darrenp

I'm looking into flying my mother from the UK to Sacramento/San Francisco. She has problems with incontinence, needs a walker to get around and has vision problems. I would like some advise on which economy and maybe premium economy options would make this as comfortable as possible. Some key issues will be...

Room to get to/from the bathroom, distance and size of the bathroom itself. General movement around the plane and ease of getting in and out of the seat. How accommodating the airline and staff are likely to be for this kind of situation.

I assume an aisle seat near the bathroom would be a starting point.

I currently do not have any miles so would be looking at a credit card with bonus miles for sign up. I assume chase safire?

Thank you

arollins

Hello darrenp, welcome to FT. Your question is one that some of us have experienced in the past. Personally, I think the best answer for this type of situation is for your mother to have a traveling companion with her. Perhaps you. UK to SFO is a long flight, and there will certainly be lots of bathroom visits. Perhaps it might be better to break down the trip in segments, UK-East Coast (New York, Boston) then continuing to SFO/SMF. This will give her/you a chance to refresh a bit, perhaps a change of cloths.

You mention she uses a walker, and has vision problems, this certainly involves airport staffing to assist in checking in, going through security and transferring to/from gate, however, once inside the plane, I would not expect a FA or other flyer to assist as well. Most airline do offer some sort of traveler aid/companion, but it comes with a cost and I'm just not sure the extent of service given provided the requirements you mention.

This is a rather delicate topic, and considering the distance traveled, it complicates things more. We all have read news about elderly/dementia passengers being lost at the airport, and not arriving to their destination. The family members blame the airline. Save yourself the aggravation and travel with her.

Regarding seating, aisle seats close to the bathroom will be ideal as you mention, you can select the seats and check the location of the bathroom based on the seatmap of the airline, however, keep in mind that seat assigments are not guaranteed, as aircraft changes do occur from time to time. It is best to notify the airline of the requirements needed in order for them to make a note in the reservation.

I had to do this once with my mother, she had Alzheimer, incontinence and mobility problems. It was not easy, to say the least. Luckily it was only a 5hr flight.

Good luck.

Mwenenzi

darrenp Welcome to FT

This may sound harsh, but airline staff are not personal carers. To me she would need a family member/freind to travel with her to give assistance.

You will need a medical clearance from a doctor to submit to the airline. Talk to the airline before making a reservation.

She will need full medical insurnce whilst in USA. This will be expensive or even possibly not even be able to be obtained.

NWIFlyer

I fear I'm not going to add much good news either in what is a difficult situation.

You mentioned that you have no miles, and would look to secure them using a credit card. I'm not sure what alliance you intend to try and redeem on, but generally speaking TATL redemptions are difficult to obtain (even in Y sometimes, which in any case is a notoriously bad use of miles because of the surcharges), so you would be better all round looking to buy a normal revenue ticket.

In terms of seat allocation, BA would make you pay if you didn't have status, unless you were prepared to risk waiting until check-in, whereas the North American carriers would be free.

Unfortunately Y is what it is, so there's no real difference between airlines in standard seating - space will be minimal and there may well be queues for the bathroom. If you can manage to pay for the step up to Y+ that would be a quantum leap in comparison. UA or AA may be the best bets, given you then have the option of a relatively modest cost uplift for more space and legroom (UA in Y+, AA in Main Cabin Extra). You'll still be getting Y service, you'll still have the same bathroom queues, but at least seat access will be improved which sounds like an important consideration for you.

Whatever carrier you choose, and whatever class you travel in (unless you're going to go for Business on an A380 upper deck), the bathroom will be small.

In terms of planes, if possible try and fly on a 787 or A380 - the air supply and pressurisation is much better than older aircraft such as A330, 747 & 777. Your mother will arrive feeling much more refreshed, and the risk of such things as DVT is arguably greatly reduced - my wife's experience suggests that her ankles expand much less on an A380 compared to a 777, for example.

