Disability Travel - AA Seat Bump While Traveling with Sight / Visual Disabled Spouse

Over a month ago I bought my son and his bride-to-be two tickets on the same itinerary on American PHX to Dublin (via DFW) for their honeymoon. Each American leg I had chosen two seats together. This week, I got an email saying that there had been a change in schedule - which turned out to be American bumping my son out of his seat in the first leg and both of them out of their assigned seats in the final leg. Calling American, I explained that not only are they on their honeymoon, but she is disabled because of her sight, and needs to be seated with him. They have no explanation of why he was moved out of his seat, but they also don't really care to do anything about it. I've cited the disabilities act referencing her need to travel with her sight abled companion, and the best they will tell me is that maybe the people at the gate can find them two seats together, but right now the closest they can seat him is 8 rows behind her. She can see shapes, etc., but reading is an issue, as would be finding her way to the restroom. Any suggestions would be really welcomed.

Glad the kids are traveling - while a sure thing in advance may not be easy, rest assured the chances that they will sit together are really good.
1. Keep checking the online seat maps, especially around the 72 hour pre flight mark as people shuffle and get upgraded.
2. Get to check in early, cite the issue to the desk agent, seats are held for airport allocation for reasons like this.
3. If not successful, repeat your issue to the gate agent, they shuffle seats all the way up to closing the aircraft up.
4. I doubt you'll get to this point, but if you do, flyers are generally good people, ask the FA or the purser to ask other pax to switch.

American Airlines does hold back seats for airport assignment only. This is in part to accommodate disabled travelers and their companions. Your son should get to the airport a little early and explain their situation to the agent at the check-in counter and if necessary at the gate.

Did they / you contact AA upon making their reservations and state the nature of their requirements? AA has a number of seats where people with disabilities and their companions have priority accommodations. Making bookings alone isn't sufficient in these situations, IMO.

Perhaps contacting AA again and asking for a free (waived change fees) change to alternate flights with seats available next to each other would help, but it's better to plan ahead - if AA made any changes, they might even be more willing. (I suspect aircraft changes were made, changing assigned seats.)

"Reservations at (800) 433-7300 for Future Travel Disability Related Services" (Maybe they can help even now. The proper category of assistance is "Visually Impaired: Passenger is visually impaired and needs guidance assistance." Sometimes use of the particular language used by the airline is helpful when communicating with airline employees.)

and

Accessibility And Assistance For Customers With Disabilities (http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/specialAssistance/customersWithDisabilities.jsp)

You could also visit the FlyerTalk Disability Travel Forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/disability-travel-224/) for further advice.

Call AA Special Assistance 800-237-7976. Each type of aircraft has different rows reserved for advance assignment ONLY by special assistance, then they go to airport control. AA spec asst is very helpful and will assure they are seated together.

Good information. It seems the AAgent that OP talked to should have known where to refer the call.

AA has no way of knowing your daughter-in-law's special needs unless they are told. Telling them after they have unknowingly done something that causes the problem is not the right procedure.

FT has an excellent forum on Traveling with Disabilities. This problem is not specific to AA - it could have happened on any airline, given the failure to notify the airline of special needs. I will suggest to our moderators moving this thead there, the people there are much more expert in this area than we are and you will likely get much better answers.

AA has no way of knowing your daughter-in-law's special needs unless they are told. Telling them after they have unknowingly done something that causes the problem is not the right procedure.

FT has an excellent forum on Traveling with Disabilities. This problem is not specific to AA - it could have happened on any airline, given the failure to notify the airline of special needs. I will suggest to our moderators moving this thead there, the people there are much more expert in this area than we are and you will likely get much better answers.

Actually, she has a notation in her profile that states she is visually impaired, it was there prior to them bumping my son out of the seat. I realize that people get bumped out of their seat on other airlines, but I have never had this issue with United, for instance. If there was a plane change, the seating is exactly the same as it was when I chose their seats. I just find the lack of interest in upholding a transportation law to be more than disheartening.

I just find the lack of interest in upholding a transportation law to be more than disheartening.

As stated, without doubt they will be seated together once they get to the airport. As such, I see a lack of adequate training for a particular agent in failing to advise you of this, but I don't see any failure to uphold a transportation law at present.

Cheers.

Actually, she has a notation in her profile that states she is visually impaired, it was there prior to them bumping my son out of the seat. I realize that people get bumped out of their seat on other airlines, but I have never had this issue with United, for instance. If there was a plane change, the seating is exactly the same as it was when I chose their seats. I just find the lack of interest in upholding a transportation law to be more than disheartening.

I think the notation in her profile is there for use by humans reviewing her situation. I doubt that the computer can interpret it. But again, I (and almost all of us here) don't have the expertise to say for sure. That expertise resides in our Traveling with Disabilities forum.

