cs19

Grandmother with severe rheumatoid arthritis plans to travel alone from the US to Europe. Her condition can only be described as a mix of quite capable yet significantly limited.

Going to be a two-stop trip. US leg likely to connect through Chicago or midwest. Europe leg can really connect through any major European hub, connecting to the destination (not a hub). Plan is to fly Business class and to request a wheel chair.

What airline, and through which European hub, would she get the best overall experience? BA through LHR? KLM through AMS? DL? LH through FRA or MUC? AF through CDG? IB through MAD? Others?

I give more weight to the best soft product. Who will best take care of her navigating the trip, especially if she were to run into any hiccups while at the European hub? I give less weight to the hard product or lounge frills.

Thanks

princeville

Do you mind sharing the destination? Intra-Europe business class is generally economy with the middle seat blocked so it may be hard for her to get in and out. For that reason, if the city is served directly from anywhere in the US that may be the best option.

If she does end up connecting in Europe, make sure she has a mobile phone that will work so she can contact the airline or you in case of IRROPS. This beats standing in what may be a long line for customer service and potential language barriers.

cs19

Lisbon. I plan to arrange some connectivity option. But IRROPS is also something I hope can be handled more smoothly if she's in a lounge on a Biz ticket.

princeville

United flies direct to LIS from EWR and IAD, but that might be seasonal service. What month is she traveling? TAP Portugal also has flights from the east coast.

I don't have any experience with traveling with disabilities, so I hope someone else will chime in with experiences with airlines serving Europe and how well they take care of passengers that need assistance.

But unless one of those airlines has a terrible track record handling passengers needing assistance, I would be focusing on flying direct US-LIS. Most other European hubs overshoot LIS, so she'd be spending 3+ hours in an economy seat to fly between the hub and LIS. Also, many intra-European flights have you take a bus to the aircraft (and even as a business class customer you're crammed in the bus with everyone else, often standing room only) and then use stairs to access the aircraft. I have no idea how they deal with wheelchairs in those situations, but it's definitely a factor to consider.

I don't know which aircraft United and TAP use on their routes, but I'd take a close look at the seating and try to get an aircraft that offers aisle access for all business class seats. Even if your grandmother is seated in an aisle seat, you don't want someone in the window seat to have to climb over her.

Stez

To add to what I agree with princeville's comments, I noticed you mentioned irrops...

European airlines obligated to provide a duty of care under EU261 regulations, so theoretically you get a better duty of care regardless of routing as long it involves an EU airport in the trip. This is especially significant if there is an issue on the outbound sector from US as EU261 only obligate non-EU airlines when departing from EU, not entering EU.

I'm not endorsing this as I have no experience of the airline or aiport, but just throwing out an idea... perhaps Iberia to MAD as then it's only a very quick hop to LIS on a shorthaul narrowbody, or go for a hub where it has multiple flights to LIS on same day.

cs19

Both very helpful comments, giving me plenty to consider.

I can't say the 752 UA operates EWR/LIS is promising from what i can gather, but not leaving the US until the leg that gets her to the final destination is enticing. Looks like TAP Portugal flies to EWR and JFk.

JDiver

American Airlines offers Five Star services (for a fee, to be sure) at Chicago ORD and London, Heathrow. My wife is a person with disabilities and we've used FSS in both places.

Advantages include AA arriving and departing the same terminal at ORD, and both AA arrive and BA depart to LIS from LHR T-3.

FSS meets one at the aircraft exit and accompanies one through customs and immigration at both ORD and LHR. The escort service includes lounge access and ends with personalized early boarding on the departing aircraft (or in the case of LHR-LIS handoff to BA and handicap access / early boarding). At LHR, DFW and LHR AA can use an electric cart (not at ORD, but I'd recommend DFW for returning to the US over ORD). See here.

On AA see if you can schedule her trip on the 777-300ER (coded 77W by AA) as all Business lie flat suites have full aisle access and privacy, no seat mates. Far superior to BA Club World.

We've done this several times including LHR-LIS on BA. Worth the cost if you can afford it. Highly recommended.

cs19

Thanks JDiver, I was totally unaware of AA's FSS. Looks intriguing and something we'll consider.

ysolde

In terms of your grandmother's needs, OP, AA is a good choice, particularly with FSS added in. As a person with a disability, I use FSS whenever I travel alone and it is available. Peace of mind is invaluable. Also, AA and BA will have primarily English-speaking crews. This may (or may not) be helpful to Grandmother. TBH, most airlines today make a huge effort to assist passengers with disabilities, but AA's crews are a particularly warm bunch in this matter, IME.