Good luck ...

marbles dad

more unfavorable news. this will not be a good experience for your mother. it is to state the obvious , a confined space for umpteen hours, with rudimentary bathroom facilities, even in first class. and a previous poster was indeed correct, there is no crew to help her or others in similar situations. if you are planning on going through with this, come hell or high water, you will have no choice but to purchase a business class ticket and one for the traveling companion- thats two business class tickets- a hefty price tag- but this sounds iike a special trip, and if you have the money- who better to spend it on than your mom? and you will always have the memories of the trip forever.by the way, what does she think of all this.
does she think she can handle it?

84fiero

Award "fuel/carrier surcharges" are not levied on many programs - United, American (excluding BA metal), and others. UK APD would still be charged but depending on the particulars of the OP's plans and cash budget may still be worthwhile. For example a United redemption will only rack up about $175 in taxes and fees out of LHR. More details from the OP would help with advising on any mileage strategy.

But as to the overall trip and issues, I'd agree it won't be fun and the best option would be for the OP or someone else to travel along with her.

darrenp

Thank you so much for the advice. Just a quick reply for now...

I should have mentioned in my original post that, yes absolutely a travel companion whether it is me, someone else.

When I mentioned the flight crew I was thinking of how sympathetic they may be. Old comparison but I've experienced significant differences between Virgin Atlantic and TWA. I have read news stories of crew being very much not sympathetic at all and down right miss treating the situation with no recourse from the airline.

NWIFlyer

Well, I would say that generally you'll get a more sympathetic hearing from a European crew than a US one, but every airline has good and less good cabin crew, so it's really not much use relying on this.

Besides, sympathy is one thing, being able to actually do something to help is quite another. Cabin Crew have periods when they are extremely busy, and others where they are less so. If your mother has a need for assistance during one of those busy periods, she's going to be out of luck.

Similarly, if she ends up in a poor seat for her circumstances, the crew's ability to move her is limited. They might sympathise, but if the plane is full there's not much they can do. It's not really reasonable for them to ask someone to give up their own aisle seat in favour of a middle or window if that's their preference.

darrenp

A 3rd party traveler aid/companion is an interesting idea. My mum is embarrassed about her problem. It was months before she told me. So she might be more comfortable with someone she doesn't have a personal relationship with.

For insurance she maybe able to buy/get by on travel insurance and risk having to pay out of pocket. For full medical insurance I assume she will need a SSN, residence, etc. She maybe able to be a dependent on my insurance but would have to stay with us and the purpose of the trip is to try independent/assisted living to see if she will move permanently.

Thank you for the info about the difference in air supply and pressurization. Avoiding DVT is obviously even more important in this situation.

She feels this trip is not possible at all until/if she gets this under control. But that is not based on any research/knowledge. However this is an extremely important trip. She has no family nearby. Just an extremely giving friend. She has visited many times in the past but has just become open to the idea of moving here at all.

I think in this situation any use of miles that helps reduce costs is a good thing. But finding the best use of miles for this trip is important.

Thank you for your advise this is extremely helpful.

Bear4Asian

I'd add when you look to book a seat, also consider that some wide body planes have a handicap bathroom. They are bigger than the normal bathroom which could make it easier for your mother (and any helper) to get in and out. So a seat close to that barhroom would be advisable.

Adam1222

You may find some helpful posts here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/disability-travel-224/

NWIFlyer

Narrow bodies as well, if it's relevant, but I believe only on more recently built aircraft. The toilet only becomes bigger, however, because the inner wall is designed to be folded so that two adjacent toilets are converted into one.

There is absolutely no guarantee, in fact it's decidedly unlikely, that the OP's mother's flight will have this facility in the first place.

Even if it does, because the toilets are designed to fit wheelchairs (to allow easier transfer from chair to seat) I would assume it's necessary to ask the crew to do the conversion every time the toilet is needed - I cannot imagine it's sensible to leave the Y section of the plane a toilet short for an entire long haul TATL. In the position where you have to wait for both toilets to be free, then do the conversion, this doesn't sound like an ideal situation to be in with an underlying medical condition.

It does all sound rather negative, I'm afraid, but better that the OP is aware of the limitations of the system before booking anything than just assuming everything will drop into place.

Bear4Asian

I didn't know about this design. I should be clear that I was talking about wide body long haul on TALT and TPAC flights. I've been on such planes on United and Delta. And I've seen at least one handicap restroom on such planes. They are larger in size and don't need a conversion. But not all planes have a handicap bathroom. United has a page that lists, among other things, restroom types,

See: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...0/default.aspx

But I couldn't find anything similar for Delta.

