NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Passengers in wheelchairs are finding the skies to be not-so-friendly, according to a report published Monday.

The government's first study on disability-related complaints to airlines show that about two-thirds of the 10,193 grievances filed in 2004 involved wheelchairs, according to USA Today.

Inadequate assistance, damaged chairs, poor seating arrangements, inaccessible aircraft and excessive waiting time for wheelchairs upon arrival were among the grievances, the paper said.

About 17 million passengers with disabilities fly each year, USA Today said, citing government estimates.

The report will be used to identify trends and strengthen enforcement of laws meant to protect people with disabilities, Sam Podberesky, a Department of Transportation lawyer, said in the newspaper.

Advocacy groups told the newspaper airlines have become more responsive in recent years, but they hope the new findings prompt further action.

"The DOT is watching, so (the airlines) have to be a little more than careful," Kleo King, program counsel for the United Spinal Association, said in the USA Today report.

America West and Delta have both upgraded their wheelchair service programs in the last year, according to USA Today.

Four of the largest airlines -- American, Delta, United and Northwest -- accounted for almost 60 percent of the complaints last year, the newspaper said.

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