swiss_global

lhrpete, I have all the sympathy with those disabled, both permanently or just for some time. In my example, this definitely applies to the 2-3 pax who also required a wheelchair upon boarding in Europe.

But other 35 or so, who were perfectly fit and able in Europe, raise some doubt. They might be similar cases like me, able to walk but not to stand, but the large number makes me suspicious, I'm afraid ...

Often1

All a pax needs to do is request assistance on arrival and it must be made available. It's a US$11,000 per violation penalty for a carrier to refuse. While it is handled differently at different stations (carrier, airport authority, contractor), it must be handled and it's BS that it must be booked in advance.

As others note, unless you are both a physician and a clairvoyant (because most physicians require an examination before rendering a diagnosis), don't be so quick to judge others.

Many people are perfectly capable of walking short distances, but require assistance over longer distances. Others have balance issues after lengthy flights or at altitude or are capable of walking, but cannot linger long in lines.

This thread is shameful.

kanor

I disagree, its perfectly plausible that a significant percentage of those extra wheelchairs are just used to skip lines. And bringing american style over sensitivity to this issue is not helping.
Most of the abuse could be mitigated by a simple disability pass, just like the ones needed for disabled parking places.

Often1

It's the law as the US has chosen to make and enforce it. If you want a debate about the merits of EU-crat government permitting of medical conditions, you can take it to OMNI.

As between someone who needs help not getting it and the risk that someone might abuse it, I guess that the USA comes down on the side of the former.

kanor

If you pose the question like this then you could say that generally EU countries are on the latter. This is why this thread and whole topic is not shameful.

theddo

As do Europe, but unless you travel to the UK the lines through immigration are significantly shorter than your average non-US passport or resident lines in the US at peak times. I don't think there's a $10,000 fine in most countries, so the enforcement is probably worse.

Also I don't think anyone has questioned the service yet - the only question was why passengers required assistance when an additional benefit presented itself but not before. Due to the comments elsewhere on this forum on people trying to use their disability to get upgrades (which I'm sure they would benefit from) I don't find this thread any more offensive.

oliver2002

Well, the EU is trying to enforce/encourage the same PRM pax guidelines for travel providers as the US. I know SWISS is not an EU carrier, but still.

As far as the WHCR abuse goes, if some undeserving pax start abusing the system extensively, I'm sure the airlines will lobby to get the customer to get a medical care form signed by a physician in advance to make sure the special service is given to those who need it.

The common MEDIF form was agreed upon in 2009 and LX also offers it here: http://medicalservices.swiss.com/en/Pages/default.aspx

N1003U

All I know is that when the gate looks like this



for the arrival of an E-175, then I suspect there is a problem somewhere with the current system that needs to be addressed...

kanor

With apologies to the people with disabilities and injuries, but this reminds me of Wall-E:

lloydah

I gather from your comments that your injuries also affected your manners - for which there are few excuses. I would also point out that it's unlikely that 38 people on the same flight who were quite able to walk around the departure airport were suddenly struck down with a disability mid flight. However there's no reason they shouldn't have wheelchair access and queue with everyone else is there?

kanor

Well, once we acknowledged ones need for a wheelchair than the airline/airport is interested in reusing that wheelchair/escort as fast as possible. So skipping the queue makes sense in an ideal world.

lloydah

I just wonder how many wheel chairs might not be needed if the queue wasn't jumped by them.

Dover2Golf

As others have said making judgements about things you clearly know nothing about is ignorant. You clearly have a problem with people who have disabilities but we are expected to tolerate your ignorance? Well I guess we are used to it and we'll let you go on demonstrating it while standing back and laughing at you.

mmff

I am speechless. This number of wheelchairs for the arrival of an E-175?

At the end of the day, who is paying for the wheelchair and handler? The airline or the airport? Just make people use their own health insurance to pay for it and this non-sense will end.

weero

Couldn't agree more.

If you introduce a free privilege with significant advantage in speed and convenience, the honour system is on the certain path of extinction. One cannot even blame the abusers as working that system is part of everyday street smart behaviour.
Here in Singa, there a more wheelchairs at the taxi queue of the airport where you get priority than at the University Hospital where wheelchairs have to wait in line.
You have already taken it there by your sacrosanct declaration that an obviously imperfect system is above discussion. My easy fix for the situation would be for the US to fix their immigration system but I guess that is also "the law" and hence a god given.

It is beyond me how people cannot get their heads around the simple semantics that a system can evidently be broken and heavily abused without blaming the individuals who book a wheelchair as we lack insight into their motives. Name calling it as 'shameful' or assertions of individual fates do not change the overall insight in the least.