Your safety and comfort is important to us, so to accommodate your special needs, we must know in advance. Your booking must be made via our Guest Contact Centre (at internet discount rate) to ensure we know what your requirements are. Should you fail to advise us in advance, your travel may be refused.

There is a limitation of 2 electric wheelchairs/mobility aids per flight due to restrictions in our aircraft hold space.

It is important that you provide us with as much information as possible at the time of booking. Key information we will need to know from you includes:

•  The type of mobility aid you are travelling with (electric or non-electric) 
•  If the mobility aid is electric, what type of battery is used (gel cell (dry) or wet non-spillable)  
•  Whether the mobility aid is collapsible 
•  The dimensions (height, width and length) in adjusted or disassembled state and weight of mobility aid
•  Whether you are travelling alone or with a companion or carer. Please Note: To travel independently you must meet the Independent Travel Criteria
•  Whether you are able to self transfer in and out of a wheelchair and/or an aircraft seat. Please Note: Due to our Occupational Health and Safety regulations, Guests who require to be transferred into or out of a wheelchair and / or an aircraft seat where your weight exceeds 130kg* must arrange an Assistance Person (Australian Domestic flights) or a Carer to assist with the lift
•  Whether any medical assistance will be required

* Due to Occupational Health & Safety Law, we are unable to transfer guests who weigh more than 130kg. In these circumstances we can only assist with lower body transfers (guidance of the lower body/legs whilst transferring). Transfers from your wheelchair to an airport/aisle wheelchair and from an airport/aisle wheelchair to an aircraft seat are performed using a slide board and slide sheet supplied by Virgin Blue. 

Important: If you are connecting with other airlines, you will need to check and comply with their guidelines for Guests with special service needs.

To reduce the risk of damage to your mobility aid and to our aircraft, the following restrictions apply:

• Refer to our ‘Maximum dimensions’ table below. If your mobility aid is greater than the size restrictions specified (in either folder or unfolded state), we will be unable to carry the item.
• All electric mobility aids must travel in an upright position.  
• Electric wheelchairs must travel in the ‘free wheel’ mode.

If your mobility aid does not fit within these allowable dimensions (after being adjusted or disassembled), you will have to travel with an alternative mobility aid, such as a manual wheelchair, that fits within the above dimensions.

Due to limited resources we can only provide assistance in certain circumstances. The following mobility assistance equipment is available when travelling with us provided that it has been previously arranged with our Guest Contact Centre:

•  Aisle wheelchair (boarding/disembarking aircraft) 
•  Manual self propelled wheelchair 
•  Limited number of motorised wheelchairs to allow Guests who rely on a motorised wheelchair to get to and from the boarding gate, and to the arrivals hall with assistance from team members. These chairs must be booked through our Guest Contact Centre 
•  Slide board 
•  Slide sheet

Note: Due to our aircraft configurations, we are unable to accommodate in-flight aircraft aisle wheelchairs.

Where you fit within our health and safety weight requirements for transferring (that is, 130kg or less in weight), our team members can assist by transferring you from your wheelchair to an airport/aisle wheelchair and from an airport/aisle wheelchair to an aircraft seat (and visa versa) with use of the slide board and slide sheet. If you weigh more than 130kgs and require assistance with these transfers you will need to arrange an Assistance Person for travel on domestic flights and a Carer for travel on International flights. Where required, we will assist with guidance of the torso and/or legs while transferring, whether you have a Carer/Assistance Person or not.

A transfer is defined as movement between your wheelchair to an airport/aisle wheelchair and from an airport/aisle wheelchair to an aircraft seat (and visa versa) utilising the slide board and slide sheet. Guidance includes guiding your upper torso (shoulders) and legs while they are being transferred using the slide board / slide sheet combination.

Please note that we are unable to perform transfers other than in accordance with our slide board and slide sheet method.

All Virgin Blue aircraft are equipped with two upper torso harnesses to provide additional support and restraint in the aircraft seat. Please contact our Guest Contact Centre to make your booking if you require the use of this harness. Due to safety requirements, we cannot allow Guests to supply their own harness.

We can currently only supply an upper torso harnesses on Virgin Blue aircraft (domestic flights in Australia only)
Adults:

•  The adult upper torso harness is to be used by guests of at least 122cm (4 foot) in height.

View a diagram of the Adult Upper Torso Harness below.

