Originally Posted by
alanR
So that must mean the batteries weigh less than 35kg (75lbs). I'm still trying to get my head around a 200lb plus wheelchair but one that weighs at least 125lbs without batteries is just mind blowing. Surely something must be easily removable even for maintenance purposes
Maybe I can help? My chair weighs around 270 lbs. Without the batteries it might weigh about 190 lbs., but I forget how heavy they are. I just know that they are heavy. The batteries on my chair are easily removed, as they are on most newer chairs. The seat (the heaviest part) is removable from the base, although it is not necessarily easy to do. I don't have custom items like tilt seating, or other kinds of adaptions. My chair is pretty standard except for the seat. I don't think it is uncommon to have powerchairs weighing over 200 lbs. My older one was a standard Jazzy with no modifications and it weighed 195-200 lbs. it's not mind blowing for them to be 200 lbs or more. Looking at the video in the OP's link, that chair looks bigger and heavier than either of my chairs,
I certainly do not want an airline disassembling and reassembling my chair, and making it unusable for me, if it breaks during the process. My chair is custom built for my needs. It is my legs, an extension of me, so to speak. IIf they break it, my trip is ruined. My independence is also taken from me. This kind of story scares me away from traveling overseas with my powerchair. I end up using a manual wheelchair and being completely dependent on someone pushing me. That kills most trips as most people don't want to be burdened with that. Travelning with my powerchair lets me go where I want without burdsening anyone.
Reviewing that video, that chair does not appear to be collapsible into 60 kg parts. Most people, that I know or have seen with powerchairs, have similarly difficult to disassemble chairs. An airline should be able to handle those chairs. Breaking them down isn't a requirement in the law as far as I recall. EasyJet has a history of inventing requirements not found in the law. I'm not sure why they keep doing it. Other airlines do not have such issues so I'm at a loss as to why they can't do what others do everyday. There are ways to load a chair without disassembling it. One exception, is that my current seat is too tall. I'm planning on getting one that will fold down so I can use it for travel. I can do that much to make it easier to load, but EasyJet would still object.