How much Responsibility do PAX have when booking?
Oct 21, 2015, 6:08 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Southwest
Programs: HAL Platinum, JetBlue, KrisFlyer, NWA, USAirways, Alaska Air
Posts: 105
How much Responsibility do PAX have when booking?
This question comes up again and again, as in the newsfeed FT just sent out about the man flying from ROC ~ YVR via YYZ.
I wrote a comment on the article (printed below JIC), but it got me to thinking -- We are road warriors, so we know anything can go wrong and we think ahead and plan for it.
That being said, wouldn't any prudent, thinking person who has an unusual situation do a little homework before taking any kind of a trip these days? Have we dumbed down and coddled our populace to the point that everyone just believes they will be accommodated for any and every little thing without any communication beforehand on their part? Or is this a clear message to the airline and travel industry that our traveling public needs some education? You know -- "How to Travel" --
What say you Oh Noble Road Warriors?
~~~~~
This is the comment I wrote on the article - am I off base in expecting this?
~
How did this man NOT know that it was an 18-seat Beechcraft when he booked his flight? That would have been the first phone call I would have made. Like this: “Hi, I’m in a wheelchair and I have a flight I need to take from airport X to airport Y. What do we need to do to make sure I get on the flight?”
Because – A) that’s a *very* small airplane; B) They would have to remove seats to accommodate his wheelchair if he can’t use crutches to get into a seat; C) Some small aircraft can’t accommodate a boarding ramp and boarding has to be either by the stairs or by a crane type lift — so the airport would need advance information about that; D) It sounds like this is his home airport and he should have known they weren’t flying a 747 out of there.
Sorry – I’m pretty well versed on ADA rules and I agree with the airline’s attorney – it doesn’t apply. If he truly wanted to fly, he would have taken the appropriate steps. I’ve been in a wheelchair situation several times and I always checked ahead. I knew that I had some personal responsibility for making my trip work, and so did he.
I just looked on Air Canada and made an initial inquiry about booking that route. It clearly shows BEH as the aircraft that will be used for that first leg. Click on that link and you will find this http://www.aircanada.com/shared/en/c...beh-1900d.html — if the link doesn’t come through, it says clearly that it does not have wheelchair access on board, nor does it have wheelchair accessible bathrooms for this 8-hour flight. It’s an 18-seater. He needed to keep looking when he booked this. There are other options, other airlines.
Beh1900d
Special Features for Accessibility:
Seats with Moveable Aisle Armrest On most aircraft
On-board Wheelchair No
Wheelchair Accessible Lavatory No
I wrote a comment on the article (printed below JIC), but it got me to thinking -- We are road warriors, so we know anything can go wrong and we think ahead and plan for it.
That being said, wouldn't any prudent, thinking person who has an unusual situation do a little homework before taking any kind of a trip these days? Have we dumbed down and coddled our populace to the point that everyone just believes they will be accommodated for any and every little thing without any communication beforehand on their part? Or is this a clear message to the airline and travel industry that our traveling public needs some education? You know -- "How to Travel" --
What say you Oh Noble Road Warriors?
~~~~~
This is the comment I wrote on the article - am I off base in expecting this?
~
How did this man NOT know that it was an 18-seat Beechcraft when he booked his flight? That would have been the first phone call I would have made. Like this: “Hi, I’m in a wheelchair and I have a flight I need to take from airport X to airport Y. What do we need to do to make sure I get on the flight?”
Because – A) that’s a *very* small airplane; B) They would have to remove seats to accommodate his wheelchair if he can’t use crutches to get into a seat; C) Some small aircraft can’t accommodate a boarding ramp and boarding has to be either by the stairs or by a crane type lift — so the airport would need advance information about that; D) It sounds like this is his home airport and he should have known they weren’t flying a 747 out of there.
Sorry – I’m pretty well versed on ADA rules and I agree with the airline’s attorney – it doesn’t apply. If he truly wanted to fly, he would have taken the appropriate steps. I’ve been in a wheelchair situation several times and I always checked ahead. I knew that I had some personal responsibility for making my trip work, and so did he.
I just looked on Air Canada and made an initial inquiry about booking that route. It clearly shows BEH as the aircraft that will be used for that first leg. Click on that link and you will find this http://www.aircanada.com/shared/en/c...beh-1900d.html — if the link doesn’t come through, it says clearly that it does not have wheelchair access on board, nor does it have wheelchair accessible bathrooms for this 8-hour flight. It’s an 18-seater. He needed to keep looking when he booked this. There are other options, other airlines.
Beh1900d
Special Features for Accessibility:
Seats with Moveable Aisle Armrest On most aircraft
On-board Wheelchair No
Wheelchair Accessible Lavatory No
Oct 21, 2015, 11:28 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
goal is probably compensation and or fame
although some would probably like to prevent airlines and scheduled charters from being able to have these kinds of planes (that will never happen... at least i hope not...)
although some would probably like to prevent airlines and scheduled charters from being able to have these kinds of planes (that will never happen... at least i hope not...)
Nov 3, 2015, 11:04 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
I just looked on Air Canada and made an initial inquiry about booking that route. It clearly shows BEH as the aircraft that will be used for that first leg. Click on that link and you will find this http://www.aircanada.com/shared/en/c...beh-1900d.html — if the link doesn’t come through, it says clearly that it does not have wheelchair access on board, nor does it have wheelchair accessible bathrooms for this 8-hour flight. It’s an 18-seater. He needed to keep looking when he booked this. There are other options, other airlines.
The problem with your argument is that you are here on FT, you have a level of interest in flying, travel and or aviation that far exceeds the average consumer. Chances are this ticket was purchased through an OTA, and the segment details said "Non Jet Equipment." I flew out of ROC for 25 years and had no idea what A/C was on that route....but had I been scheduled to fly it I would have done my due-diligence. Your logic is flawed by the quality of your logic
