Sue Volek says her walker was damaged on an Alaska Airlines flight

Sue Volek might have reduced mobility, but she tries not to let that stop her from seeing the world. However, frequent damage to her mobility devices is a regular deterrent.

“I’ve been searching for ways to continue to feed my travel habit but make it practical when you have this kind of disability,” the 73 year old, who has a compressed spine, told USA TODAY.

She and her husband traveled from their home in Portland, Oregon, to Anchorage, Alaska, on Alaska Airlines to see a taping of “Antiques Roadshow” in July. Volek said her rollator, which had already lost a few pieces on a previous trip, was damaged even more on the way.

“I was concerned because I can’t walk anywhere without a walker,” she said.

Volek added that Alaska Airlines and their contractors were very responsive when she reported the damage, and she had a temporary replacement walker delivered to her hotel the same day. But, she said, it wasn’t exactly the right size and was awkward to use.

Alaska Airlines acknowledged the incident in a statement to USA TODAY and said they are working to improve their procedures for passengers with disabilities.

“As we review our procedures for transporting assistive devices, we are committed to learning from this experience. We will use what we learn to train our employees to better serve all of our guests who rely on us to get them to their destinations safely,” Steve Nelson, Alaska Airlines’ access/diversity program manager said in a statement. “Our newly created Disability Office is also working closely with our internal and external disability advisory boards to develop new training and innovations to make air travel more accessible for all.”

Volek said the airline ordered her a new, appropriately-sized walker, which arrived on July 25, a little over two weeks after the damage occurred.

“They ordered a new one and shipped it to me and told me just to keep the old one,” she said. “I have this small fleet of walkers in my garage that I’m going to look to donate to someone who needs them.”

Still, Volek added, she finds the experience of traveling with a mobility device to be frustrating.

“Clearly you cannot check your mobility device at the ticket counter and expect to see it whole at the other end,” she said. “I have to get the wheelchair service, then I sit in the wheelchair and I have to hold my walker on my lap or on my feet.” “I gate check it. That is, it’s not comfortable, it’s not easy to do, it’s not my preferred way of doing things because of my back, but this is what I’ve found that looks like it’s going to work.”

Volek also said she has an electric scooter that she sometimes uses, but absolutely refuses to fly with.

She said airlines must do better and remember that passengers with mobility issues are still valuable customers.

“I want to point out that people like us want to be customers. I hated having my wings clipped for three or four years when I could not travel and I’m still trying to fly a lot,” she said. “We really want to be customers, we want to fly.”

See more stories:Mobility device lost or damaged by an airline? USA TODAY wants to hear about it.

According to the Department of Transportation, airlines "mishandle" on average about 1.5% of the mobility equipment they transport. In 2022, that translated to 11,389 incidents reported by U.S. airlines, up from 7,239 in 2021.

This year, USA TODAY wants to highlight what those figures mean for travelers with disabilities. We're looking to track these incidents throughout 2023 with the goal of bringing light to an all-too-common problem.

If your own mobility equipment was damaged or lost by an airline this year, please share your story with us using the form below:

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected]