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South African Airways
Powered chairs need the airline’s prior approval · carried free · 72 h notice · 300 Wh installed-battery cap.
- Advance notice
- 72hours before departure
- Powered wheelchair
- Conditional
- Lithium, battery installed
- 300watt-hours maximum
- Cost to carry
- Free
Who to contact
Transcribed from the airline’s own pages, exactly as it labels them.
- PhoneSouth Africa & Africa — Global Contact Centre / reservations (the desk SAA names for mobility assistance)Daily 06h00–01h00 SAST, including weekends and public holidays
- PhoneUSA — reservation desk printed on the Travelling with a Disability page
- PhoneUnited States — Global Contact Centre (number on the current Contact Us page)Daily 06h00–01h00 SAST
- PhoneCanada — Global Contact CentreDaily 06h00–01h00 SAST
- PhoneUnited Kingdom — Global Contact CentreDaily 06h00–01h00 SAST
- PhoneGermany — Global Contact CentreDaily 06h00–01h00 SAST
- PhoneSouth Africa — Baggage Services (lost/damaged baggage, incl. a damaged mobility aid)Daily 06h00–19h00 SAST
- EmailSAA Special Bookings / Special Handling — mobility and medical assistance, MEDIF, FREMEC
- EmailDangerous goods desk — battery and restricted-item questions
- EmailBaggage Services — damaged or delayed baggage claims
- EmailCustomer service
- Online form
- Online form
SAA publishes no TTY, text-relay or WhatsApp channel of its own. Its Travelling with a Disability page reprints the US DOT numbers — 1-800-778-4838 (voice) / 1-800-455-9880 (TTY) and the Aviation Consumer Protection Division on 202-366-2220 (voice) / 202-366-0511 (TTY) — those belong to the Department of Transportation, not to SAA. The USA number differs by page: the disability page prints 1 800 722 9675, Contact Us prints +1 870 617 8342.
Read it from the source
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 mobility aids are carried: SAA asks at booking whether the aid is 'collapsible, electric or non-electric' and sets battery limits for wheelchairs and mobility aids. Carriage is conditional — assistance must be 'confirmed and authorised by SAA before you arrive at the airport', and Conditions of Carriage 8.2.12 makes acceptance of passengers with reduced mobility 'subject to prior arrangement with and approval by us'.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 SAA General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage, March 2022 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published for mobility aids. SAA's wheelchair paragraph addresses only non-spillable wet batteries, and the lithium rules on the Restricted Items page are written for portable electronic devices, spare batteries and power banks, not for wheelchairs. SAA does not say whether a lithium-ion powered chair is accepted.
'Batteries must not exceed 300wH, if there are two batteries, each battery must not exceed 160wH.' SAA states this under wheelchairs/mobility aids with non-spillable wet batteries and publishes no separate figure for a lithium-ion chair; it is the only watt-hour cap SAA gives for a mobility-aid battery.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
SAA's mobility-aid cap is written unconditionally, in the same breath as removal: 'Batteries must not exceed 300wH, if there are two batteries, each battery must not exceed 160wH… Batteries removed from mobility aid must be carried in the passenger cabin.' The 300 Wh binds whether the battery stays in the chair or comes out; SAA publishes no separate figure for a removed battery.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'Spare batteries must not exceed 300wH or two spares each 160wH.' Stated for wheelchairs and mobility aids; the general 100 Wh / 160 Wh spare rules on the Restricted Items page are written for portable electronic devices, not mobility aids.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'Spare batteries must not exceed 300wH or two spares each 160wH' — that is, one spare of up to 300 Wh, or two spares of up to 160 Wh each. The maximum count under any published configuration is two.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
SAA does not say the battery must be removed. It states only the consequence if it is: 'Batteries removed from mobility aid must be carried in the passenger cabin.'
'Wheelchairs and mobility aids with non spillable wet batteries. Batteries must not exceed 300wH, if there are two batteries, each battery must not exceed 160wH… Batteries removed from mobility aid must be carried in the passenger cabin.'
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published. SAA's only mobility-aid battery sentence covers 'Wheelchairs and mobility aids with non spillable wet batteries'; it never says whether a spillable wet battery is accepted or refused.
This is SAA's general spare-battery packing rule from the Restricted Items page. SAA publishes no terminal-disconnection, insulation or immobilisation requirement specific to a wheelchair's own battery, and no requirement to immobilise the chair itself.
