Disability Travel to/from Hong Kong International Airport
Jun 8, 2010, 1:09 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: In a hotel somewhere trying to repack everything I brought (and bought) in to a carry-on smaller than my last one.
Programs: UA, Asia Miles, Southwest, IHG
Posts: 1,101
Disability Travel to/from Hong Kong International Airport
HKIA is such a contradiction in terms of aiding the elderly and the disabled.
Attendants (that do not and are not allowed to take a tip) are at the luggage carousels ready to help the elderly and the disabled with their luggage. Attendants are also at all the Airport Express (the airport train) stations to help loading and unloading of luggage and to help people as well. Wheelchair attendants also do not take tips and are happy to wheel you from one end of the airport all the way to the remotest corner of the parking lot and back while simultaneously handling your luggage and stopping at your favourite shops in between.
^
This is all there for you provided you look "really really disabled" or really old.
For example, something obvious like multiple missing limbs or maybe half a skull. For everyone else, the airlines or rather whatever company the airlines outsource to basically run you through the wringer.
Having traveled in and out of HKIA multiple times for the past 6 months, I have been:
1) bumped from my assigned seat by the contracted GA,
2) been told that my disability "isn't real" because the GA has "never heard of it" (after reading the doctor's letter),
3) been told by an attendant (whom I asked for help to get on the train) that I "didn't need" help.
As for the airlines themselves:
1) I have also been denied my assigned seating (CO) that was pre-booked in the US
2) asked to subject myself to examination by their non-medically qualified GA (CX) who would have final say over whether I actually "had" a disability or not.
3) have been asked to provide a doctor's letter saying which exact seat I had to be in on the flight (?!) (CX)
4) almost kicked off a plane for refusing to switch (give up my assigned seat) to a seat that would worsen my condition. (CX) [to clarify, this was to an Elite who wanted more legroom and not to anyone was was in more of a need than I]
5) almost denied at check-in if I could not provide a separate letter from a doctor to say that I was fit to fly. (CX) It seems that they need a separate doctor's letter for each point so my current doctor's letter saying I had "this condition" AND that I was "fit to fly" wasn't acceptable.
The thing is, once everything was cleared up, the staff at HKIA were extremely helpful and friendly and were proactive in getting you the things you need. Problem was getting to that point.
Attendants (that do not and are not allowed to take a tip) are at the luggage carousels ready to help the elderly and the disabled with their luggage. Attendants are also at all the Airport Express (the airport train) stations to help loading and unloading of luggage and to help people as well. Wheelchair attendants also do not take tips and are happy to wheel you from one end of the airport all the way to the remotest corner of the parking lot and back while simultaneously handling your luggage and stopping at your favourite shops in between.
^This is all there for you provided you look "really really disabled" or really old.
For example, something obvious like multiple missing limbs or maybe half a skull. For everyone else, the airlines or rather whatever company the airlines outsource to basically run you through the wringer. Having traveled in and out of HKIA multiple times for the past 6 months, I have been:
1) bumped from my assigned seat by the contracted GA,
2) been told that my disability "isn't real" because the GA has "never heard of it" (after reading the doctor's letter),
3) been told by an attendant (whom I asked for help to get on the train) that I "didn't need" help.
As for the airlines themselves:
1) I have also been denied my assigned seating (CO) that was pre-booked in the US
2) asked to subject myself to examination by their non-medically qualified GA (CX) who would have final say over whether I actually "had" a disability or not.
3) have been asked to provide a doctor's letter saying which exact seat I had to be in on the flight (?!) (CX)
4) almost kicked off a plane for refusing to switch (give up my assigned seat) to a seat that would worsen my condition. (CX) [to clarify, this was to an Elite who wanted more legroom and not to anyone was was in more of a need than I]
5) almost denied at check-in if I could not provide a separate letter from a doctor to say that I was fit to fly. (CX) It seems that they need a separate doctor's letter for each point so my current doctor's letter saying I had "this condition" AND that I was "fit to fly" wasn't acceptable.
The thing is, once everything was cleared up, the staff at HKIA were extremely helpful and friendly and were proactive in getting you the things you need. Problem was getting to that point.
Last edited by tcl; Jun 8, 2010 at 1:12 pm Reason: clarified #4
