PRM / Wheelchair Assistance — Passenger with Reduced Mobility

Overview

A Passenger with Reduced Mobility (PRM) is any traveler whose mobility is limited due to physical disability, sensory impairment, age, illness, or injury, and who therefore requires assistance during travel. Airlines and airports record the specific level of help needed using a set of standardized wheelchair codes, entered in the passenger's booking as a Special Service Request (SSR).

The Three Wheelchair Codes

Why the Distinction Matters

The code an airline receives determines the equipment and staffing that ground handlers prepare in advance: an ordinary wheelchair and an escort for WCHR, a wheelchair plus boarding via steps or a lift for WCHS, and a wheelchair together with an aisle chair and cabin crew assistance for WCHC. Booking the correct code, ideally at the time of reservation, allows ground staff and cabin crew to plan resources, timing, and priority boarding rather than improvising at the gate.

Related Assistance Codes

Airlines use several other SSR-family codes alongside the wheelchair series to describe related needs, such as passengers who are blind or have low vision, passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and passengers traveling with a service animal or medical equipment. These are typically requested through the same reservation or special-assistance channel as the wheelchair codes.

Regulatory Context

Many jurisdictions require airlines and airports to provide assistance to PRM passengers free of charge. In the European Union this obligation is set out in Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006, and in the United States under the Air Carrier Access Act, both of which require advance-notice assistance requests to be honored at airports and on board.