Restricted Baggage Items and Dangerous Goods (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No battery spec sheet, MSDS or manufacturer label is demanded. SAA asks only that at booking you state the type of mobility aid, whether it is collapsible/electric/non-electric, and its dimensions in adjusted or disassembled state and weight.
Not published. SAA asks for the dimensions of the aid 'in adjusted or disassembled state' at booking but sets no maximum and publishes no hold-door figures.
Not published for powered wheelchairs. SAA's Checked Baggage page says a bag over 32 kg must go as cargo at SAA Cargo rates, but SAA does not state that this applies to a mobility aid.
Not published — SAA does not say whether a powered chair is returned at the aircraft door or at baggage reclaim.
SAA gives no aircraft-by-aircraft rules for powered chairs and names no fleet or route exclusions. Its watt-hour figures sit in a single sentence on the Special Assistance page; dgr@flysaa.com is the address SAA gives for anything its Restricted Items page does not cover.
Manual wheelchairs
'You are welcome to check-in 1 wheelchair as part of your free baggage allowance.' SAA also lists manual mobility aids (wheelchair, crane, crutches) as carried free in addition to the standard allowance. Conditions of Carriage 8.2.12 adds that acceptance for carriage of passengers with reduced mobility is subject to prior arrangement with and approval by SAA.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 SAA General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage, March 2022 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Under the heading 'Mobility aids onboard', SAA says each traveller is entitled to one mobility aid (wheelchair, crane, crutches, etc.) free of charge in addition to the standard baggage allowance and that 'These items must be small enough to be stowed without obstruction.' SAA publishes no cabin closet or stowage dimensions, so whether a given folding chair qualifies is decided case by case.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Not published — SAA states only that a mobility aid carried onboard 'must be small enough to be stowed without obstruction', with no measurements.
Not published. SAA asks passengers to supply the dimensions of the mobility aid 'in adjusted or disassembled state' at booking but publishes no maximum size, and gives no hold-door or hold-compartment figures.
Not published for mobility aids. SAA's Checked Baggage page says a bag over 32 kg 'must be checked-in as cargo and you'll be charged the applicable SAA Cargo rate', but SAA does not say whether that threshold applies to a wheelchair.
Not published. SAA says only that an airport wheelchair can be provided 'from check-in to the boarding gate, and from the aircraft to the arrivals hall'; it does not say where a passenger's own chair is returned. SAA hosts a copy of 14 CFR Part 382, whose §382.125(c) requires return close to the aircraft door, but SAA makes no such commitment in its own words.
The general checked-baggage size rules (bags larger than the published conveyor dimensions, sporting equipment over 200 cm going as cargo) are written for ordinary baggage; SAA does not say they apply to wheelchairs.
Booking & cost
Conditions of Carriage 8.2.15: 'If you need assistance at the airport, please let us know at least 72 hours before the scheduled departure time of your flight.' SAA's consumer pages give a shorter figure — both the Special Assistance and Travelling with a Disability pages say to request mobility assistance at the time of booking or at least 48 hours prior to departure. The stricter published deadline is recorded here.
SAA General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage, March 2022 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Travelling with a Disability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
SAA asks for the type of mobility aid, whether it is collapsible, electric or non-electric, its dimensions in adjusted or disassembled state and its weight, whether a wheelchair is needed in the airport and/or on the aircraft, and whether transfer to the aircraft seat is required. It also says to 'ensure the assistance you requested has been confirmed and authorised by SAA before you arrive at the airport'.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Travelling with a Disability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
No charge is published for carrying a mobility aid. SAA's Special Assistance page states both 'You are welcome to check-in 1 wheelchair as part of your free baggage allowance' and, further down, 'Each traveller is entitled to one mobility aid e.g wheelchair, crane, crutches, etc free of charge in addition to their standard baggage allowance' — the two sentences conflict, but neither imposes a fee. A wheelchair used as sports equipment is 'permitted as a free additional piece of baggage'.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special Baggage (sports equipment, musical instruments) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'You are welcome to check-in 1 wheelchair… On flights to and from European Union destinations (London, Frankfurt, Munich), 1 further mobility device may be carried free of charge (2 in total).' So one device generally, two only on those named routes. Separately, a wheelchair used as sports equipment is allowed as a free additional piece.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Special Baggage (sports equipment, musical instruments) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Conditions of Carriage 16.4.7 sets those limits and adds that depreciation of 10% per annum, to a maximum of 50%, applies when an item is replaced. The Baggage Policies page repeats that liability 'is limited by the Warsaw convention or Montreal convention, whichever is applicable'. Damage must be reported within 24 hours (domestic) or 7 days (international). SAA publishes no full-value / original-purchase-price rule for wheelchairs of its own, although it hosts a copy of 14 CFR Part 382.
