All airlines Asia Pacific
Japan Airlines
Powered wheelchairs accepted · carried free.
- Advance notice
- Not published
- Powered wheelchair
- Yes
- Lithium, battery installed
- Not published
- Cost to carry
- Free
Who to contact
Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.
- PhoneJapan (domestic landline, toll-free) — Special Assistance Desk / プライオリティ・ゲストセンター 0120-747-7079:00-17:00, open throughout the year (JST). Cannot be reached from mobile phones, international calls or IP phones. Ticket reservations and changes are not handled on this line.
- PhoneJapan / international (mobile, IP and overseas calls, toll) — Special Assistance Desk, Tokyo 03-5460-37839:00-17:00, open throughout the year (JST)
- PhoneUSA & Canada — JAL Information & Reservation 1-800-JAL-FONEDaily 05:00-18:00 Pacific Time
- PhoneOutside the US/Canada — JAL Americas Information & Reservation (charges apply)Daily 05:00-18:00 Pacific Time
- PhoneJapan — other special assistance desk (babies/small children, elderly, expectant mothers) 0120-25-00018:00-20:00, 365 days a year (JST); toll line 03-4330-2525
- EmailSpecial assistance enquiries for customers who need hearing or speech assistance (printed as "jal_priority/at/ask.jal.co.jp")
- Online form
- Online form
- Relay / text0120-747-606, open throughout the year. Send the downloadable FAX enquiry form or your own written enquiry.Free FAX service (Japan)
- Relay / textFor customers with hearing and speech disabilities in Japan and Guam only: https://www.jal.co.jp/en/jalpri/live_help.htmlJAL Telephone Relay Service (chat)
- Relay / textCustomers in the U.S. who are deaf or have a hearing/speech impairment and use a text telephone (TTY) can dial 711; the relay operator contacts Japan Airlines.USA — TTY via National Relay Service
- Relay / textEnquiries via the Nippon Foundation Telephone Relay Service (日本財団電話リレーサービス); advance registration required. Available during each call centre's opening hours.Japan — remote sign-language interpreting (遠隔手話通訳サービス)
The Japanese-language site names the same desk プライオリティ・ゲストセンター (Priority Guest Center) and publishes identical numbers: 0120-747-707 (landline, free) and 03-5460-3783 (mobile, toll), 9:00-17:00 year-round. For flights departing overseas JAL directs you to the nearest JAL branch office (https://www.jal.co.jp/en/information/branch/).
Read it from the source
- Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (battery flowchart, per-aircraft cargo sizes) (opens in a new tab)
- JAL Priority Guest Support (Special Assistance) home (opens in a new tab)
- Inquiries — Special Assistance Desk contacts (opens in a new tab)
- Restricted items — lithium batteries and electric wheelchairs (opens in a new tab)
Powered wheelchairs & batteries
The part that goes wrong. Battery chemistry and watt-hours decide whether your chair flies, and the rules differ depending on whether the battery can be removed.
Electric wheelchairs are carried; JAL asks for the battery type, whether the chair folds, its size and its weight at booking, and inspects the battery visually at check-in. A chair whose battery is NOT removable is refused unless at least one of three measures is possible: make sure malfunctions do not occur, disconnect the connecting wires, or prevent short circuit.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Lithium Ion (Li-Ion): Attached to wheelchair → Allowed only in check-in baggage. Removed from wheelchair → Carry-on only if it is less than 300Wh." The general 160 Wh ban on lithium-ion devices in JAL's restricted-items list does not apply to electric wheelchairs, which are handled under the wheelchair battery flowchart.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Restricted items (international baggage) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No watt-hour ceiling is published for a lithium-ion battery that stays attached to the wheelchair — such a chair is "allowed only in check-in baggage" with no Wh figure given.
A lithium-ion battery removed from the wheelchair is "Carry-on only if it is less than 300Wh" (JAL's wording is "less than 300Wh"). Batteries removed from the main unit are not counted against the spare-battery allowance.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Spare lithium-ion batteries are "Acceptable as carry-on only": "～160Wh: 2pcs" and "160Wh～300Wh: 1pc".
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
One spare lithium-ion battery between 160 Wh and 300 Wh, or two spares of up to 160 Wh each, carry-on only. Non-lithium spares: 1 sealed non-spillable, or 2 Ni-MH / Ni-CD / dry batteries, checked baggage only. Spillable (liquid refill) spares are not accepted at all.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Removal is optional for a removable lithium-ion battery: attached to the chair it travels in the hold, removed it travels in the cabin if under 300 Wh. If the battery is NOT removable the chair is accepted only when malfunction can be prevented, the connecting wires can be disconnected, or short-circuiting can be prevented — otherwise "Not Acceptable for transport".
