When Every Traveler Needs Something Different
Why Accessible Air Travel Needs More Than One Kind of Assistance
By Prince DeAndre, Duke of Hanumanteshwar
July 2, 2026
One of the most difficult conversations in accessible travel is also one of the easiest to misunderstand.
It is the conversation about who needs wheelchair assistance.
For years, I have heard versions of this conversation in airports, among travelers, from airline employees, and from people simply observing the system from the outside. Some believe too many passengers request wheelchair assistance. Others believe no one has the right to question another person’s disability. Both views often come from real concern. The problem is that both can miss the deeper issue.
The deeper issue is not whether too many people are asking for help.
The deeper issue is that air travel has created one highly visible way to ask for many different kinds of help.
That distinction matters.
Throughout this series, I have written about my own experience traveling with HLA-B27 spondyloarthritis, an autoimmune disease that affects my joints, spine, and energy levels. Some days I can walk comfortably. Other days, every step requires planning. Like millions of people living with hidden disabilities, I know what it feels like to have strangers make assumptions about my body based on what they can see.
That is why the practice of deciding whether someone “looks disabled enough” is so dangerous. Disability has never been something that can be measured by eyesight. Heart disease, neurological disorders, autoimmune illness, chronic pain, cancer treatment, respiratory disease, severe fatigue, and many other medical realities can remain completely invisible. The person standing beside you in an airport may appear healthy while managing something no one else can see.
At the same time, another reality is becoming harder to ignore.
Airports are assisting growing numbers of older travelers who may not think of themselves as disabled at all. Their families request wheelchair assistance because they worry about large terminals, changing gates, immigration lines, security procedures, unfamiliar languages, digital boarding systems, and the possibility of a loved one becoming confused or lost during the journey.
Those concerns are real.
But the request is not always about mobility.
Sometimes it is about reassurance. It is about knowing someone will be waiting. Someone will guide them. Someone will help them reach the right aircraft safely. That is not misuse. It is a need that already exists, finding its way into the only system that appears available.
This is where the aviation industry faces a serious challenge.
Not every passenger requesting wheelchair assistance is requesting the same kind of assistance. Some need mobility support. Some need navigation. Some need communication. Some need patience. Some need confidence. Some simply need to know they will not be left alone inside an airport they cannot easily understand.
Those are different needs.
The current system often treats them as the same.
That is why frustration grows. Passengers with complex medical conditions may worry that resources are stretched. Frontline staff may feel pressure from rising demand. Observers may assume people are requesting wheelchairs unnecessarily. Families are trying to protect parents, grandparents, or loved ones traveling alone. Each person may be responding to a real concern, but the system continues offering one primary solution.
A wheelchair.
The future of accessible air travel needs to be more precise.
Airports should be able to offer different kinds of assistance for different kinds of travelers. An escort service for older passengers. A hidden disability support program for travelers whose needs are not immediately visible. Navigation assistance for blind travelers. Communication support for deaf travelers. Technology assistance for passengers unfamiliar with digital boarding systems. Medical mobility services for those whose conditions require wheelchairs or energy conservation.
That kind of model would not weaken wheelchair assistance.
It would strengthen it.
When wheelchair services are used for passengers who truly need mobility support, the quality of that care can improve. When other travelers receive the kind of assistance that actually matches their needs, the entire system becomes more humane, more efficient, and more dignified.
Accessibility has never meant treating everyone exactly the same.
It means understanding that different people need different forms of support in order to experience the same journey with dignity.
That is the next step for modern aviation.
The future should not be measured only by how many wheelchairs an airport owns.
It should be measured by how well the system understands the people it serves.
When that happens, every traveler can arrive at their destination knowing the assistance they received was not designed for a category, but for a human being.
About the Author
Duke Hanumanteshwar
Writer & Memoirist | Independent Political Strategist for Conscious Governance | Founder, H1927LLC (Global Leadership, Mindfulness & Diplomacy) | Co-Author of A Royal Commitment | Cultural Diplomat & DEI Advocate