flyeee

Hello TravelBuzz!!

I have a couple of questions regarding passengers with disabilities:

- Do they need to provide documentation (Dr's note etc.) to receive assistance?

- Can people with psychological disabilities get assistance (preference?) with seat assignment? (choosing an aisle seat, moving to a different seat if available, etc.)

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk, flyeee
There is a great Disability Travel Forum on Flyertalk. So, please follow this thread as I move it to the Disability Travel Forum.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

flyeee

Thanks!
Anyone?

satman40

Tell them you need a wheel chair, they will not question you...

Please tip well. They deserve it...

Loren Pechtel

But beware that the wheelchair handling isn't always the best.

Last fall my wife was hurt just before our flight home and needed a chair. Shanghai, fine. Los Angeles--we had to squawk because the wheelchairs went with the pushers--and they were going to leave her at the gate for hours without a chair. The pusher made some calls and finally managed to scare up another chair for her to use while she was at the gate. (Without it a trip to the bathroom would have been a *VERY* painful experience for her.)

Often1

Depends on location (country, airport), carrier and exactly what you need.

Some countries require assistance, some are better about it and some do nothing.

One thing to remember is that this is about providing a means to travel and not care itself. If you need a wheelchair, oxygen, early boarding or whatever, that is usually available (and largely required). If you need extra attention during flight, that is up to you to provide.

JDiver

Welcome to FlyerTalk, flyeee.

I think your dilemma might be that if you declare a psychological or psychiatric disability the airline's employee will be pretty unaware of the diversity of possible conditions and they may feel like they may need to ask for some certification you are for to fly or able to fly without escort (which would be your responsibility).

I'd suggest looking over the airline's seating offerings to see if you can snag the seat that would be best for you. Some airlines may require frequent flyer status or make a charge for what they may consider premium seats.

CDTraveler

Why would you suggest a wheelchair to someone inquiring about help for flying with psychological problems?

JDiver

Personally, I'd use psychological challenges... or disabilities, as flyeee has. The problems, as with many disabilities or different abilities, are often in the eyes of the beholder.

satman40

Everyone has a mental problem, me I just travel with the Doctor...and hope no one notices..

CDTraveler

I've got almost a decade of working in a psychiatric unit behind me, and based on my experience working in the mental health world, I wouldn't use the term "disabilities" to describe mental health problems. It's PC gone too far. Mental health issues are too often the dirty little secret that society doesn't want to see, but most mental health conditions can be treated, and many can be controlled with therapy and medication.

Not every health condition, be it physical or mental, is a disability.

MrHalliday

Oh... so that was YOU !!

Katja

Welcome to FlyerTalk, flyeee.

The answer to your first question is it depends on the country, the airline, and the type of assistance being requested. I'm primarily familiar with the US, so I'll say that the Air Carrier Access Act (the governing legislation for access in air travel) lists what sort of assistance air carriers in the US are required to make available. In general, no documentation is required for assistance like wheelchair service to the gate, checking or carrying on medical equipment, transfer assistance to your seat, braille menus and emergency information cards, etc. In other countries this may not be the case.

If you can be more specific about what sort of disability you're talking about and what sort of assistance you'd like, people may be able to give you better answers.