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Non-spillable sealed wet batteries and Dry / Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) / Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-CD) batteries are "Acceptable as checked baggage only (Carry-on prohibited)". Spares: one sealed non-spillable battery per person as checked baggage; two Ni-MH / Ni-CD / dry spares per person as checked baggage.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
JAL's battery flowchart lists "Wet Batteries — Lead-Acid, Gel, Silicon" as "Acceptable as checked baggage only (Carry-on prohibited)" when powering the wheelchair. Spares are treated differently: a spillable (liquid refill type) spare is "Not Acceptable for transport".
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
For a non-removable battery JAL requires that one of the following can be done: "1. make sure that malfunctions do not occur 2. disconnect the connecting wires 3. prevent short circuit (short-out)". Batteries generally must be stored separately to prevent shorts, with terminals taped or each battery in its own bag or protective pouch.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Restricted items (international baggage) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Since we will also visually check your battery at the airport on the day of your flight, please check the location where you can check your battery information in advance to ensure a smoother check-in process." JAL also links manufacturer and industry-association pages (Japan Association of Wheelchair and Seating, 電動車いす安全普及協会, WHILL) for model-specific loading procedures.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
The same "[by aircraft type] Maximum Size of Cargo" table applies to powered chairs: smallest across the fleet is 70 cm high (E170/E190), 60 cm wide (ATR42/72-600), 107 cm deep (DHC-8-400). These are maximum loadable cargo dimensions, not an explicitly stated maximum wheelchair size.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit is published for powered chairs. JAL states restrictions vary by aircraft and asks users of heavy electric or sport wheelchairs who want to ride to the aircraft side to consult at the time of reservation.
If the wheelchair was checked near the boarding gate at departure, JAL returns it close to the aircraft doorway on arrival; otherwise at the baggage claim area.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
US routes only: "Wheelchair fare adjustment (Flights to and from the US)" — if you book a more expensive JAL flight because your preferred flight would not fit your wheelchair, you can claim the fare difference, provided both flights are JAL-operated, same city pair, same day, with reasonable documentation; qualifying requests are processed within 30 days.
Manual wheelchairs
Manual wheelchairs are checked free of charge. JAL asks in advance whether the chair is foldable, its size (height, width, depth — folded size for foldable chairs) and its weight, because loadable size and weight vary by aircraft.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
US routes only: "For customers who request to bring their own wheelchairs into the cabins of flights departing from and arriving in the U.S., please ask at the airport counter on the day of the flight date." No general in-cabin wheelchair stowage is published for other routes; canes, crutches and walking aids may be taken into the cabin.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No in-cabin stowage dimensions are published; on US flights you must ask at the airport counter on the day of travel.
Smallest figures in JAL's "[by aircraft type] Maximum Size of Cargo" table: height 70 cm (EMBRAER170/190), width 60 cm (ATR42-600/72-600), depth 107 cm (DHC-8-400). These are maximum loadable cargo sizes, not a stated maximum wheelchair size. Widebodies (767/777/787/A350) allow 142 cm H x 147 cm W x 139 cm D (767: 109 cm W). Full table in aircraft_hold_note.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No weight limit is published. JAL asks for the chair's weight in advance and warns that "there are restrictions on the size (height, width, depth) and weight of wheelchairs that can be loaded depending on aircraft" — the actual limit is given case-by-case on consultation.
"We will return them at the arrival lobby baggage claim area, or if we checked the wheelchair near the boarding gate at the time of departure, we will return it close to the aircraft doorway." Using your own chair as far as the aircraft must be arranged at the time of reservation.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Because there are restrictions on the height of the cargo hold with some aircraft, wheelchairs may be kept lying on their sides. At the time of the reservation, please consult with us about the loading method." Airport loan wheelchairs are free at all airports and include non-metallic wooden chairs that pass through metal detectors, a wide type, a big-customer type and a full-reclining model.
Booking & cost
No advance-notice deadline in hours is published. JAL says to register support information "at the time of the reservation" via the website or by phone, and to "consult with us at the time of the reservation" about wheelchair size, weight, battery type and loading method.
"If you wish to use a wheelchair, please register your support information through the JAL website or by contacting us by phone." Some information cannot be registered online, in which case JAL asks you to phone the call centre after booking. Email, free fax and remote sign-language interpreting are offered for hearing/speech disabilities.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Inquiries — Special Assistance Desk (English) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Advance Procedures (Information About the Reservation Process) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"It is free of charge for a customer to check their wheelchair." Canes and walking aids may also be taken into the cabin free of charge, and airport wheelchairs are free to borrow at all airports.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
JAL does not publish a number of mobility devices carried free per passenger; it states only that checking your wheelchair is free of charge.
