Do disabled people need to get out of the wheelchair on an airplane in first class?

This question is a bit vague so I will start by giving it a very vague answer: yes and no!

Yes in the sense that if you are handicapped and rely on a wheelchair for mobility then you must have your wheelchair with you, simple as that. Yet no in the sense that a full-sized wheelchair, whether running on batteries or good old-fashioned human power, will fit in the aisle of a plane. But there is a solution to this problem.

When you board a plane the staff will ask you if you have any ability to walk on your own. If you can then they can assist you in doing so, easy. But if you can't then the send for something known as the "aisle-chair". Basically all it is is a non-motorized chair cut in half. The chair is light-weight and small enough to fit between the aisles of the plane. The staff will bring in the chair (supplied by the airline of course), transfer you, and roll you to your eat. The arm rests flip up to allow for easy transfer and the staff will then transfer you into your plane seat and roll away the chair. When you arrive at your destination the whole process is reversed.

So what about when you're not on the plane? Well if you intend to travel with your own chair rather than have one meet you at your destination the chair will be placed under the belly of the plane with the rest of your luggage: It's checked in and tagged like your other bags. A Word of caution: I would strongly recommend traveling with only a manual, non battery-powered chair if possible. The reason for this is that since your wheelchair will be stored like the other luggage. This means that the chair goes on the conveyor lift to get into the plane. This lift is on an incline and if your chair isn't locked it will roll off (this happened to me with my power chair and the legal issues that followed were not pretty). Be sure to discuss your travel needs with the airline before check-in and boarding times.