I am aware of that, however there have been recent reports of gate passes being denied (on several recent threads) to escorting of wheelchair passengers. A back-up to this request would therefore be a gate pass to the UC and a special treat for mom.

I do not wish to take sides, or get into a big debate about who was wrong or contributed to this situation. My point is that if it was nearly impossible for a loved one, that I took to the airport, to get to the proper plane in case of any sort of possible change, I wouldn't trust ANYONE else with that responsibility!
I am not casting aspersions on the OP or his wife, in any way, as they are obviously very distraught about what occurred. My point is that if I want ANYTHING done right, I do it myself, especially after hearing horror stories over & over again on this forum. I fly a lot, and apparently so does the OP & his wife and as we all know there are many g/a's and other front line employees that just don't give a damn about about anyone but themselves and it appears to be getting worse. Having said that, may I repeat, I don't trust ANYONE with my loved one's sojourn's, and if I want it done right I do it myself. That way I have no-one but myself to blame if something gets screwed up.