Root Causes and Prevention of Mobility Device Damage During Air Travel: A Rapid Review
Abstract
Objective: The primary objective of this rapid review is to identify peer-reviewed academic literature that discusses the root causes of mobility device damage and loss during air travel, and to synthesize the operational strategies for preventing this damage. Introduction: Air travel provides essential access to education, healthcare, employment, and leisure. However, persons with disabilities remain vastly underrepresented among air travelers and overrepresented in aviation complaint statistics. A failure point in the accessible travel chain is the damage, loss, or delayed return of mobility devices. While general accessibility reviews categorize device damage as a physical barrier, few investigate the specific cargo-handling mechanisms, securement failures, and design limitations that cause these incidents.
Inclusion Criteria: This review will include peer-reviewed literature focusing on travelers who use mobility devices. The primary concept is the damage, loss, or delayed return of these devices, alongside proposed preventive strategies or root-cause analyses. The context is restricted to commercial air travel operations, including ground handling, cargo stowage, and terminal transfers.
Methods: This protocol strictly adheres to the Cochrane Rapid Review Methods Group recommendations. Searches will be executed in Medline, Scopus and Web of Science (Core Collection). Title and abstract screening, full-text reviews and data extraction will be managed in Nested Knowledge. To expedite the process, a primary reviewer will conduct screening and data extraction, with a secondary reviewer independently piloting tools, screening all excluded records, and verifying data and risk-of-bias assessments. Evidence will be synthesized narratively, prioritizing high-quality study designs to inform operational mitigation.
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BibTeX
@misc{ghulam2026root,
title = {{Root Causes and Prevention of Mobility Device Damage During Air Travel: A Rapid Review}},
author = {Zeyad Ghulam and Alison Whiting and Tilak Dutta},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/5r8w2_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5r8w2_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Root Causes and Prevention of Mobility Device Damage During Air Travel: A Rapid Review
AU - Zeyad Ghulam
AU - Alison Whiting
AU - Tilak Dutta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/5r8w2_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5r8w2_v1/
AB - Objective: The primary objective of this rapid review is to identify peer-reviewed academic literature that discusses the root causes of mobility device damage and loss during air travel, and to synthesize the operational strategies for preventing this damage. Introduction: Air travel provides essential access to education, healthcare, employment, and leisure. However, persons with disabilities remain vastly underrepresented among air travelers and overrepresented in aviation complaint statistics. A failure point in the accessible travel chain is the damage, loss, or delayed return of mobility devices. While general accessibility reviews categorize device damage as a physical barrier, few investigate the specific cargo-handling mechanisms, securement failures, and design limitations that cause these incidents. Inclusion Criteria: This review will include peer-reviewed literature focusing on travelers who use mobility devices. The primary concept is the damage, loss, or delayed return of these devices, alongside proposed preventive strategies or root-cause analyses. The context is restricted to commercial air travel operations, including ground handling, cargo stowage, and terminal transfers. Methods: This protocol strictly adheres to the Cochrane Rapid Review Methods Group recommendations. Searches will be executed in Medline, Scopus and Web of Science (Core Collection). Title and abstract screening, full-text reviews and data extraction will be managed in Nested Knowledge. To expedite the process, a primary reviewer will conduct screening and data extraction, with a secondary reviewer independently piloting tools, screening all excluded records, and verifying data and risk-of-bias assessments. Evidence will be synthesized narratively, prioritizing high-quality study designs to inform operational mitigation.
ER -