If all the other suggestions don't work: book two aisle seats and then ask the passenger in one of the seats next to your seats if he would like to change from a middle seat to an aisle seat. As long as he is traveling alone he very likely will.

If all the other suggestions don't work: book two aisle seats and then ask the passenger in one of the seats next to your seats if he would like to change from a middle seat to an aisle seat. As long as he is traveling alone he very likely will.

Thats a great idea there! I'll have to remember that one. For some reason that had really never occurred to me.

I was on a a JFK-SEA flight where a dad and his daughter were not seated together at first. They boarded and after asking two people on board they quickly found a way to shift seats and make things work. I'm sure that some passengers on board will be willing to help out in this situation if AA can't make it right beforehand.

I will suggest to our moderators moving this thead there, the people there are much more expert in this area than we are and you will likely get much better answers.

While that's an option, the answer IS specific to AA. I am well versed in AA's policy and procedures such as this, but wouldn't know where to begin if they were flying United.

Actually, she has a notation in her profile that states she is visually impaired, it was there prior to them bumping my son out of the seat.

If you booked on aa.com and checked the little 'Disability Assistance Required' box next to the passengers name, the next screen would then ask the following with applicable check boxes:

Wheelchair Assistance
None
Can walk but need assistance to and from gate
Can walk but need assistance with stairs
Cannot walk. Need assistance to aircraft seat
Therapeutic Oxygen (in-flight only) *
Visually impaired and requires assistance
Hearing impaired and requires assistance
* Your request for therapeutic oxygen is subject to verification and availability.
A Special Assistance Coordinator will contact you to confirm your order.


Then, you can proceed to purchase and AA will select random seats somewhere in the aircraft that you probably don't want to be. Don't Worry! By checking the 'Disability Assistance Required' box, a Special Assistance rep WILL call you to arrange more suitable seating together, but usually not until less than a week before departure. They are the ONLY ones that have advance access to airport control seats, but to be proactive just give them a call, 800-237-7976.

PeoDeMIA, thanks for your detailed response as it pertains to American Airlines, as well as others with more general responses and suggestions.

After discussion with various Moderators, this thread will move to Disability Travel Forum for further input and for informational reasons to members who read that Forum - and a permanent searchable link will be left in the American AAdvantage Forum so members searching here will find the thread.

/Moderator

As many have already said in this thread, I wouldn't sweat it. Airlines (AA and other mainline US airlines) wait until the day of the flight so that the gate agents can use their discretion in appropriately seating disabled passengers and their parties. As a wheelchair user I get no preference ahead of time in choosing seating (or rather, only the preference that my airline status entitles me to), but am usually given something workable when boarding if my assigned seat is 32D.

Frankly, if there were some way to guarantee snagging an excellent seat ahead of time by playing the disability card, don't you think every frequent flyer would figure it out and abuse it?

One other resource that can be used when things go wrong (and IMHO they haven't yet, as long as the airline responds appropriately, and the OP has some good recommendations above,) is the

US Department of Transportation's Disabilities Hotline at
1-800-778-4838 (voice)
or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY.)

Gimp on the Go Editor Adam Lloyd says (in part) - link (http://www.gimponthego.com/tips13.htm):

"The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has established a toll-free hotline to assist travelers with disabilities.

The hotline will provide general information to consumers about the rights of air travelers with disabilities, respond to requests for printed consumer information, and assist air travelers with time-sensitive disability-related issues that need to be addressed in "real time." The line is staffed from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time, seven days a week. Air travelers who experience disability-related air travel service problems may call the hotline at 1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY) to obtain assistance. As in the past, air travelers who would like DOT to investigate a complaint about a disability issue must submit their complaint in writing or via e-mail."

And I will add (thanks, JDiver) that the pertinent legislation is not the Americans with Disabilities Act (I don't know if the OP's reference to "the disabilities act" was meant to refer to the ADA), but the Air Carrier Access Act.

The Air Carrier Access act can be found at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/382short.pdf; more information from the Department of Transportation on the rights of disabled air passengers is available at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/disabled.htm and http://www.dotcr.ost.dot.gov/asp/airacc.asp.