"For baggage damage eligible for compensation, in principle, your bag will be returned to you after it has been repaired", with compensation "in accordance with JAL's International Conditions of Carriage". Accepting delivery without complaint is presumed to mean the baggage arrived in good condition under the Montreal Convention, so report damage before leaving the airport.
Damaged or lost baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
On-board wheelchairs are carried for moving within the cabin (seat surface 300 mm wide x 340 mm deep, 800 mm high) but "these are not available on some small aircraft (DHC-8-400 Cargo Combi & ATR42-600)".
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Information about the Various Device and Facilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"For the cabins of mid-sized aircraft and larger, there are restrooms that can be used with wheelchairs." The door opens wide, a support handle is fitted inside and the lavatory can be used with the door open behind an aisle-side curtain.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Information about the Various Device and Facilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"Cabin crew can provide assistance in transfers between your seat and an on-board wheelchair, and round-trips between your seat and the lavatory door." At the airport, staff assist with stairs, boarding and cabin movement using lifts, assist stretchers, boarding chairs, step-elimination boards and wheelchair stairlifts where available.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Information about the Various Device and Facilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
"We will do our best to secure a seat according to your requests, such as a seat with a movable armrest, or a seat close to the restroom. Please consult with us at the time of the reservation." An upper-body support belt or a borrowed child seat is available for customers who cannot maintain a sitting position.
Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Information about the Various Device and Facilities (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. JAL's "[by aircraft type] Maximum Size of Cargo" (Height x Width x Depth) with cargo door apertures: 737-800 81 x 114 x 127 cm, door max 89 x 122 / min 84 x 122 cm; 767-300 142 x 109 x 139 cm, door max 167 x 178 / min 109 x 97 cm; 777-300 142 x 147 x 139 cm, door max 170 x 269 / min 114 x 91 cm; 787-8/9 142 x 147 x 139 cm, door max 170 x 269 / min 114 x 102 cm; A350-900/1000 142 x 147 x 139 cm, door max 168 x 285 / min 76 x 95 cm; EMBRAER170/190 70 x 100 x 110 cm, door max 90 x 110 / min 78 x 99 cm; DHC-8-400 145 x 84 x 107 cm, door max 143 x 127 / min 148 x 50 cm; ATR42-600/72-600 160 x 60 x 110 cm, door max 150 x 126 / min 122 x 61 cm. Because some holds are short, wheelchairs may be loaded lying on their side — discuss the loading method when booking.
Worth knowing
JAL's accessibility content lives on a dedicated "JAL Priority Guest Support" microsite (jal.co.jp/en/jalpri/ in English, jal.co.jp/jalpri/ in Japanese) with the same policy and the same desk numbers in both languages; the Japanese pages name the desk プライオリティ・ゲストセンター (Priority Guest Center), 0120-747-707 free from landlines and 03-5460-3783 from mobiles, 9:00-17:00 year-round. Battery rules are published as a flowchart image whose alt text carries the full decision tree: 300 Wh for a removed lithium-ion battery carried in the cabin, no Wh cap for a battery left attached to the chair, and outright refusal of a chair with a non-removable battery that cannot be made safe. Wet lead-acid/gel/silicon batteries powering the chair are accepted as checked baggage, but a spillable spare is not carried at all. The per-aircraft table is labelled "Maximum Size of Cargo" — hold capacity, not a stated maximum chair size — and the binding narrow-body figures are the ATR42/72 (60 cm wide) and the E170/E190 (70 cm high). Regional JAL Group turboprops (DHC-8-400 Cargo Combi, ATR42-600) carry no on-board aisle chair. Two US-specific accommodations are published: in-cabin carriage of your own wheelchair on request at the airport for US flights, and a fare-difference refund if your chair does not fit your preferred JAL flight. The FAQ articles linked from the mobility page (faq-jp.jal.co.jp) are JavaScript-only and could not be read.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 JAL Priority Guest Support — Special Assistance (English) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Assistance for mobility and wheelchairs (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Inquiries — Special Assistance Desk (English) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 お問い合わせ — お手伝いを希望されるお客さま専用デスク（プライオリティ・ゲストセンター） (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Information about the Various Device and Facilities (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 Restricted items (international baggage) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s7 Damaged or lost baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s8 Advance Procedures (Information About the Reservation Process) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 8 official sources · 12 contacts · 80% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.