I'm trying to buy tickets for my parents to visit me in Europe next spring. My mother has a spinal disability and cannot spend more than a few hours upright, so we need to buy her multiple seats (3 or 4 between her and my father) so that she can be reclined for most of the flight.

Does anyone know whether any airlines offer discounted tickets for passengers who because of a disability need to purchase more than one seat? I suppose my next step would be to start making some phone calls.
Thanks!

For the price of 3-4 coach tickets you should be able to pick up 2 sale BusinessFirst tickets from CO...recently they have been going for around $1000-$1500 r/t depending on destination. You have to watch for the sales as these "Z" fares are not offered all the time nor on all dates. Other airlines also have business class sale fares from time to time. A business class seat will be much more comfortable for her than having a few coach seats to spread out on.

For the price of 3-4 coach tickets you should be able to pick up 2 sale BusinessFirst tickets from CO...recently they have been going for around $1000-$1500 r/t depending on destination. You have to watch for the sales as these "Z" fares are not offered all the time nor on all dates. Other airlines also have business class sale fares from time to time. A business class seat will be much more comfortable for her than having a few coach seats to spread out on.
Natalyas Welcome to Flyertalk
I agree with this last post. Please check the different airline forums on FT. Often you will find excellent information about Business Class Fares being sold at discount. Good luck.

Thanks for the tip. The only problem is that those sorts of fares seem to be offered somewhat last-minute, no? I saw a posting about cheap business-first fares on Continental but they're only for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If they're only offered a month or so prior to the travel date, wouldn't I be really risking it?

I realize how hard it is for folks who are disabled to get around, especially if they have to go long distances....whether by car, train, plane, etc. If you would like, why don't you tell me where your parents will originate their trip, and to what destination they intend to fly. I have some ideas about fares which entail the use of airlines with flat seats (albeit beds), but I need the information before I can check for you. Good luck!

Wow - how helpful! Thank you Sydny! :)
They live in Albany, NY. Ideally they would fly out of Newark since my grandmother lives only about 30 minutes from that airport and they could break up the trip at her house (assuming they don't fly from Albany to their cross-Atlantic take-off point). However, that wouldn't be so important if she knew she could lie down as soon as they were in the air. The next choices would be Boston or JFK. I live in the Netherlands, but my in-laws are in London, so we'd prefer AMS or either of the London airports as the destination.

Good Morning Natalyas!

Could you tell me when you would like them to leave for London? The rest of the info is great, and I think I shall try for Albany to JFK then off to London. But give me the dates, and their names, and I'll work on this for you.
Sydny

PS If you would like to use my other address, it is: aktravel@hotmail.com


Wow - how helpful! Thank you Sydny! :)
They live in Albany, NY. Ideally they would fly out of Newark since my grandmother lives only about 30 minutes from that airport and they could break up the trip at her house (assuming they don't fly from Albany to their cross-Atlantic take-off point). However, that wouldn't be so important if she knew she could lie down as soon as they were in the air. The next choices would be Boston or JFK. I live in the Netherlands, but my in-laws are in London, so we'd prefer AMS or either of the London airports as the destination.

Hi Sydny,
We're looking at dates flying out around (but not before) April 21, and returning roughly May 19 - basically a month later from whatever the outbound date is.
I really appreciate your help. Could you let me know how you're going about this? ie, are you a travel agent, or do you have friends in the industry?

Hi Natalyas!

To answer your questions: Yes, I am a retired Travel Agent, having owned my own agency for 15 years, then shut it down because the airlines were not paying commissions, and I do what I like to do in my home. And yes, I have many friends in the travel industry, and we have resigned ourselves to continue with our clients from our homes. So, it doesn't explain much, but I know how to do it, and if I get stuck, I can always call on my friends. Most of the time, I use my consolidators whom I've known and worked with for years. They usually have very good prices, and I can usually count on them to give me the best prices with their contractors.

Now, you said that your grandparents (?) will be traveling out after April 21, and returning around May 19th? That's good because we have a couple days either side of the window to work with. What I'm thinking of doing is trying to get them from Albany right to JFK for their flight. If the schedule for the flight is too tight, they might have to stay overnight. Then we can work with your relatives in NY, rather than spend the money on a hotel.

Let me work with this, and I will get back with you as soon as I can put something together for you...and them.

Sincerely,
Pat Arthur, Owner
A&K Travel
808-989-5700

Hi Sydny,
We're looking at dates flying out around (but not before) April 21, and returning roughly May 19 - basically a month later from whatever the outbound date is.
I really appreciate your help. Could you let me know how you're going about this? ie, are you a travel agent, or do you have friends in the industry?

Okay - I'll wait to hear if you're able to make any progress on this.
In the meantime, maybe you could explain about the beds/cots on airplanes. What airlines do this and why?

HI Natalysa!

Have just arrived in Seattle for the Thanksgiving holiday with my family, but I researched many things before I left. Here are a couple ideas I had that are being pursued:

1) Limosine service from your home to JFK......it's about $30, and she can lay down in the back seat for the trip to the airport;

2) The only airline that has the full bed, and are lower priced than the other carriers is VirginAtlantic......they would fly from JFK to London, but the price is still a little steep;

3) Another thought I had was why not address a cruise across the Atlantic? I've been looking for Transatlantic cruises, and have come up with the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary....not as expensive as the bed suites, but still rather costly;

4) The winter/spring sales are starting to hit the ads now, and I am waiting to see how they would fit in when buying for 5 seats, and how much that would cost.

So, as you can see, there are several ways we can go with this, and I hope some of these ideas appeal to you?

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you, and I will keep you apprised on my progress. If you have any comments, or thoughts, about these ideas, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your patience, and I hope you will let me know what your feelings are about these ideas.

Sincerely,
Pat Arthur

Okay - I'll wait to hear if you're able to make any progress on this.
In the meantime, maybe you could explain about the beds/cots on airplanes. What airlines do this and why?

In order for you to get acquainted with beds and cots on airplanes, take a look at this homepage:

http://www.flatseats.com/

you'll get all the information you wish.

Sydny will surely find the best solution for you and your wallet.

Have a good trip

The cruise idea unfortuantely won't work (but would be quite lovely to do someday) since my father will have a limited time off work and seeing as my mother likely will not get to Europe again -- at least for a long time -- I think we'd rather make full use of the time in Europe.

Also, if we went with buying multiple seats, I think four would be enough - if we could get them on a plane that has rows of four rather than three in the middle. She could rest her feet on my father's legs if the three seats for her weren't quite long enough.

Also, I live in the Netherlands so a taxi from my house to JFK would probably be more than $30! ;)
You couldn't have meant from Albany, so you might have meant from my grandmother's house in New Jersey. Still, having lived in NY that sounds unbelievably cheap. But if you can work it out, we'll take it! ^

Thanks!