On Board Dog & Allergy
Mar 16, 2023, 11:51 pm
#61
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Gold, HH Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 144
HNL-SFO, unreal. probably 30 chairs on a UA 777.
But also the flight I got stiffed on a pluspoint upgrade request and stuck in middle premium between "sleepers" and the exact same aircraft I flew GUM-HNL in Polaris so I'm especially bitter. LOL
But also the flight I got stiffed on a pluspoint upgrade request and stuck in middle premium between "sleepers" and the exact same aircraft I flew GUM-HNL in Polaris so I'm especially bitter. LOL
Mar 17, 2023, 1:45 am
#62
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 805
I suggest we need a hierarchy of "my needs trump yours" wiki. I suspect people with nut allergies would be at the top, then followed by those who have their emotional support animals, then those who are allergic to dogs, etc.
Mar 17, 2023, 3:34 am
#63
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 360
Not much to worry about that.
It’s like wheelchairs for boarding/deboarding. Obviously less than 10% of those who use that service really need that service. Always funny to watch 85 year old Japanese people walking to their seats and at the same time 60 year old - not disabled - Indian people getting pushed in a wheelchair, often accompanied by up to a dozen of their relatives. For some reasons some of them who deboarded in wheelchairs can be watched walking around in the lounge later. There is no medical reason, why sometimes there are dozens of wheelchairs at a gate at AUH or DBX, if there is a plan arriving from India, but almost none, if the plane is arriving from Japan. The easiest way to heal the world is to charge a fee for the wheelchair service at airports.
Same for emotional support animals and US citizens. Most of them don’t really need an ESA, they are just abusing the system. And of course, cats and dogs are cute animals. While there are about 50% more people living in the EU than in the US, there are 20 times more ESA in the US than in the EU. Americans are not 30 times more likely to suffer psychological problems than Europeans.
It’s like wheelchairs for boarding/deboarding. Obviously less than 10% of those who use that service really need that service. Always funny to watch 85 year old Japanese people walking to their seats and at the same time 60 year old - not disabled - Indian people getting pushed in a wheelchair, often accompanied by up to a dozen of their relatives. For some reasons some of them who deboarded in wheelchairs can be watched walking around in the lounge later. There is no medical reason, why sometimes there are dozens of wheelchairs at a gate at AUH or DBX, if there is a plan arriving from India, but almost none, if the plane is arriving from Japan. The easiest way to heal the world is to charge a fee for the wheelchair service at airports.
Same for emotional support animals and US citizens. Most of them don’t really need an ESA, they are just abusing the system. And of course, cats and dogs are cute animals. While there are about 50% more people living in the EU than in the US, there are 20 times more ESA in the US than in the EU. Americans are not 30 times more likely to suffer psychological problems than Europeans.
Mar 17, 2023, 3:43 am
#64
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 1,588
I'm glad it's here. First, I learnt a bit about BA's policy (and AA's); second and more importantly for me, if it were in the AA forum I wouldn't have read it. I've found it interesting.
Yes, I should click around and find other interesting forums on Flyertalk to read, but I like this one.
Yes, I should click around and find other interesting forums on Flyertalk to read, but I like this one.
Mar 17, 2023, 3:45 am
#65
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: A hop, skip and jump away from MAN.
Programs: BAEC Gold, ex-VS Gold, ex-UA Gold, Premier Inn Platinum-Iridium
Posts: 1,114
It’s like wheelchairs for boarding/deboarding. Obviously less than 10% of those who use that service really need that service. Always funny to watch 85 year old Japanese people walking to their seats and at the same time 60 year old - not disabled - Indian people getting pushed in a wheelchair, often accompanied by up to a dozen of their relatives. For some reasons some of them who deboarded in wheelchairs can be watched walking around in the lounge later. There is no medical reason, why sometimes there are dozens of wheelchairs at a gate at AUH or DBX, if there is a plan arriving from India, but almost none, if the plane is arriving from Japan. The easiest way to heal the world is to charge a fee for the wheelchair service at airports.
The nature of their mobility issue consisted of three main things relevant to travelling through an airport:
* They could not stand for long periods of more than 5-10 minutes at a time - so no long queues at check-in, security, boarding.
* They could not walk very fast - so last minute gate changes don't work out well.
