Wheelchair Accessible & Mobility-Assisted Airport Transportation in Chicago

The Two Systems, and Why They're Separate

There are two distinct pieces of a trip involving mobility equipment, and they're arranged through different people:

Ground transportation gets you from your door to the terminal curb, and back again on your return. This is what you book with us, and it's where vehicle size, equipment storage, and assistance getting in and out of the vehicle matter.

In-terminal assistance — a wheelchair and attendant to get you from the curb through security to your gate — is requested through your airline, usually when you book your flight or by calling them at least 48 hours ahead. Airlines are required to provide this, but they need advance notice to staff it properly.

Arranging one does not arrange the other. Both need to be handled separately, and both benefit from being handled early.

What to Tell Dispatch When You Book

• Exactly what equipment is traveling — a folding manual wheelchair, a rigid-frame chair, a rollator or walker, a powered chair, a mobility scooter. These have very different space requirements.
• Whether the equipment folds or disassembles, and roughly how heavy it is.
• What level of assistance you'd like getting in and out of the vehicle, and with loading equipment.
• Whether a companion or caregiver is traveling with you, since that affects passenger count and seating.
• Any preference about vehicle height — some travelers find an SUV easier to enter than a sedan, others find the opposite. It's worth stating rather than leaving to chance.

Book further ahead than you would for a standard trip. Specialized vehicle availability is genuinely more limited, and same-day requests may not be able to accommodate specific equipment needs.

Folding Wheelchairs vs. Powered Chairs and Scooters

• Folding manual wheelchairs and walkers generally fit in a standard sedan trunk or, more comfortably, an SUV or minivan. Most trips involving these can be accommodated with advance notice about vehicle size.
• Powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters are a different situation entirely. They're heavy, often don't fold, and typically require a vehicle with a ramp or lift rather than a standard trunk. Confirm directly with dispatch well ahead of your travel date whether this can be accommodated, rather than assuming — being honest about this upfront is better than a vehicle arriving that can't carry your equipment.

If we can't accommodate a specific piece of equipment, we'd rather tell you when you book than have you find out at pickup. Ask the question directly.

Requesting Airline Assistance at O'Hare and Midway

• Request it when you book your flight, or call the airline at least 48 hours before departure.
• Reconfirm 24 hours out, especially for early-morning departures when staffing is thinner.
• On arrival, assistance meets you at the aircraft and can accompany you to baggage claim and the curb — useful coordination point, since that's where your ride will be waiting.
• At Terminal 5 (international arrivals), factor in that customs processing happens before you reach the curb, which lengthens the window between landing and pickup.

Traveling With a Companion or Caregiver

• Mention them when booking so the vehicle has room for both passengers plus equipment and luggage — the combination fills a sedan quickly.
• Share their phone number as a contact option, particularly useful if you'd prefer they handle coordination on arrival.
• For a return pickup, flight tracking means the driver adjusts to your actual landing, but the extra time to deplane with assistance is worth mentioning so nobody's waiting at the curb unnecessarily.