SAA General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage, March 2022 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Baggage Policies — SAA Baggage Liability and Conditions (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Delayed & Damaged Baggage (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Travelling with Disabilities — SAA's hosted copy of 14 CFR Part 382 (ACAA) (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
On board
The two SAA pages disagree. Special Assistance: 'Some of our aircraft are equipped with an onboard wheelchair… please contact an SAA Office to check if the flight you need has one, prior to completing your reservation.' Travelling with a Disability: 'Our fleet… are equipped with: An onboard wheelchair.' Treat availability as flight-specific and confirm before booking.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Travelling with a Disability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
The Travelling with a Disability page states the fleet is equipped with 'A wheelchair friendly toilet'. SAA lists no aircraft exceptions, though its Special Assistance page does qualify on-board wheelchair availability as 'some of our aircraft'.
Travelling with a Disability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'Transfer from wheelchair to aircraft seat and vice versa' is one of the services SAA asks you to request at booking, and an on-board wheelchair (where fitted) allows travellers to be escorted to and from the toilets.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Travelling with a Disability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
'We also have seats with movable armrests that facilitate the transfer of a traveller from the onboard wheelchair to the seat and vice versa.' SAA publishes no bulkhead or seat-assignment rule for wheelchair users.
Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29 Travelling with a Disability (opens in a new tab) · read 2026-07-29
Fleet detail. SAA publishes no hold-door or hold-compartment dimensions and no per-aircraft table; it asks passengers to supply the dimensions of the mobility aid in adjusted or disassembled state at booking.
Worth knowing
flysaa.com intermittently served a 'Site under maintenance' page during research; several pages needed repeated retries before real content rendered, and the baggage URL structure has changed (the old /baggage/restricted-baggage-items-and-dangerous-goods path now 404s; the live page is /baggage/restricted-items). Contradictions inside SAA's own site: (a) notice is 48 h on both special-assistance pages but 72 h in Conditions of Carriage 8.2.15; (b) check-in advice is 2 h domestic / 4 h international on the Special Assistance page but 90 min / 2 h on the Travelling with a Disability page; (c) a checked wheelchair is described both as part of the free baggage allowance and as free in addition to it; (d) the on-board wheelchair is 'some of our aircraft' on one page and fleet-wide on the other; (e) the USA phone number is 1 800 722 9675 on the disability page and +1 870 617 8342 on Contact Us. SAA states it 'is covered by the United States rule for non-discrimination on the basis of disability' and hosts a full copy of 14 CFR Part 382, but publishes no Complaints Resolution Official page or CRO contact — /help/customer-support/disability-assistance 404s — and its U.S. Customer Commitment was last updated 4 February 2020. Nothing about wheelchairs appears in the Conditions of Carriage, the hand-baggage page or the dangerous-goods prohibited list; the only wheelchair battery rules on the whole site are four sentences on the Special Assistance page.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- s1 Special Travelling Assistance (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s2 Travelling with a Disability (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s3 Restricted Baggage Items and Dangerous Goods (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s4 Checked Baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s5 Special Baggage (sports equipment, musical instruments) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s6 Baggage Policies — SAA Baggage Liability and Conditions (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s7 SAA General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage, March 2022 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s8 Contact Us — Customer Support (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s9 South African Airways U.S. Customer Commitment (PDF, last updated 4 February 2020) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s10 Travelling with Disabilities — SAA's hosted copy of 14 CFR Part 382 (ACAA) (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
- s11 Delayed & Damaged Baggage (opens in a new tab) · official · read 2026-07-29
Record quality
Record status researched · confidence high · 11 official sources · 13 contacts · 61% of the fields this reference tracks are answered. Newest source read 29 July 2026, the day before this page was built. What these mean.