What should have been a dream Hawaii vacation ended in shock and disbelief for an Arizona man. His story is a wake-up call for anyone flying to and from the islands, especially those traveling with special needs or essential equipment.
Flying to Hawaii already presents complexities. But for visitors who rely on extra support or mobility devices, this latest airline mishap raises new alarms about how badly things can still go wrong and how easily they should be avoided.
One Hawaii visitor, Sam Shivers from Arizona, learned that firsthand. Paralyzed from the chest down, he was returning from Kona to Phoenix on American Airlines. But when he landed, his essential wheelchair — his only means of independent movement — wasn’t there. It had been left behind in Hawaii and rerouted through Los Angeles instead.
While this story has started grabbing national attention, it cuts even deeper for Hawaii visitors. What happened to Shivers wasn’t just bad luck. It exposed something few travelers realize until it’s too late: Hawaii flights come with certain unique risks for those who can least afford mistakes.
The preventable airline decision that changed everything.
According to reports, American Airline employees in Kona told Shivers’ family that limited cargo space led them to leave behind not only his wheelchair but also another mobility device and his needed stroller.
The airline chose to prioritize standard passenger baggage over essential mobility equipment.
That decision left Shivers without his independence, forced to rely on an airport transport chair to reach his vehicle. His wheelchair wouldn’t catch up with him until hours later.
“This isn’t just luggage,” Shivers later said. “Without my chair, I can’t move.”
Why these Hawaii flights can raise the risk.
For travelers with mobility devices, flying to and from Hawaii presents real challenges that most passengers never face.
Smaller Hawaii airports like Kona and Lihue primarily operate narrow-body aircraft with limited cargo space. Combine that with longer-haul flights packed with passenger baggage, and essential mobility equipment can risk being left behind.
Beat of Hawaii previously reported on this growing concern in our accessibility for Hawaii flights article. New federal rules will eventually require more accessible onboard facilities. But those changes are still years away — and none of them would have prevented what happened here.
Because this wasn’t about lavatories or aisle chairs, this was about what happens before the plane ever leaves the ground.
A pattern across the airline industry.
Sadly, this incident isn’t isolated. According to federal data, airlines in the U.S. mishandled nearly 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters in 2023. The airline involved in this latest Hawaii case, American, was fined $50 million in just one year for repeatedly failing passengers with disabilities, damaging mobility devices, or delaying their return.
Yet for travelers heading to Hawaii, the personal impact feels magnified by relatively long domestic flights, being far from home, and flying into and out of smaller Hawaii airports. All of that is combined with essential equipment, which is not optional.
What Hawaii travelers should do right now.
If you or someone you know or travel with relies on a wheelchair or other mobility aid for flights, here’s what to consider before your next Hawaii trip:
- Contact the airline directly well in advance.
- Request written confirmation that mobility devices will fly on your same plane.
- Arrive early and be highly visible at check-in about your device’s importance.
- Understand your rights under the Air Carrier Access Act.
- Travel with a simple repair kit or tools for minor adjustments if possible.
- Have a backup plan — even if it’s just knowing local resources at your Hawaii destination.
While those steps can help, let’s be honest: the responsibility still belongs to the airlines. This isn’t about better preparation from travelers. It’s about better performance from the airlines.
That said, BOH editors know of a friend who has flown to Hawaii many times using this same airline, always with essential mobility devices. In their case, those items have consistently been boarded without incident. And they’ve always received courteous, attentive help at their Hawaii airport — in this case, Lihue.
The bigger question Hawaii travelers now face.
For Shivers, what should have been a dream trip to Hawaii ended with frustration, fear, and a brutal reminder of how vulnerable travel can still be for those who rely on mobility devices.
While this story happened to him, the real question is what happens next and whether airlines serving Hawaii will step up and do better.
We welcome your thoughts. Mahalo!
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Can I please get a phone number to speak to a customer service representative about damaged luggage status for American Airlines?
I have put in a damaged baggage claim on 3/21/2025 and have not heard back from American airline at all I have tried online site to no response I called reservation to try to get a customer service number again no reply and was just cut off.
So can you please help me with a contact phone number to call so I can check status of damaged baggage claim?
Thank you
Al M
My husband is catastrophically injured from a car accident many years ago. It has left him with a traumatic brain injury, double vision, inability to use one arm, and limited mobility. He has had 27 surgeries to date trying to correct the effects of the right brain sending the wrong signals to the left side of his body. My husband relies on the use of a mobility scooter at airports, big box stores, grocery stores, etc.
The same thing happened to us on Hawaiian Airlines from HNL- LAX two years ago. When we got to LAX, we were greeted on the jetway by a Hawaiian Airlines rep who stated his scooter was left on the tarmac in HNL. It caused all kinds of problems for us getting home to Florida. By the time his scooter was delivered to our house, it was damaged. The battery box was cracked. The box holds 2 batteries to power the scooter. It was clear someone had dropped it. We had to file a damage claim, get a rental scooter, and wait for his scooter to be repaired. It was awful.
We are leaving for Kona on Wednesday on a non-stop out of LAX on Hawaiian airlines. I have a 2 pieces of medical equipment that get checked. We will arrive early and follow the advice in this article, but I can say that this left me a bit worried. Thanks for the update.
This happened to a friend of mine years ago. Different airline, different route, same result. I don’t think most travelers realize how stressful it is flying with mobility challenges — from wondering if your chair will make it to trying to get a flight where there’s an accessible lav onboard you can even get to.
We’ve flown to Hawaii many times with my wife’s scooter and never had a problem, but this story makes me realize how lucky we’ve been. I had no idea smaller Hawaii airports might have more risk than say Maui or Honolulu for things like this. Definitely planning to have a backup plan from now on.
I’m surprised more people don’t know how tight cargo space is on Hawaii flights, especially from smaller airports like Kona. I’m an airline employee and can tell you it is. That’s not an excuse, just saying.
Traveling to Hawaii is challenging enough without worrying whether essential equipment makes it too. Airlines really need to step up on basic human needs.
My aunt uses a wheelchair and we’ve flown to Honolulu many times without a problem. But reading this definitely has me thinking twice about what could go wrong and what we would do if it did.
I thought that any wheelchair, stroller, etc…t agged as “Escort” (Pink Tagged) travels with the passenger? If the the passenger goes, the escort item goes and vice versa for that particular reason? Also, you make room for the item.
Sad commentary on the people in Baggage, Priority One should be the tools those with added needs should have the common courtesy to expect as they land. Whether Wheel Chair or whatever, if space is an issue, Clothes in Suitcases, on a Return, should be what gets re-routed, not what an individual needs for their Human Dignity and independence! If these are not American Employee’s, then any and all, hired for this service should be educated on the priority.