vlb70

This may have been discussed here in the past, if so, please forgive my repetition.

Due to a recent diagnosis, my senior citizen aunt is considering a "bucket list" trip. She has extremely limited mobility due to age and health issues. Typically uses a scooter for mobility. I am looking for a recommendation and tips regarding flying in this situation. Flying out of MSP, which airlines do the best for pax with limited mobility issues? At this time, I don't know if it would int or dom flights as the conversation is in the early stages. However, that is also why I am asking now--- if the limitations will make the whole trip miserable from step 1, then I want to end the conversation before it goes too far.

Additionally, what tips can you give me-- pro's & con's for this situation. I only leisure travel a couple times a year, so I don't have the experience most of you have.

thank you for any & all help..

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk, vlb70. There is a great Forum on Flyertalk, Disability Travel. I am moving your thread over to that Forum. Please follow there. Follow the redirect arrow>
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

CDTraveler

Mobility challenges necessitate a lot of research and advance planning if you want a smooth trip. This is a good place to start.

But before you start looking into the air travel piece, I would suggest your aunt think about what she most wants from the trip. To see a place she's always wanted to see? To have a special experience? There are places where the scooter would enable her to do what she wants to and others where it would be no-go thing. For example, my Dad's final bucket list trip was a cruise through the Panama Canal - many cruise lines offer support to passengers with major medical issues or mobility issues and Dad had a wonderful trip. There are other places where a combination of topography and infrastructure (or lack thereof) would make the trip a nightmare. For example, Rome - those ancient cobblestones combined infrastructure issues would make getting around very difficult.

vlb70

One additional item I did not include in my original post. My primary question here is really whether or not flying is an option or becomes too much to even consider. I know that many people with mobility issues fly, but, does it remove the "leisure" from the travel and put the travel into the "only when absolutely necessary" category?

Once we arrive at destination is another story altogether & I'll cross that bridge when we have a tentative destination if we determine that getting to the destination is truly possible

CDTraveler

There are several members of FT who can give you detailed info on traveling "with wheels" so I will let them speak to how challenging it is, but it is definitely possible. How you and your aunt perceive the challenges is up to you.

mymsman

The travel is possibly the easiest part of the problem.

Since it is a bucket list trip will the budget extend to business class flights?

While many mobility limited passengers travel economy the extra space and comfort in business class and lounges makes the journey more leisurely and less of something to be endured

vlb70

Most likely, no. Unless we found a great business class fare, we would most likely be in economy.

DeafFlyer

I don't know her specific needs so I would just tell you my biggest concern when traveling by air. That is planning to use the restroom. I almost always choose non-stop flights so we only need to deal with two airports. I can't use the lav on a plane, so I have to come up with solutions to how to go while on-board. Domestic flights are generally short enough to wait for arrival. International flights are a bigger challenge. If your aunt can use the lav on the plane with your assistance, then that will make it less of a challenge. Some aircraft have an accessible lav that will make things easier for you to assist. I don't know which planes have them since I don't use them. It used to be only widebody two-aisle jets that have them. I have no idea if that has changed lately.

The second thing is whether to bring my powerchair or a manual chair. I have chickened out on bringing the powerchair so far, because I would be in for a world of pain if they damaged it and I had to use a substitute chair while they fix it. My chair is custom made and a generic does not do it for me. I don't know her needs, but she may not have the same issue. Many do fly with scooters and powerchairs, and they get by just fine. One of these days tht will be me. The batteries have to be the right kind for flying, so check them befroe booking the trip.

There's a whole lot more I could write, but those are the major ones for me.

MSPeconomist

From MSP, DL has by far the most nonstop flights to various places, something like 85-90% of the seats and flights at MSP are operated by DL and DL RJ partners (plus codeshare JV and SkyTeam partner AF runs a second nonstop to CDG for part of the year, in addition to the daily year-round DL MSP-CDG flight).

lmashton

I don't know your aunt's specific mobility issues or health concerns, so I don't know if this will apply or not.

I'm chronically ill and in chronic pain. Flying in economy is, for me, very very painful. A four hour flight results in 3-5 days to recover, longer flights mean longer recovery times. We take this into consideration when we travel and plan for me to not do much of anything for a few days after we arrive.

Trains tend to be much easier for me. They have more leg room, it's easier to stand up and move around when I need to, the seats are more comfortable. They generally only take me perhaps a day or two to recover from.

We also travel prepared. We bring all my pills, and that's a fair number of them, in carryon luggage. When we travel for longer periods, we stay in apartment hotels or serviced apartments or the likes so we have access to a full kitchen - I have a lot of allergies, so cooking my own food helps me avoid reactions.