I wish you a wonderful flight with your mother.

bhomburg

You would want as little time spent navigating around airports and as few connections and transfers as possible.
The economy onboard products of the airlines serving UK-SFO are pretty much comparable. As long as you can ensure you can select seats near a (ideally handicapped) bathroom at booking you won't notice much of a difference. United 777s with their 9-across seating will give you some edge in space. The aisles on Virgins 787s are very narrow - only select seats as far to the front as possible.

Also, assuming your mother has a UK passport and does not participate in any trusted traveler programs, it's best to avoid having to pass US immigration/customs (which can be a two-hour wait in slow-moving lines with very limited bathroom options) and fly from an airport offering preclearance.

My preferred routing in this scenario would be using Aer Lingus via Dublin, followed by the nonstops on BA, Virgin or United.
Traveling via Dublin will have her pre-clear US immigration and customs, and spare her the foreign visitor US immigration 'experience' as well as the TSA security compared to a connection in the US. And it's a very short domestic flight from a lot of UK airports to Dublin (you don't say from where in the UK you're originating). The airport in Dublin is compact and easy to navigate in comparison. Also, Aer Lingus has reasonable seat selection fees (EUR20 per person) for what they label "choice seats" at the front of the economy cabin. These come with priority boarding as well. All other seats can be selected for free at the time of booking.
These flights can be booked with Avios, United miles and Qantas points. TPG has a good overview in this article: http://thepointsguy.com/2015/12/book...award-flights/. the information there should still be current.
Don't wait too long, as they have been bought by BA and are going to be integrated into the IAG world/rejoin oneworld at some point, which will likely result in partner changes.

I really would avoid any routing with a stop on the east coast (LHR-JFK/EWR-SFO). Having to to pass US immigration /customs and TSA security in one of the large and busy East Coast hub airports is nothing what I would want to do with a disabled companion if I could avoid it.

There's only a handful of nonstop flights on BA, Virgin Atlantic and United from the UK (LHR) to SFO, and none to Sacramento.
Of those airlines, United has two flights a day, and likely the best award availability combined with no surcharges and lowest cost in miles.

BA charges very high cash surcharges on awards (starting at $400 per person in economy). This makes economy and even premium economy redemptions rather unattractive and a bad use of points. This is valid for AA miles as well as BA Avios.
Also, BA charges rather high seat selection fees, even in premium economy. You will have to pay if you want to ensure being seated next to a bathroom.

Virgin Atlantic flies the route with a Boeing 787 - this aircraft features handicapped bathrooms and will generally provide the most pleasant experience due to the lower cabin altitude, less-dry air and inherent quietness. Virgin Atlantic's B787 premium economy cabin is definitely the most comfortable option on this route short of business class (beats BA premium economy by a wide margin).
You can use Delta miles for Virgin Atlantic flights, with no onerous cash 'fuel' surcharges.

lhrsfo

This is very sound advice. Getting through US immigration in SFO is hell - it can take 2 hours although I have seen people in wheelchairs being led to the front. The staff are, however, extremely hostile. From this point of view, leaving from DUB would be better as you clear US immigration there - it's still a zoo, but it's a friendlier one. Aer Lingus flies non-stop to SFO from DUB.

As to flying from LHR, I can comment on the UA option. They fly a 747 in summer and a 777 year round. If it's the latter you choose, they sell relatively cheaply Economy Plus, which is a standard economy seat and service but with about 5" more legroom, so significantly less uncomfortable. It's generally 3x3x3, but the penultimate row of Economy Plus has just two seats and is situated right beside the loos. The back row of Economy Plus has three seats but unlimited leg room on the sides and is also right beside the loos. These would be the seats to go for. However, be warned that UA has a particularly low ratio of loos to seats on its 777s, so there's often a queue. Finally, it's worth pointing out that one of the two loos in that position is designed for wheelchairs and is significantly larger than normal aircraft loos. Finally, UA flight attendants are often actively hostile. From my experience Virgin ones are almost always nice and BA ones are variable, but I cannot give detailed seating advice on those airlines.