[gbgb]

This seems to be a very bad thing at first and for some people it is. However ….

I don’t think it is as bad as it seems. The heaviest chair that I am familiar with is the Invacare Storm series. The heaviest in that series is 372 lbs. This is the long wheelbase model (which may have size issues!) with all the bells and whistles and batteries. I realize there are others that are heavier.

The saving grace is that the batteries in most wheel chairs are easily removable; they are on a slide out tray or are in removable boxes with plugs and sockets.

Assuming the airline is more worried about floor loading and aircraft balance than how much weight you are allowed this means they can place a 250 Lb chair on one side and 125 Lb, approximately, of batteries on the other side.

This doesn’t mean you won’t have to argue with some dim witted official who just doesn’t get it!

This will be more complicated in the future with the greater use of lithium batteries. They are lighter and may alleviate the weight problem, but they terrify airline people who remember the Boeing battery fires.