Aisle width?
 

My mother-in-law is now using a new walker, the type with the 2 wheels in front, as opposed to the cabin she was using.

In a couple of weeks she will travel with my wife, and the two aircraft are a 737, and CRJ.

Anyone know the width of the aisle on these two aircraft? I'm wondering if she'll have problems getting down the aisle with her walker.

Thanks,
Bruce

unlikely
 

Definately not on an RJ, they won't even allow it up the stairs.
Best to ask for a wheel chair and have them get her to her seat.

She will be required to se the wheel chair service ...

That's about what I thought - thanks!

Her options for actually boarding the plane are:

- Walk all of the way.

- Walk from the wheelchair at the plane's door to her seat (possibly with crutches).

- Be boarded with an "aisle-chair" (the very narrow wheelchair that can be slid down the plane's aisle with the help of the airport's staff and yours, too.


My advice:

- Coordinate, coordinate, and coordinate with the UA staff at the airport.

- Be early for every step.

- Explain that you will be at the BP reader waiting for "the extra 3 minutes of early boarding". Then plant yourselves right in front of the line so that you can't be forgotten or told some dumb story.

- In the final 35 minutes before landing, find the purser and coordinate your requests with her/him. This gets communicated to the arriving staff when the door opens (aisle-chair, wheelchair, sedan, 1000 sherpas, etc).

- Realize that some stations are great at this and some just can't do any of it right. But if you follow my suggestions, the latter stations work out, too.

- Show sincere appreciation to the employees that help make this work for you two. :)

- Lastly, be patient. You will certainly be the last 2 off of the plane. This one was tough for me. :eek:

Does it show that I've done this with a mobility impaired pax on hundreds of domestic and international flights and even on foreign carriers?

Enjoy the trip!

As others have mentioned above, request the wheelchair. It's not only getting on the plane but getting around the airport - most expect an awful lot of walking from their passengers. Roberto99 has some great advice for you.

Enjoy the trip.

Thanks to all for the advice. I appreciate it.

Bruce

Excellent summary
 

Well said. If she is comfortable with the walker and does get to preboard well in advance - then walking down the aisle grabbing on to seat backs can be almost as good. I do that with a folding cane and works - at least for me - better than trying to use crutches in the restricted space.

The aisle chair is the safest - although staff expertise can be erratic in my limited experience with that approach.

The airline will often try to seat you in a favorable position - often the forward bulhead. However, if I'm on a long coach flight it often works out best to make the long hike back to a seat near the lavs once at preboard time without worries about other pax. Or, 757s with a lav up front.

The advice about a wheelchair for the journey to the gate is right on - they're geared up to handle those requests and not always anything less than that.

Bon voyage...

If the walker collapses, it will fit on the Canadair 700 and Embraer 135, 140 and 145 regional jets. The problem can sometimes be the flight attendants, who don't think it will fit. It has to be collapsed and then turned upside down (wheels up) to fit in the closet.

If she can use the walker, she can probably make her way down the aisle. Ask the gate agent for a seat towards the front...or if she may need the use of it, it could be advantageous to sit close to the lavatory.

I am appalled at the lack of sensitivity of some of the folks that help our passengers with an aisle chair. It is as if they are moving a big, cumbersome bag, devoid of feelings. I'd avoid that for my family member, unless it was absolutely necessary.