RadioGirl

Hi flyingfran and thanks for the detail. It sounds like the classic travel (and life!) advice of "hope for the best and plan for the worst." I'll ask my colleague to hang back a bit until it's clear someone is going to push the chair, as it would be awkward if he was expected to pitch in. If I'm standing there (apparently) by myself I can be pretty insistent. It's useful to know about the pickup from the club and the (usual) flexibility - in Sydney I'll have to remember to change cash so I'll be able to tip in LAX and DEN!

Years ago when I toured Europe by train, either Fodor's or the Eurail guide had three golden rules of (train) travel: a) never stand when you can sit, b) never sit when you can lie down and c) never pass up the chance to use the loo! I'll try to view the wheelchair adventure as following in the spirit of a) and b) (without affecting c) ).

LapLap, I'm glad I could encourage you as you have me. Japan sounds like a fantastic place to go for exercise and I hope you have a wonderful time!

flyingfran

Radiogirl, you are going to be fine. My husband has been asked to push my chair only a couple of times. If you just insist that they get someone to push it you will have not problems. As for wheelchair assistance for international travel, I cannot provide a plethora of information. I have only traveled by air to Paris, Milan and Istanbul. However, in each of those terminals I received exceptional treatment. In fact, I would have to say that wheelchair service in each of those cities was more efficient than what I normally experience in the US. At CDG they have an entire room on wheels. You walk into the room and they drive it to the airplane and then elevate it so you can then walk directly from the room into the plane.

I do recommend that you have currency of the appropriate country to use for tips. When we left Istanbul I did not have any local currency so I tipped the man who pushed my wheelchair with euros, and he was not happy! Upon arrival I did not have local currency either and I tipped in dollars and that person seemed very happy. I do not know what the issue is, but I do know that you cannot make a mistake with local currency.

Georgia Peach

I sometimes use a wheelchair also, and really appreciate not have to stand in the security line, but I get up and walk thru to avoid being fondled. The only time I remained in the chair the pat down was intrusive and inappropriate. There was no reason for that woman to put her hand down the back of my pants or touch my breasts like that, and she did it more than once. I always insist on walking even though they say I don't have to.

flyingfran

Gracious! Nothing like that has ever happened to me. In fact, it is always quite the reverse. In fact, I often think that it would be not terribly difficult to carry some banned substance on your body because they all seem so hesitant and awkward. I was inadvertently detained and patted down by the police once (driving identical car near scene of crime - totally innocent) so I know what a "real" pat down is like, and I have never had one at any airport either pre or post 9/11.

In fact, on one of my last flights the agent said she had been working at the pat down station for eight years. I asked her if she had found many people trying to smuggle things, and she said she had never found a single person carrying a single illegal item.

Of course, if I ever did experience anything like what happened to you I would speak with a manager immediately. I know they have a specific protocol to follow and it should not entail groping or fondling.

I do not like to walk through the detector because I have to remove my rings and watch and other jewelry. They are expensive and since I go directly from the detector to the pat down station my belongings sit out there for anyone to pick up. So, I feel more secure keeping my diamonds on my finger and letting them do the pat down.

The thing that makes me crazy is how slow they are. They have to tell you what they are going to touch, and explain that they will use only the back of their hand, etc. I just want them to do it and get done with it. I know it is awkward for everyone, but it does not make it any less awkward to do it slowly.

Katja

It seems that in the last 2-3 months, the thoroughness of wheelchair passenger searches at DEN & IAD has gone up dramatically. Where the pat down was once fairly cursory, both me and the wheelchair are getting a lot more attention. Under the chair, as far under the cushion as they can manage, patting down not just breasts but butt, crotch, between and under legs - I wonder if there was some sort of incident recently that has sparked this increase?

flyingfran

Katja, I'll bet you are much younger and more attractive than I am. Thinner too I would suggest, but I do not want to talk about weight because some of the people on the main forum want us to pay to fly by the pound! Unfortunately, no one has been very interested in patting my breasts for quite some time.

I get the back of the hand on my knees where the prosthetics are located, as well as my hip. My undewire bra draws the back of the hand there as well, but everyone has always been very careful to feel just the wire and not the breast.

Should I feel neglected? lol

DeafFlyer

Really? They always seemed pretty thorough at IAD to me. I'll find out if it''s more thorough in July I guess.

flyingfran

I have not been in IAD in decades, but fly to and from DEN on a fairly regular basis. Maybe in the capital of the nation they have to demonstrate greater attention to "detail"? Let us know what happens.