Here's the bit you want about seating for someone assisting a person with a vision impairment:

(2) The carrier shall provide a seat next to a passenger traveling with a disability for a person assisting the individual in the following circumstances:
(i) When an individual with a disability is traveling with a personal care attendant who will be performing a function for the individual during the flight that airline personnel are not required to perform (e.g., assistance with eating);
(ii) When an individual with a vision impairment is traveling with a reader/assistant who will be performing functions for the individual during the flight; or
(iii) When an individual with a hearing impairment is traveling with an interpreter who will be performing functions for the individual during the flight.
(3) For an individual traveling with a service animal, the carrier shall provide, as the individual requests, either a bulkhead seat or a seat other than a bulkhead seat.
(4) For a person with a fused or immobilized leg, the carrier shall provide a bulkhead seat or other seat that provides greater legroom than other seats, on the side of an aisle that better accommodates the individual’s disability.
(b) A carrier that provides advance seat assignments shall comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section by any of the following methods:
(1) The carrier may “block” an adequate number of the seats used to provide the seating accommodations required by this section.
(i) The carrier shall not assign these seats to passengers not needing seating accommodations provided under this paragraph until 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight.
(ii) At any time up until 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight, the carrier shall assign a seat meeting the requirements of this section to an individual who requests it.
(iii) If an individual with a disability does not make a request at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight, the carrier shall meet the individual’s request to the extent practicable, but is not required to reassign a seat assigned to another passenger in order to do so.

Frankly, if there were some way to guarantee snagging an excellent seat ahead of time by playing the disability card, don't you think every frequent flyer would figure it out and abuse it?

It's sad, but true. WN has always had a pre-board for people with disabilities, of course. Because seats were not assigned, some of the people using this service would sometimes end up in exit rows, until they explicitly disallowed that. Undoubtedly cut down on the scammers.

Cheers.

Thanks to everyone who posted suggestions. Since the flight is in less than 48 hours, I'll do what I can. I'd already sent my son the section / link to the DOT segment that was posted, but I know that she would be much happier if it could be straightened out before getting to the gate. She's also much prefer not to have to bring her sight impairment into the issue, she's very sensitive about it. I get that, because having a "less than obvious" disability I find it usually is met with someone saying something like "You don't look handicapped to me."
I still don't understand why they didn't bump and reseat the two of them together when they bumped my son out of his seat, but I did learn alot about flying American and where to call from all of you, and I really appreciate all the very helpful responses.

As many have already said in this thread, I wouldn't sweat it. Airlines (AA and other mainline US airlines) wait until the day of the flight so that the gate agents can use their discretion in appropriately seating disabled passengers and their parties. As a wheelchair user I get no preference ahead of time in choosing seating (or rather, only the preference that my airline status entitles me to), but am usually given something workable when boarding if my assigned seat is 32D.

Frankly, if there were some way to guarantee snagging an excellent seat ahead of time by playing the disability card, don't you think every frequent flyer would figure it out and abuse it?

They wait until the day of the flight because they are not allowed (with few exceotions) to require advanced notice of disability. So the couple mentioned by the OP should relax. It will be fixed at check-in, or at the gate. That's how it's done.

We fly DL. I do not believe any bulkhead seats are assigned except by the GA. They always want to put me in bulkhead as soon as they see my wheelchair. Since I hate sitting in the bulkhead, and have usually selected my seat preference, I always decline. I expect, however, that the AA GA will have similar latitude for seat assignments prior to the flight.

If not, an appeal to passengers, especially since they are on their honeymoon would surely yield two seats together. I am positive a FA would do this for the young couple.

What a lovely wedding gift!

This is very interesting

I currently have an imobilized leg. There is not an ailse seat on the proper side of the plane available. As a 1K, after explaining the issue, I was told we will just have to leave you unassigned. I am not a happy 1k.

They wait until the day of the flight because they are not allowed (with few exceotions) to require advanced notice of disability. So the couple mentioned by the OP should relax. It will be fixed at check-in, or at the gate. That's how it's done.

Just want to note here... This is a silly policy. Not being able to *require* advance notice is not the same as not being able to accept advance notice.

It sure sounds like an excuse not to adjust the way they work their seat arrangements than any actual concern for the rules.

I am not sure what we mean about not being able to accept advanced notice of a disability. I always notify DL of disability every time I book online. I go down to the seat assignment area and request a wheelchair.

If I need a bulkhead seating for any reason, I call the DL Medallion line, and I have never had a problem obtaining the release of bulkhead seats in advance of the day of the flight. On the day of the flight, however, no one but the GA can make seat assignments.

The ACAA says they can't REQUIRE advanced notice, with a few exceptions, but it does NOT say that they can't accept advanced notice. Is that clearer. There's nothing stopping anyone form giving advanced notice if they want to.

The ACAA says they can't REQUIRE advanced notice, with a few exceptions, but it does NOT say that they can't accept advanced notice. Is that clearer. There's nothing stopping anyone form giving advanced notice if they want to.

Yes, but it's still no justification for not making a clear seat assignment till the day of travel. It's something they should fix, to avoid causing undue stress, and risk of complications should the gate agent making the assignments screw up.