Think about what kind of accommodations your aunt would need to make her life easier. No steps/stairs? In some parts of the world, that can be difficult, so make sure you ask in advance before you book a hotel. Some hotels have part of the hotel accessible via elevator, but other parts not. Hotels in some parts of Asia can be particularly difficult - ridiculously steep ramps that no wheelchair user would ever be able to use on their own, assuming they even have ramps. When you say "wheelchair friendly", they may dismiss entirely the three or five steps needed to get into the hotel in the first place. One Airbnb place we looked at in Spain said the place was accessible via elevator, when in reality it was only until the last flight of very very steep stairs. Ask lots of questions.

Trapper

As someone who travels with a person that uses a wheelchair to get around most longer distance places(like airports, department stores, etc.), I can tell you that wheelchair travel is not that bad. When you book your flight(especially when you do it on-line), definitely note on the information that your aunt uses a motorized scooter. The airline will ask you to fill out information to make sure that the scooter(and battery) conform to their regulations.

When it comes to getting to the airport, you will normally be allowed to pre-board the plane(do check in at the counter with your luggage so that they can make sure the scooter does conform to their regs and they will tag it. They will ask your aunt if she is able to walk onto the plane from the bottom of the jetway. As long as she can, it won't be an issue. If she can't, they do have a specialized chair that they can use to help her get on the plane. The ground crew will put the scooter in the cargo hold and will have it at the door for you when you get to your destination.

Depending on the airline, you can contact them ahead of time and they can sometimes get you in a seat closer to the door(and the lavatory), so if she does need to get up during the flight, then it will be easier for her.

We have not flown into/out of MSP, so I can't speak for the airlines there. But I can say that AA and SWA are both very good in dealing with people with disabilities. We were on a flight from FLL to MDW on SWA that had 7 or 8 people that were using wheelchairs and/or walkers and all were accommodated by the folks at the gate without any problems. And when we fly AA, they have also been great to deal with.

I hope this helps!

mat123

Just my 2 cents...

We fly almost only Southwest domestically for one reason. If you are bringing a mobility device, SWA only flies B737 aircraft, which have generous cargo door dimensions (Height 35 in X Width 48 in). Since our chair is 34.5 inches tall, this means we do NOT have to disassemble the device at the airport.

I used to fly Delta, but so much of their fleet is made up of commuter jets, which could prevent you from bringing your device, unless you want them to disassemble it for you. And if there are last minute equipment changes, or you need to make last minute changes yourself, ensuring you are on aircraft that will accommodate your mobile device can be stressful. On SWA, all the planes are the same, so there is no worry.

Check out the door dimensions here for SWA. I wouldn't worry about weight limits of your device, ours was over the 200lb maximum, and it was no problem -- just be sure to give them an actual weight of the device.

Southwest Cargo Services

Here are the cargo door dimensions for Delta, for reference.

BTW: All carriers are required to carry all mobility devices for free, as long as they meet certain safety guidelines (usually battery related).

MSPeconomist

When you search for flights on the DL website, it's easy to spot the ones that use RJs. They're indicated as "operated by" in addition to showing the aircraft type.

mat123

Very true. It is usually easy to determine the plane for the flight on the Delta website.

However, unless you are flying from hub to hub, or hub to major city, the likelihood of getting on ONLY a B737, A319, A320, B757 or widebody jet can be difficult, if at all. And for some weird reason, a lot of times, these non RJ flights are priced much higher than taking a RJ flight. On SWA, all flights are B737, regardless of schedule/price.

In addition, let's say you've setup the perfect itinerary on Delta that will allow you to travel with your device without it being taken apart. Then three days, three hours, or three minutes before the departure the flight is cancelled. Now what? You may have been booked on the only non RJ flight of the day. On SWA, if that happens, you know any replacement flight will be a B737.

** EDIT: I will say that flying out of MSP will make it way easier for the OP. They should have way better options at avoiding RJs on Delta than those of us in small to medium sized cities. Good luck!

banness

I took my 84 year old mom to the Taj Mahal for her bucket list trip. We traveled in business or 1st class, which was a breeze. It was a special treat as she had never experienced lay flat seats, and its easier to get her home if an illness had occurred. We had a private tour from a known tour company who accommodated for my moms needs. It worked perfectly for us. We traveled with a wheelchair.
I also took my 91 year old dad who is a WWII vet back to Normandy with a wheelchair & a walker. We took a British isles cruise with a day in Normandy. He loved it and they loved him.
It can be down easily with a little planning. I suggest Business or 1st class because they really work with you, and it is so much easier on your relative, never mind that it makes such happy memories.
Good luck and have fun!