What families with wheelchairs need before flying

As with anything in life, airport security works a little differently for families with disabilities. Eventually, most frequent travelers end up looking at the benefits of Global Entry Vs. TSA PreCheck, so I wanted to share our experiences traveling with a wheelchair and medical needs.

Why you should have something in place

Security takes longer for people traveling with extra equipment, liquid medications, or supplies. Your wheelchair, your hands, and the hands of anyone pushing the wheelchair have to be wiped down to check for explosives. Any liquids need to be scanned. We’ve even had one security officer go so far as to require us to drink medication to prove it was real. Add to all of this the fact that the world is short staffed, and know that you’re going to spend some time waiting.

It makes sense to be able to skip the line, since you know you’re going to have to spend so much time being checked on the other side! The information online can be confusing, and people often think it’s harder than it is, so let’s look at our options for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry as families with disabilities or medical needs.