DeafFlyer
Jul 23, 04, 1:35 am
Just got back today (actually yesterday 7/22) from a trip IAD-CPH-AAL-CPH-IAD. Everything went great, except for at IAD.
On arrival, the SAS A330 parks at a stand and pax are unloaded via mobile lounges. They had to hold one for a long time while they looked for an aisle chair to get me out. The aisle chair didn't have any belts on it so the F/A grabbed a couple of seat belt extenders and used those to keep me from falling off of the chair. There was only one man to pull the chair through the aisle to the back door of the plane. Once we got there I could see a mobile lounge, full of pax, that had been waiting for me. (Sure hope no one missed a connection, because they had to wait almost 30 minutes!) The aisle chair got stuck trying to get it into the mobile lounge. They called for someone's help, and the captain of the flight helped lift the chair! I rode in the mobile lounge, sitting on the aisle chair, to the international arrivals location.
I was transferred to an airport chair, taken through passport control, and finally reunited with my own chair.
A wheelchair pusher, same guy who got stuck with aisle chair, took us to get our bags, through customs, and out to the taxis. I wish I could have tipped him, but I didn't have cash to do so.
Customs asked if we were on a farm, in contact or near livestock. We were, so we went to second line where agent looked at my shoes, which were clean, since I don't walk. Without checking the rest of my family, he waved us on.
The IAD experience was awful compared to Falck in Denmark (CPH and AAL). (Falck is the Danish emergency service, similar to ambulances in USA). Falck personnell also help with boarding and "un-boarding" disabled pax. They are very professional
Well that's what happened, in brief.
On arrival, the SAS A330 parks at a stand and pax are unloaded via mobile lounges. They had to hold one for a long time while they looked for an aisle chair to get me out. The aisle chair didn't have any belts on it so the F/A grabbed a couple of seat belt extenders and used those to keep me from falling off of the chair. There was only one man to pull the chair through the aisle to the back door of the plane. Once we got there I could see a mobile lounge, full of pax, that had been waiting for me. (Sure hope no one missed a connection, because they had to wait almost 30 minutes!) The aisle chair got stuck trying to get it into the mobile lounge. They called for someone's help, and the captain of the flight helped lift the chair! I rode in the mobile lounge, sitting on the aisle chair, to the international arrivals location.
I was transferred to an airport chair, taken through passport control, and finally reunited with my own chair.
A wheelchair pusher, same guy who got stuck with aisle chair, took us to get our bags, through customs, and out to the taxis. I wish I could have tipped him, but I didn't have cash to do so.
Customs asked if we were on a farm, in contact or near livestock. We were, so we went to second line where agent looked at my shoes, which were clean, since I don't walk. Without checking the rest of my family, he waved us on.
The IAD experience was awful compared to Falck in Denmark (CPH and AAL). (Falck is the Danish emergency service, similar to ambulances in USA). Falck personnell also help with boarding and "un-boarding" disabled pax. They are very professional
Well that's what happened, in brief.