Harleycat

You make some excellent points! I just had a revision (replacement of the replacment) of my left hip prothesis. Believe me, the second surgery is no day at the beach and it will never be as good as the first. My surgeon advised me to limit my walking because, if a third is in my future (I'm only 50), it will be even more difficult with less results. There is no mini-incision procedure for a revision since they have to have a large surgical area to get the old one out. This surgery left me with a 13" scar.

You are also correct that some airlines and some airports do not handle these requests well. I flew in MSP with a collapsed femoral head. I asked for wheelchair assistance to my connecting flight and was told "there are electric carts at every gate". So, stupid me thinks it's like Wal-Mart where I can just grab a cart. I didn't realize I had to wait in the blue chairs for the shuttle.

My husband ran ahead to the gate and I was left to walk a long distance. I was in tears when I got to the gate. The GA felt so bad for me and told me that NWA should have arranged for WC assistance for me. She found me a comfortable place to sit (our flight was delayed), checked us on the flight and got a wheelchair and insisted on pushing me down the jetway.

flyingfran

Hi Harleycat, I think all of us in wheelchairs have had an experience similar to what you happened to you at least once. Most of the time GA and people working curbside check-in or regular check-in are very helpful and polite.

If someone seems hesitants I just wait until a wheelchair comes. This is particularly effective for plane transfers. I stay on the plane until my wheelchair arrives at the plane. I always leave at least two hours so I will have plenty of time to transfer.

No one, however, can plan for airline problems. A couple of days ago we were delayed in a flight out of DEN because of mechanical problems. When our plane finally took off it cut our lay-over time in ATL to less than 30 minutes, and we had to change from the "B" to the "A" terminal. Our ATL flight was the last flight of the day to our destination. Recognizing that there was an excellent chance that we would not make the connection, I asked the GA in Denver to reserve a flight for us on the first flight out of ATL to our destination on the following morning so we knew we had a guarantee to be able to leave ATL the following morning. Our Denver GA also volunteered to give us hotel vouchers and meal vouchers, but we elected to attempt to make the plane change.

Once on the plane between DEN and ATL I reminded the FA that I needed a wheelchair when we reached ATL. When we landed in ATL, the FA asked everyone to stay in their seats until those of us with tight connections could exit the plane. Since we were sitting in the front of first class we were the first people off of the plane, and my wheelchair was waiting. We made our connection with a few minutes to spare.

Sometimes it is a good idea to make sure that both your GA and your FA know that you need a wheelchair waiting for you when your plane lands. As I believe I have said before, traditionally, the wheelchair does not come down the jetway until the regular passengers have all left the plane. If you need more expedient service you need to make special arrangements.

RadioGirl

I promised to report back so here goes; may be a bit long-winded, sorry.
Outward trip:
Qantas at Sydney was fantastic. Only problem was the check-in agent who said they “couldn’t possibly” take me through security until an hour before the flight (??) - I’d arrived three hours early! I said I was hosting a colleague at the Qantas Club, she said “she’d try” and two minutes later a nice man came with the chair. He took me to the Club, left the chair with me and said he’d be back to take me to the gate. My friend arrived, Qantas delayed the flight another hour or two, but a half-hour before boarding someone arrived and said “we’re here to take you to the gate.” They parked the chair near the gate entrance, and took me down the jetway before general boarding. It seems that Qantas staff do wheelchair runs as part of their wider duties; the one who took me from the club to the gate then went to the desk to deal with stand-bys! (9.8/10)

AA at LAX: had to wait, standing, outside the aircraft door for a few minutes until the chair arrived (they had said it was already there). The wheelchair lady was in a hurry to get me through, but neglected to mention, until it was too late, that my (non-US) colleague could come with us through customs, so we ended up waiting a long time for him. She wanted to take me to the gate right away, but I had to keep explaining that (a) I was his ticket into the Admirals Club and (b) I’d said I’d wait for him. Between Qantas delays and that CBP line, we didn’t get to the club after all. The TSA line wasn’t too long, and I don’t think we cut in line (I was pretty distracted with it all by then). I unloaded my own stuff, shoes off and walked through the WTMD then got everything back together and back in the chair. She took me to the gate but basically stopped at the outer edge of the seating area and said, “this is your gate.” So I found a chair to wait and then got down the jetway myself. (4/10)