 

Child/Guests under 122cm: 

•  The upper torso harness can be modified so that children, or Guests older than two years of age but less than 122cm (4 foot) tall, can comfortably use the harness. There is an extra strap which is to be used for children to ensure their shoulders do not slip out of the harness and to also assist in keeping the shoulder straps away from the face and neck.

Check-in

•  To allow us sufficient time to take care of your travelling and seating requirements and transfer you between wheelchairs/aircraft seat, we ask that you check-in at least:

•  Please Note: Do not check in via our Web check-in or kiosk check-in because it is important that we have the opportunity to discuss and confirm the exact level of assistance we can provide.
  
•  Upon check-in you will also be advised of your estimated pre-boarding time, as early boarding allows for a private transfer into the aircraft and allows time for our team members to transport wheelchairs to the aircraft hold.

Travelling with a Manual Wheelchair:

You can either check-in your manual wheelchair and we will provide you with an airport aisle wheelchair or self-propelled wheelchair for use within the airport or, where possible, you can choose to take your own manual wheelchair to the boarding gate. Your wheelchair will then be stowed in the aircraft hold.

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS ONLY - Please note that due to security restrictions, only wheelchairs/mobility aids that have been taken through security screening on departure can be returned to you at the arrivals gate at your destination, otherwise you can collect your wheelchair at the arrivals carousel. This option is for manual (non-motorised) wheelchairs only as motorised wheelchairs must be packed according to dangerous goods regulations before travel.

Travelling with a Motorised Wheelchair/Mobility Aid:

Once your chair has been packed, we will then provide you with an airport wheelchair or our team members will assist you in a motorised wheelchair to the boarding gate. Upon arrival, your motorised wheelchair can be collected from the Arrivals carousel. Please ensure you advise us at the time of booking that you need to use one of our motorised wheelchairs, as numbers of these are limited and may not be available in all ports.

There are a number of handling requirements for motorised wheelchairs/mobility aids on our aircraft, including the packing of your wheelchair’s battery for travel, as follows:

Wheelchairs/Mobility Aids with Non-Spillable Batteries

Wheelchairs or other battery-powered mobility aids with non-spillable batteries may be carried on our aircraft, provided that:

• The battery is disconnected
•  The battery connections are taped down so they cannot connect together during flight; and
•  The battery terminals are protected from short circuits by covering the terminals, and battery is securely attached to the wheelchair or mobility aid.

Note: Wheelchairs/mobility aids with gel-type batteries do not require the battery to be disconnected provided that battery terminals are insulated to prevent accidental short circuits.

Wheelchairs/Mobility Aids with Spillable Batteries

Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue currently are unable to accepted wheelchairs/mobility aids with Spillable batteries.

Transferring to the aircraft

You will be transferred into an aisle wheelchair to board the aircraft through an aerobridge where this is available. At airports with no aerobridge you will transfer into our aisle chair at the check-in counter or on the tarmac, you will then board the aircraft via the Disabled Person Lifter (DPL).

At the aircraft you will either:

For Travel on Domestic Services

• Self transfer from the airport/aisle wheelchair to the aircraft seat; OR 
•  If you are unable to self transfer and your weight is under our health and safety weight limitations (130kg) we will assist you with the use of slide board and slide sheet.

If you are unable to self transfer and your weight exceeds our health and safety weight limitations (130kg), you will need to arrange an Assistance Person in each domestic port or travel with a Carer (due to our obligations under Occupational Health and Safety Law). In this situation, we will assist with lower body transfers only (guidance of the torso and/or legs whilst transferring). You must provide a Carer or Assistance Person to perform upper body transfers or lifts.

For Travel on International Services

• Self transfer from the airport aisle wheelchair into the aircraft seat; OR
• If you are unable to self transfer and your weight is under our health and safety weight limitations (130kg) we will assist you with the use of slide board and slide sheet.

If you are unable to self transfer and your weight exceeds our health and safety weight limitations (130kg), you will need to travel with a Carer (due to our obligations under Occupational Health and Safety Law). In this situation, we will assist with lower body transfers only (guidance of the torso and/or legs whilst transferring). You must provide a Carer to perform upper body transfers or lifts.

Please Note: A transfer is determined as movement between your wheelchair to an airport/aisle wheelchair and from an airport/aisle wheelchair to an aircraft seat and vice versa using the slide board and slide sheet. Guidance includes guiding your upper torso (shoulders) and legs while you are being transferred using the slide board / slide sheet combination

Due to aircraft restrictions, we are unable to provide on board aisle chairs to use during flight. Please note that we are unable to assist with toileting requirements on board, including getting you to/from the toilet.