Flying High, Strong and Safe
The Delta Air Chair Improves Travel Experience for People with Disabilities

by Joan Leotta

View images of the Delta Air Chair

During September and October 2001 when our nation's air travel was in crisis mode, Delta Air Lines had additional concerns surrounding safety. Delta was finalizing an initiative to make boarding and disembarking from planes safer and more dignified for passengers with disabilities. In the midst of all the security directives imposed by the FAA, Delta followed through on its commitment and introduced a revolutionary new type of wheelchair - the Delta Air Chair. "These chairs make boarding and exiting the plane much easier," says Carmen Jones, President of Solutions Marketing Group. Jones has used the Delta Air Chair herself in the course of business travel and attests to the validity of the company's assertion that the transfer process is more dignified and safer for passengers and airline staff.

According to Sue Cortese, Manager Airport Services, a group within Delta's Airport Customer Service Division, the chair was developed in response to employee input. "Our best ideas come from employees who do the job everyday", notes Cortese. Delta's Continuous Improvement Team (CIT) in the Orlando station presented a concept for a revolutionary new hydraulic lift chair to enhance customer comfort and employee safety. "We received approval to move forward with development of the hydraulic chair and quickly developed our first prototype, in June 2000, " notes Cortese. Delta contacted Theradyne, a division of Kurt Manufacturing, to work on developing prototypes.

Developing the Chair

Employees from Delta's Airport Customer Service Division took on this challenge and worked with Theradyne to develop a prototype hydraulic aisle chair. The prototype chair consisted of a wheelchair assembly equipped with a vertical hydraulic lifting mechanism. By using technology from existing hydraulic wheelchair products, engineers created the original prototype I. Prototype I was tested in Orlando for a six month period on Delta Express aircraft, beginning in June 2000.

Customers and employees who were part of the initial testing phase deemed the prototype an outstanding success. Additional prototype chairs were developed and testing completed with approximately 30 chairs in 16 domestic locations: Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, Tampa, Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach.

The Delta Air Chair went from concept to reality in just 18 months. This timetable included design and manufacturing, field-testing of four prototypes, and delivery of the new chair. Each chair prototype was evaluated carefully according to customer and employee comments. Modifications were made to conform the chair to work best for employees and provide comfort for passengers. The final version and fourth prototype was finalized by April 2001 with delivery scheduled for late summer.

Features of the Chair

View images of the Delta Air Chair

The Delta Air Chair features a patented hydraulic lift system that elevates the passenger to the height of the handrail so the airline employee can easily pass the passenger over the armrest and be lowered into their seat. Prior to the Air Chair's development, gate agents had to lift passengers from the carry-on chair, pass them over the armrest, and then lower them down into their seat. This movement was sometimes awkward and placed strain on the employees.

Reactions to the Chair

Currently, there are 250 chairs in use by Delta in 125 domestic and international locations. The new hydraulic technology of the Delta Air Chair, promises to protect both passengers and airline employees from injury and to make the travel experience more comfortable for special needs passengers.

Delta has already noted that on-the-job injuries related to lifting passengers has improved slightly, showing some impact of the use of the chair on employee health and safety. Passengers indicate that they feel more comfortable, more secure, and more in control. Additional comments include: "We are more confident that we won't be mishandled due to lifting, carrying, swinging into the seat... The fact that the DL Air Chair operates with a hydraulic lift is truly innovative... By being raised to seat or armrest height, we can often just slide into our seat, which also seems less intrusive, since there is less need for physical contact... There is more sensitivity and we retain more of our dignity this way, and it appears the company is keeping our needs in mind while living up world class service and the reputation of Delta style service..."

Finding Out About the Chair

In 1999, Delta established a customer advocacy strategy to proactively design programs for customers with disabilities and other special needs. Bob Leon, manager Customer Advocacy for Delta notes that, "Since then, Delta has also designed an orientation to travel program for newly disabled travelers. This partnership with the Shepherd Center in Atlanta and the Craig Hospital in Denver is an outreach program to help individuals with disabilities travel with greater confidence, comfort, and safety.

Spreading The Technological Gains

The Delta Air Chair is huge win for the customer and is a product that works. As of this writing, the Delta Air Chair is not being used by other airlines, as Delta had exclusive rights to the technology for one year, which ends in October 2002. The airline has chosen to open use of the chair up to other carriers, who will have to designate a different name for the chair.

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