AA at DEN was pretty good. Wheelchair guy was polite and my colleague helped with my small rollaboard. We waited an eternity for the baggage but the wheelchair guy was very patient about it. Only hiccup was when I had to insist on going to the desk for the Boulder Shuttle to buy a ticket instead of straight out to the shuttle stop; fortunately I’d done this last year and knew what I needed. (8.5/10)

Return trip (without colleague):
Checked-in and then reminded agent of wheelchair request and he kindly showed me where to sit and wait. 15 minutes later he said, “Are you still there?” and made another phone call. 5 minutes later a young lady arrived with wheelchair. In extremely broken English, she asked where I wanted to go. “Admirals Club” We did this routine 3 times before I said “Security. Then plane. American”. (I would have tried this in French or in French with a Spanish accent but she was from somewhere more exotic). At security I had to physically restrain her from helping with my bag until I could take the laptop and Freedom baggie out. On the train between terminals I pulled the boarding pass and pointed: American, Gate C 39. Had to stop her pushing me off at Terminal A and again at B. At the elevator in Terminal C I pointed to the sign for level 3 and said “There, level 3, Admiral’s Club.” She pushed the button for 2. I said, “no, 3.” She pushed that too but tried to get off at 2. I said, “No, 3.” When the door opened at 3, she stood still. I really should have just gotten out of the chair and walked but I sat there saying, “I. Want. To. Get. Off. Here. Here Level 3. Here.” Took my leave at the door of the AC and made my way down to the gate (immediately below) on my own two feet. It’s really not her fault, it’s the fault of whoever thought you could do this job without speaking any English. (2/10)

LAX: Here there was a chair waiting, and an athletic guy pushed me up the very steep jetway, and straight across the concourse to the AC. I really felt sorry for him ‘cause I could have easily done that myself. My departure gate was also right across so I didn’t bother with a chair when it was time to board. (10/10 for effort)

Remembering the good experience at Sydney I wasn’t prepared for the return. FA said, “Your chair is at the door” but there were two chairs and two other wheelchair-requestees ahead of me. As they were pushed away, one pusher said over her shoulder, “There will be another chair for you in a minute.” It’s easier for me to walk than to stand, so I said, “I’ll come to the top of the jetway” without realising that the jetway took a turn and continued, then another turn, etc. Finally got to the top, and everyone else is walking off. I called after them and one said, “Have a seat and an electric cart will come for you.” The cart driver took me as far as passport control and implied that was that. I said I couldn’t stand in the line and would need help. Much rolling of eyes and a radio call; someone came with a wheelchair and took me through the regular line (waiting with everyone else) then down to baggage claim where she got my bag off the carousel and found a trolley. The exit area is a zoo – lines with people with loaded trolleys going across each other – and I couldn’t envision her navigating it with a wheelchair and my bag. So I said, “I’ll take it from here” and took off leaning on the trolley; fortunately I was shunted to the quick-exit line. (3/10)

Overall, I guess it was worth it in saving physical wear-and-tear, but only because I was a bit assertive (never rude, I hope), had done some research on airport layouts and was willing to walk a bit if necessary. What struck me most was the variability even at the same airport.

LapLap

It sounds as if your previous experience is what really got you through this one. It certainly wasn't consistent.

I understand how standing can be the most difficult challenge, unfortunately it seems that this wasn't clear to some of the people you required assistance from.

Thanks very much for sharing your experiences, as I'm sure you know, it can be better than this, I've also read accounts explaining how it can be a lot worse. Hopefully you've not been put off entirely as I can only assume you will be requiring this service more and more in the future.

The hardest skill is probably to maintain your composure and be assertive whilst remaining sympathetic. It seems you accomplished this with aplomb. ^

(It's not particularly relevant to this forum, but I've posted my own report detailing my convalescence/rehabilitation trip)

flyingfran

RadioGirl, It sounds as if you did not have the best experience with your trip. I am sorry that I did not make it clear that your traveling companion could, and should stay right with you through customs, security etc. My husband has my ID, passport and boarding pass and stays right beside me. I would not feel very comfortable in the pat-down area with my carry-ons far away from me on the conveyor belt, and no one watching them.

I also never get off of the plane until I know that my wheelchair is there. If I get off the plane and it is not there, I just go back on the plane and sit down. Like you, walking is less painful than standing. I do not stand and wait. If you get off the plane you are no longer part of the process of emptying the plane. A FA on the phone has a much better chance of getting a wheelchair for you than a lone passenger standing at the end of the jetway has. Of course, we seldom try to exit the plane until the last passenger has left because they do not bring the wheelchairs down the jetway until the crowds leaving the plane have thinned.

