Letronics Closes in on Launch Customer for WiseLift PRM Transfer Lift
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At the 2024 APEX Global EXPO, Letronics debuted its WiseLift PRM Transfer Lift. The company is now working closely with a couple of airlines and hoping to close its first deal by the end of the year.
Letronics has been providing the airline industry with a broad range of in-flight solutions from headphones to earbuds, cases and catering cart security seals for 25 years, but the venture into products relating to passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) is a more recent venture.
Letronics CEO Gregg Cohen explained, “The WiseLift brand started about six years ago with our recliner lift chairs, which were designed to help seniors or people with reduced mobility stand up safely and comfortably. Not long after, an airline approached us looking for a better way to help PRM passengers transfer from a wheelchair to their aircraft seat. That’s what inspired the WiseLift PRM Transfer Lift.”
The battery-operated lift works by fitting a sling underneath the passenger in their wheelchair at the gate, which they are lifted in before being maneuvered down the aisle to their seat. The passenger can then be positioned and lowered down into their seat. The maximum weight the sling can accommodate is 204 kilograms.
According to PAX International, the sling can also “have an incontinence pad inserted into it for passengers to sit on during the flight.”
“By reducing stress and physical strain, the lift helps make boarding smoother and more comfortable for everyone involved.”
– Gregg Cohen, Letronics
The length of Letronics’ WL780 PRM Lift can be adjusted down to a mere 48-inches wide, small enough to turn in the entryway corner of regional jets. Its 14-inch width fits in all commercial aircraft. The company has also developed a wider version, the WL790, that is also suitable for use with business-class seats in a herringbone layout. Cohen elaborated: “The original WL780 model extends to 99-inches [long, while] the WL790 model extends to over 105 inches.”
The solution has manifold benefits. Cohen stated, “The WiseLift PRM Transfer Lift eliminates all manual lifting, making transfers safer for both crew and passengers. It’s designed to provide maximum comfort during the transfer process, with ergonomic features and quiet operation that create a reassuring environment. By reducing stress and physical strain, the lift helps make boarding smoother and more comfortable for everyone involved.”
Furthermore, Cohen said the process will allow for faster boarding of passengers with reduced mobility, a win-win for the passenger experience and airline turnaround times.
Based on feedback from several advocates it works with, the company returned to showcase both of its WiseLift products at the 2025 APEX Global EXPO, this time with colored handles on the sling. “They were originally black to match the sling, but colored handles are easier to find when positioning the passenger in the seat,” said Cohen.
Since it does not attach to or interface with the aircraft structure or systems, there is no certification required for the solution. In terms of operational logistics, Cohen said the PRM Lift will stay located at the airport: “It depends on the airline and airport how many are stored there, but you need one at each end for boarding and de-boarding the passenger.”