MSPeconomist

I think DL employees generally treat passengers well. Will she be comfortable if cabin crew and ground staff don't speak English extremely well? I've recently flown DL with partners AF and KLM to LIS. For the AF and KLM intraEurope connecting flights, with Eurobusiness only, really very reasonable coach seats with the middle seat open and mostly moveable arm rests, there's a significant risk of bus gates for the LIS segments specifically, with boarding or deplaning using wiggly stairs. Both AMS and CDG T2 are nice and efficient connecting airports, with AMS being a bit more efficient and generally speaking better English.

IMO another consideration is how easy it is to get in and out of the business class seats, for instance during the flight. My impression is that the staggered configuration can be more difficult than herringbone or reverse herringbone. Please try to avoid any TATL aircraft that won't be guaranteed 100% direct aisle access, so she's not crawling over anyone or having anyone crawl over her frail bones. A stumble could easily lead to a fracture.

In my travel, I noticed an AF flight between LIS and CDG get cancelled, but I don't know how frequent this happens. Also, in IROPs (slightly late departure from the USA plus having been rebooked onto the tighter connection from CDG to LIS when my preferred flight was the one cancelled in advance), DL rebooked me automatically while I was flying over the ocean, but they initially put me in coach (traveling on a deeply discounted "cheap" paid business class fare as a top tier elite). I noticed this immediately and phoned DL as soon as we landed. It was no problem being put back into business class, but I knew what to watch and what to do. An infrequent traveler wouldn't have fared as well, although such a person have arrived into LIS on the next flight and without needing to stand in any lines. The lounge was able to issue my new boarding passes with no problem, although I don't think they would have been able to put me back into business class on a DL ticket (DL stock and booked as the DL codeshare for the AF segments) even though it was not an award ticket.

BTW I assume you're aware that parts of Lisbon are hilly while some streets can have high curbs and broken sidewalks. It won't be the easiest European destination for someone with impaired mobility but it certainly isn't the worst either. Street crime such pickpockets also seems to be a moderate problem, not nearly as bad as Paris or Italy but probably not as good as places like Norway or most of Germany.

mymsman

When a flight does not have easily accessible ramp access wheelchair passengers are usually lifted to/from the plane in an ambulift vehicle. Transfers to the terminal building are sometimes in the ambulift or by special minbus, very rarely in the general bus transfer.
Sometimes minor airports do not have an ambulift and use stair crawling chairs but I would be surprised to find that any intercontinental airport.

mymsman

Slightly off topic but what extra does FSS get you over the normal free service offered to wheelchair users?

Even on normal economy tickets a wheelchair user often gets priority checkin, and is usually fast tracked though security and immigration queues and is escorted from gate to onward transport, at some airports assistance will meet you at the drop off points.

dwugson

Once piece of advice based on multiple bad experiences is to avoid transiting through London at all costs. We have been forgotten in the lounge and almost missed our flight, had no one meet my husband and others requiring assistance from our flight and been left high and dry on other occasions. They don't seem to have enough staff or be well enough organized to deal with the number of persons requiring help. The German airports and Zurich are very efficient and professional.

DeltaWings

Very surprised to hear this. One of the reasons I moved from Delta to American was for the opportunity to connect in the UK - I have found their assistance services to be head and shoulders above anywhere else in the EU, even if accessibility is lagging in the country as a whole.

I can count on one hand how many times I've been without my own wheelchair in an airport. But I've been forgotten (and left unattended) twice - once by Delta's contractor at ATL and another time by the airport contractor at AMS (while flying Delta/KLM).

But inside the UK (LHR, LGW, MAN)... Assistance has been in order almost every time on more than 20 occasions.

keisari

My mother is older and she really likes how UA treats her in Business class (BF or business first is what united used to call it). She feels that they try to speak her language and that they are very kind to her. Nothing like what you usually experience in coach.
Connecting from UA to UA in EWR is usually easy since most flight come to and leave from terminal C. They have wheelchair service readily available.
I always think it is easier to connect in the US in case something goes wrong. My mother can easily call me and I can help. I don't like for her to connect in Europe.

FRA is very complicated and many flights park on the tarmac and passengers need to be bused in. AMS may be easier because it is all in one building. CDG is so complicated and convoluted (please don't kill me for saying this) that I always feel it is difficult to connect unless you stay within Star Alliance which uses Terminal 1 and it makes it easier to connect.
If you connect in Europe depends where you connect you may need to go through immigration at the entry point which may make it harder than going through immigration at LIS.