Originally Posted by
LilAbner
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.
LilAbner - I appreciate everything you are saying sincerely. I am exactly the same way. My error in all this was that I did not know that a gate pass option was available to me. I booked the flight requesting wheelchair assistance, confirmed it on the phone with United twice, got to the airport 2.5 hours in advance to take into consideration any potential delays in wheelchair arrival, spoke with gate agent and reconfirmed the wheelchair and also confirmed with the wheelchair assist person when he arrived. No one mentioned to me that I had an option to accompany my mother to the gate.
Not an excuse and I should have done my research.
I would have gladly pushed the wheelchair to the gate. I can't tell you how guilty I feel over this. However none of this absolves the GA from not providing her with the wheelchair when we she requested it. I simply do not understand why he would not do it. Yes I am frequent flyer and have had my share of good and bad experiences with United. I recognize that I should have been on flyertalk and researched this issue so I could have taken adequate precautions. No one wants to see a loved one hurt.
I hope others with elderly or disabled family or friends will benefit from this thread.
Regarding some of the questions about her not seeking out the customer service desk or asking fellow passengers to assist, there were 4 people that my mother asked for help. The first was the GA who in my mother's mind was customer service. He told her that B11 was "behind the wall". She followed his instructions and when was unsuccessful requested help from another airport employee. This second person told her to return to the gate and request wheelchair assistance which she did and the GA denied it again. She then started again in the same direction and requested help from a 3rd airport employee. This one was kind enough to help point her in the right direction. How or Why she missed the C17 customer service desk, I don't know. As someone stated above, she was panicked, stressed and unsure of what she needed to do. She did see the customer service desk in B concourse and ask for assistance. However at this point, she was 2 gates away and minutes from the flight closing so they also just pointed her in the right direction. Both person #2 and #3 could see the difficulty she was experiencing in walking and kept on saying she needed to get a wheelchair.
Thank you again for all your advice and comments.
Originally Posted by
username
The airline I used to work for had different codes for wheelchair assist. As I recall, there was at least one that says "to gate only" and another kind that says "all the way down the jetway and aisle to seat". I would think these codes are IATA standard.
Regardless, both should be accommodated in the event of a gate change. The systems usually have a "search passenger list" function which will help them pull out these Special Service Requests.
It is just sad how a single agent's behavior caused a lot of problem for a passenger and probably now the airline. As far as the gate pass issue, I think it can be argued that UA should start offering it to all UM and wheelchair assists - how else would people know? And, it should not be used as an execuse "if you really cared, you should have gotten a gate pass..."
The Customer Service Center is actually right across from C17. I passed through ORD the other day, there was very few delays on the board but the desks in both concourses were fully staffed! Maybe they are doing something about that.
Still, if the gate agent in C17 said B11 is right behind the wall, one would look that way, not across. When you are older, physically challenged, overwhelmed and panicking about missing your flight, sometimes you don't see things that others deem "obvious".
^ Thank you very much. I think you understand the situation exactly.