* They could not climb or descend steps quickly, and steep steps they couldn't deal with at all - so no walking down to the apron, and remote stands with airstairs, not a good combination - but a normal jetbridge, with level boarding, no problem at all.
The airlines offer them only *one* solution - bung them in a wheelchair - one size fits all. It's this which is the problem.
They sure as hell didn't want to be pushed around in a wheelchair, taking up time and resources. They felt stupid, because they knew they could walk. They just couldn't cope with a 60 minute security queue, or airstairs, or a last minute gate change or late notice gate assignment.
The nature of the solution from the airlines is to provide for the lowest common denominator.
So when you see someone who was loaded and unloaded with assistance, but seems to be able to walk unaided later, bear in mind that the wheelchair is usually the *only* option made available to them, regardless of how individual their real support needs are.
Mar 17, 2023, 3:54 am
#66
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: BA Gold, HH Gold, whatever is saved on the Sky box
Posts: 161
Mar 17, 2023, 4:00 am
#67
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
We don't put human-beings in the cargo hold, do we? Why should we put other animals there? It can be extremely stressful for them in the hold to the point that they can die (although extremely rare). BA partners with a specialized company and pets are actually looked after throughout the journey but that is not the case with all airlines (although some airlines do allow cats and dogs up to a certain size/weight in the cabin, which is a nicer way to travel for all involved).
Mar 17, 2023, 4:01 am
#68
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,481
My thoughts are not primarily based on how travelers in wheelchairs behave in the lounge. Most of them by far don’t have access to a lounge. That is why they use prio boarding in wheelchairs for themselves and for their family&friends.
It’s based on the very different numbers of wheelchairs for different flights. The record I’ve seen for a single flight was 53 (EY in AUH from India). That’s more or less the same number of wheelchairs I’ve seen on all my hundreds of European flights in my life together.
Mar 17, 2023, 4:39 am
#70
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sussex by the Sea
Programs: BA Silver, for now at least...
Posts: 580
Mar 17, 2023, 4:49 am
#71
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,791
Yes, but I hope you can see the problem: if 4 people with different spectrums of allergies turned up for one flight, there would be no food, no alcohol and only water available to serve. Fortunately this hypothetical combination of travellers would be a very, very low chance of happening, but you can see why airlines simply work on the basis that it's up to individuals to resolve their health isssues.
Mar 17, 2023, 4:55 am
#72
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sussex by the Sea
Programs: BA Silver, for now at least...
Posts: 580
Yes, but I hope you can see the problem: if 4 people with different spectrums of allergies turned up for one flight, there would be no food, no alcohol and only water available to serve. Fortunately this hypothetical combination of travellers would be a very, very low chance of happening, but you can see why airlines simply work on the basis that it's up to individuals to resolve their health isssues.
Mar 17, 2023, 5:03 am
#73
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,791
You cant really compare serious peanut allergies which can kill with sneezing and the odd rash from being near a dog. People are only prescribed epi-pens if they really need them (trust me, even then they can be very hard to get hold of). But on the flipside, if an allergy sufferer claims they cant fly without something and they havent got their medication, it is their issue and they should be told they cant fly without it.
Mar 17, 2023, 5:21 am
#74
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,402
Yes, but I hope you can see the problem: if 4 people with different spectrums of allergies turned up for one flight, there would be no food, no alcohol and only water available to serve. Fortunately this hypothetical combination of travellers would be a very, very low chance of happening, but you can see why airlines simply work on the basis that it's up to individuals to resolve their health isssues.
And this is really what this thread is about (at least initially), for the chance to have the opportunity to manage/resolve one’s own health issues, because one of the tools required to accomplish this is information.
But I do think it’s a really good idea to have antihistamines at hand when travelling, at least 10% (maybe 20%) of people will succumb to Angiodema at some point in their lives and not all flights have this kind of medication. I’ve never needed antihistamines in an aircraft before but, since learning about Angiodema, I’ve never put them in the hold luggage. Could be you (any of you) next and at least I get the chance to ask if you would like to take a couple of tablets.
Mar 17, 2023, 5:35 am
#75
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,735
Statistically, cat allergies are more common than dog allergies, but dog allergies have a higher fatality rate.
People are only prescribed epi-pens if they really need them (trust me, even then they can be very hard to get hold of). But on the flipside, if an allergy sufferer claims they cant fly without something and they havent got their medication, it is their issue and they should be told they cant fly without it.