Last week, however, we left the plane first. Our flight from Denver was delayed about two hours, leaving us only 20 minutes to transfer planes in Atlanta. I discussed this with the FA when we boarded and reminded her politely about a half hour before we landed. When the plane came to the jetway the FA asked everyone to remain in their seats until we were off the plane. Fortunately we were in the front of FC so no one had to wait very long, but the FA would not let anyone else off of the plane until we had reached the end of the jetway.

Language barriers are always a problem, and I do not know why people with limited language skills are given these types of jobs. In Denver, last week, the man who pushed my wheelchair could not understand anything I said. We had a three hour layover and wanted to stop and have lunch in the food court. He could not understand that and insisted on pushing us to the boarding gate. Then he tried to make the GA take me onto the plane that was at the gate. All three of us tried to explain to him that I was not going on that plane. Finally I just motioned for him to leave.

When we travel internationally that is always a potential problem, but my husband is relatively good in several foreign languages, and so far it has never been a problem. Last year in CDG, he and the young lady pushing my chair had a long and seemingly very happy conversation. I have no idea what they were plotting, but they both seemed to be enjoying themselves. As for the man in Denver, we have no idea what his native language was. I thought it was Spanish, but he did not respond to that.

When I travel alone, I have someone write down phrases I might need, such as "I need to stop at the restroom". I keep these in a little notebook and then I can let my attendant read the message. Sometimes I ask the FA to tell the attendant what my specific needs are.

I was very surprised that you had to stay in a regular line. That has never happened to us. We have always been placed at the front of any line from TSA security to passport and immigration, visa, customs. I can only imagine that whoever was pushing your chair had no experience.

As for feeling sorry because you did not require much transportation since your destination was right across from where you left your plane, I would not worry about it. I assume that you gave him a small tip for the brief few minutes he spent with you. You have no way of knowing how near you may be to your airport destination, whether it is the club room or your next flight gate. It is so much more important to expect that it will be a huge distance and be prepared than to hope it will be a short distance and require a wheelchair after you leave the plane.

I did have another unique experience last week. When we landed in JAX we were the last plane of the evening, and there were five wheelchair passengers. I got off the plane last. There was a wheelchair but no one to push it. A man was taking a passenger up the jetway and told me he would be right back for me. He was. When we got to the top of the jetway he pushed my wheelchair with his right arm and another wheelchair with his left arm. He managed both chairs perfectly, and we arrived at luggage claims swiftly.

I understand that it is difficult to ask for and accept help. When my family insisted that I obtain wheelchair assistance I was extremely embarrassed, especially when we went to the front of all of those lines. No one, however, has ever been remotely unpleasant about it. I no longer feel embarrassed or guilty. This service permits me to continue to travel. Without it I would not be able to visit my children or accompany my husband, and I am now simply appreciative of the service. I also pay for what I receive, and I do not feel badly at all when I put it in that perspective.

Katja

Thanks for posting your report, RadioGirl.

I'm not surprised that your experiences were so inconsistent. Good for you for being determined and assertive. I'll second flyingfran's recommendation to stay on the plane if you can; the flight crew cannot leave the aircraft with passengers remaining on board, so they are motivated to get you what you need.

thenelsons

During our last trip home we had a horrible jerk in line at security after we had cleared customs, the wheelchair pusher put my husband up near the front of the line and since I have the 2 kids and dog we all tried to stay together. We are seasoned travelers and only have had to get the wheelchair after my husband had a bad wreck and his broken leg is not healing so this is a new experience for us and I feel somewhat bad about "breaking" in line but this is not my choice- we are just trying to stay together (in Houston, not the smallest airport). ANYWAY, some real JERK pipes up and loudly screams at the wheelchair pusher and looks at myself and my two children screaming "What am I? Chopped Liver?" He was able-bodied but I'm not sure about his mental state! The chair pushed could only push us through some pre-determined areas and then had to go back so he called ahead and had an electric cart waiting for us...when we get to the waiting cart guess who is there perched in the cart sitting in the front seat??? The jerk from the security line!!!!!!! Well, it was the sweetest revenge when the wheelchair pusher told him "Sir, I'm sorry but the electric carts give priority to wheelchair customers and he has to have your front seat!!!" My children and I had taken the rear seats and 2 unaccompanied minors were on the middle seat so had to walk!!! Serves him right...
My only real question is why this guy felt like he had to be such a miserable jerk?? Everyone who heard him was obviously embarrassed at their fellow humans acting so poorly and gave me the looks to indicate such!