Originally Posted by
unicon
The wheel chair service is practically used for anyone who needs assistance through the airport and doesn't necessarily have to be disabled..
This is of course not true. (it wouldnt be called WCH service otherwise)
Physically mobile people needing assistance can avail of different (paid and/or free) services depending on specific need and what airport offers. (UM is available for solo kids, MAAS is available for cognitively or vision or hearing impaied. Assistance services like one offered through Pranaam at BOM is also available at many airports or through airlines)
Three catagories of Wheel-Chair services are well defined and pretty standard across airports/airlines. Healthy parents of OCI/NRI needing assistance in unfamiliar foreign environment does not get classified under WCH.
Abuse of WCH is not a victimless crime. Genuine pax do suffer long waits when local staff get overwhelmed.
(BTW, need of a medical certificate for WCH was indeed introduced some 25 years ago for a brief period but was withdrawn on objections from IATA)