Katja

I am a wheelchair user. I've had five domestic flights in the last two weeks. Prior to 3 of them, I was asked (for the first time ever) if I had a cushion that could be removed and put through the X-ray.

The first TSO who asked me this was quite intelligent and savvy. I didn't respond at first, and then I asked what I was to sit on to protect my butt from hard surfaces on while my cushion was going through X-ray. She answered, "In that case, your answer is 'no'".

The subsequent times I just said "no", with no repercussions.

DeafFlyer

Thanks for that info. Do they swab it or feel it to check if it's okay?

Katja

When they get to the "swab the chair" step, sometimes they swab the cushion, sometimes not.

Feeling it - usually they'll ask you if you can do a push up (raise your butt off the seat) and sometimes they'll run a hand between butt and cushion. Sometimes not.

jenpdx

I've been on 8 domestic flights since you posted this, and the harassment of my wheelchair cushion has been off the charts. I refuse to get off, explaining the danger to my skin from pressure sores, plus of course most airports have no place where I could transfer safely. Many TSA "female assists" aren't happy with this, and the ROHO has suffered extreme abuse. Today, a female assist tried to pull out the valve, wanted to open the zipper, and when I told her not to, she spent 10 minutes violently poking every ROHO bubble and swabbing for 10 minutes, making me push up and lean forward so much that I almost fell out of my chair (I'm a T8 para and have poor balance). I ended up taking to a supervisor and explained why I need to sit on it, that it's a $400 piece of medical equipment, and that if they break it and I have to be on a 7-hour flight, I may well end up in the hospital with a pressure sore. Is there any way to communicate this problem to higher-ups?

Katja

Aside from filling out a comment form, I really don't know. I think I've gotten away easy because I sit on a Stimulite, not a ROHO. A ROHO probably seems more suspicious.

jenpdx

I totally agree, the ROHO causes a lot of suspicion. And in all fairness, you could hide all sorts of stuff in there. Also possible that I don't fit the profile of a "disabled" person because I'm young. Seems like 95% of TSA folks have a hard time believing that I can't walk. All VERY suspicious!

I don't think the comment cards do anything. Maybe I'll fall out of my chair during one of these extreme screenings and bang up my knees. If that happens, I'll make sure to call the paramedics. Some media attention might bring an end to his nonsense.

Katja

Do me a favor, do not fall out and especially not onto your knees!

jenpdx

Oh, I wouldn't do it on purpose, but it happens from time to time. Not a fun experience at all!

flyingwheels

Have to say, my general experience can't be totally different. Can't be the age with me being 33 yet looking easily over 10 years younger because of m syndrome.

Every once in a while my roho gets an extra doubtfull look (read; the valve and lock do) but that's about the extend of it. Never ever once had any timeconsuming testing on the one I'm sitting on in my manual. The one I carry on for my powerchair (have to check my powerchair through because of home airport) does go through the standard x-ray screening and is the first to be noticed and thus receives "the look" but even before it is screened I've got a 80% record of no check whatsoever on the one I'm sitting on. Other times have been no more than one swap of a little part of it.

Once German security tried confiscating it (along with some other medical stuff), but a firm but very clear stating both US (flight from US thus applicable) and EU (arriving into FRA so applicable) legislation about it's validity and demanding a standstill until highest up supervisor would be on the spot solved that right then and there. And again; without any further inspecting whatsoever.

Katja

This just shows how inconsistently procedures are implemented by individual screeners and at different airports. I've got a conversation going on elsewhere with another wheelchair user about traveling solo: in his experience, he is never able to maintain visual contact with his belongings during the patdown; I have had almost exactly the opposite experience. He speculates that maybe the screeners are nicer to me because I'm female.

So there's just no telling.

Figgie

They always take my cushion and send it back and forth and back and forth and back and forth through the x-ray machine. Then they finally swab it and give it back to me. I've never had anyone give me a bad time, just have had to wait for it to be looked at multiple times before I get it back.

Katja

Yeah, but not all of us can safely get out of the chair and sit somewhere else while TSA indulges in its cushion paranoia.

DeafFlyer

If this is widespread are our disability organizations complaining to the TSA? This is concerning me. What if the cause it to leak? Then what do I do?

flyingwheels

The same thing you would do in any other situation where a leak can occur. I mean, when a cushion is so important one should have a back up in place 24/7 anyway since you never know when a leak does happen and they have a talent for showing up at the worst moments. Combine that with the fact that flying does come with an increase of this happening. Risk of being left out in the sun, freezing cold in cargo hold during flight at altitude when checking in, change in airpressure, it all does increase the risk of something going "pang" if there is a weaker part somewhere already.

Even in a situation when there is anyone to blame for his happening, that does nothing to solve the problem. Yet, most likely leaks simply happen because they can happen and there is no "blame it on........". When using these types of cushions, it does require having a back up plan that works 24/7. Yes does take work and can be a complicating factor (heck, my powerchair does not consist of a roho seat cushion, but has that and an air bladder roho back also -> read very fragile to any kind of damage during travel) but again; blame is irrelevant at the moment a problem is at hand. It does not magically solve the problem, thus having a back up is simply a must IMHO. The simple patch set automatically given with every sold seat cushion (or at least they are back here), does the trick perfectly for most leaks. Unless a cushion gets malled unbelievably bad, even in bad situations this little set tends to be enough to get enough usage back to tie yourself over until getting a new one.


"Playing the blame game" is much more relaxed to do when having fixed the situation first and then having the luxery of following up without doing without meanwhile.


Another thing to keep in mind is easiness or difficulty to get a back up if need be. For instance in the US there are contracts between certain wheelchair brands and ROHO. If my ROHO bursts and I need a new one, ROHO wil NOT directly ship it to me or dealer that is billing the airline because of said contracts, but will only deal with us by requiring you to go through my wheelchair importer. Never mind them not having on hand what I need, never mind that results in ROHO shipping the item to importer and importer then to us and that adding on loads of precious time, contract is contract. No such b*ll if this were to happen in my own country or any other European country I've travelled to, to date.

We tackled this by basic blackmail. Either you deliver direct and within 24 hours and make a sale, or we'll have the part flown in from Europe, also have it here within 24 hours and you earn no cent. That and hours of pushing from airline contracted dealer did the trick when my backrest got mashed up on a flight to the US and needed replacing. We knew my options in every situation, just in case. It made the difference between being without for almost 2 weeks! or having a fix within 24 hours in a situation where damage was so bad, so amount of patching could solve things.

Same thing in my experience with the pump (and lesser extend a cover); having 2 on you during travel can be a life saver. Sure enough when a pump fails, it always does when you can't get a replacement one easily or without being not that welcome in your itinerary.

DeafFlyer

I wasn't talking about ordinary leaks. What I meant was what if they're poking around it puts a hole in it? Last Roho cushion I bought cost over $300. It's very difficult to just order up a backup and carry it with me everywhere. I do have an old one, but half of it is flat because it can't be repaired. That's not good enough. If they're going to poke around medical devices then they should have some training in how to do it. I have not heard of anything happening, but I can imagine this happening and I'm genuinely concerned about this.