This comes up more often than operators expect and is almost always handled at the wrong moment — at the aircraft, in front of the passenger. Everything useful happens at the quoting stage instead.
What varies enormously by aircraft
Door size and step height. This is the constraint, more than cabin space. An aircraft with a high step and a narrow door presents a boarding problem that a larger cabin does not solve.
Whether the passenger can be seated appropriately given their needs and the aircraft's configuration.
And whether a mobility aid travels with them. A folding wheelchair is a baggage question with specific dimensions; a powered chair is a different question entirely, often involving the battery type. The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
None of this is uniform across a category. Two aircraft of the same type can differ.
What to establish before quoting
Can the passenger board with the assistance available, and what assistance is actually available at both ends? A field that handles this routinely and one where nobody is rostered are different situations.
What equipment travels, by type and dimensions.
Whether the passenger travels with a companion, which changes the seat count and sometimes the whole arrangement.
And what the return looks like. We quote waiting time and aircraft overnights at the destination: tell us whether you return the same day or the aircraft waits, and we include it in the price. An arrival airfield with no assistance at the hour of the return flight is a problem discovered late.
Ask these when the request arrives. Ten seconds at quoting; an hour and an unhappy passenger at the aircraft.
Why a clear no beats an improvised yes
If your aircraft and the available assistance cannot do it safely and with dignity, say so at quoting, with the reason, and refer if you know somebody whose aircraft can.
An operator who takes the booking hoping it will work has committed a passenger to an arrangement that may fail in front of everybody, at a field where there is no alternative.
A Tortuguero transfer at 53.4 nautical miles is not a place to discover that boarding is not possible. There is no version of that where the improvisation was worth it.
What not to do
Do not treat it as an exception to be minimised. A passenger who needs assistance is a passenger, and the tone of the handling is remembered longer than the logistics.
Do not make the decision at the aircraft if it can be made earlier, which is almost always.
And do not promise on behalf of ground handling you have not confirmed. We run scheduled private flights across Central America; any other destination worldwide is coordinated on request.
What to write down once
Per aircraft: door dimensions, step height, seat configuration options.
Per field you serve: what assistance exists and at what hours.
That document is short, it costs one afternoon, and it turns every future enquiry of this kind into a two-minute answer rather than a research project. A Drake Bay run at 83.5 nautical miles has an answer that does not change between requests. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
What to ask an intermediary
Whether assistance needs are captured in the request, or whether they surface later.
A channel that asks the passenger nothing about this is handing you a step-7 problem dressed as a step-4 request, and you will find out at the aircraft.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main constraint?
Door size and step height rather than cabin space, and it varies between aircraft of the same type.
What do I establish before quoting?
Whether boarding is possible with available assistance at both ends, what equipment travels, whether there is a companion, and what the return looks like.
Is a powered wheelchair the same as a folding one?
No. A folding chair is a dimensions question; a powered one is a different question, often involving the battery type.
Should I take the booking and hope?
No. A clear no at quoting beats an arrangement that may fail in front of everybody at a field with no alternative.
What should I write down?
Door dimensions, step height and seat options per aircraft; available assistance and hours per field.
What should I ask a channel?
Whether assistance needs are captured in the request or surface later — otherwise you find out at the aircraft.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.