United Airlines activates search filter for wheelchair transport

United has activated a search filter that enables passengers to find flights on which their wheelchairs can be securely transported in the cargo hold. 

The airline will also now reimburse customers for fare increases on alternate flights needed to accommodate their wheelchair — a first in the U.S. airline industry. 

Both the search filter and the refund policy have been introduced as part of a complaint resolution that United entered into with the Transportation Department in September. United announced at that time that the search tool would be introduced sometime early this year. 

The filter is on United.com and the United app. Flyers can indicate that they’ll be traveling with a wheelchair and input the chair’s dimensions as well as the type of chair. The search results screen will then update to show whether the chair can fit cleanly through the cargo door of the aircraft.

U.S. airlines damage wheelchairs at a much higher rate than they damage baggage, in part because some…