, if they have finally been free seats, they get to return the money.

After so many lawsuits by these passengers against the companies, the courts and companies have finally put the papers on the table and are willing to reach a solution to solve this case.



For example, Aerolineas Argentinas is one of the first companies to offer an extra seat free for people who are overweight or injured on domestic and regional flights. To do this, the form must be submitted INCAD-MEDIF and Request for Transportation of heavy / injured passengers with Extra Seat requirement.

Rights and assistance on the flight

In the case of the European Union, we find a law that protects people with disabilities in this regard: the Regulation (CE) No. 1107/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 5, 2006 on the rights of people with disabilities or reduced mobility in the air Transport.

This law indicates that, in principle, it is prohibido prevent a person from boarding due to the fact of having a disability, both on national and international flights. However, they can for security reasons.

Likewise, these people have the right to fly under the same conditions as other passengers and without any additional charge for the help they may need. In addition, they must be assisted both at the airport (by airport managers) and on the plane (by airline staff).

In relation to this, regardless of the continent in which we are, most of the airlines have assistance services so that disabled people can fly without any difficulty.

If you need this service, most companies, such as Iberia, ask that you request it at least 48 hours before the flight and that you arrive at the airport with two hours to spare.

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