Airports and travel related information for those with disabilities

[craigt3365]

Yermanee has suggested a pinned topic covering disabilities and travel. And we agree! So, let's give this a try and see how it goes.

The thought is for members to post their experiences with various airport and locations. Things such as wheelchair service, etc.

I'll try to keep it cleaned up and consolidated as much as possible. If I get behind or you have a suggestion, send me a PM!

Craig

[yermanee]

Thank you Craig,

Here goes my review of wheelchairservice in 4 different airports during my last trip to Europe.

Disability and Airports

Because of bad knees and the fact that walking long distances is increasingly difficult for me, I decided to order wheelchair service for my latest trip i.e. BKK/MCT/FRA/BRU return. The FRA/BRU/FRA leg of the trip was on a separate stand alone ticket with Lufthansa and the BKK/MCT/FRA return on Oman Air.

Now there are 3 classifications for wheelchair service i.e.

- WCHR – wheelchair ramp; means passenger can walk short distances and climb stairs.

- WCHS – wheelchair steps, means same but cannot climb stairs.

- WCHC – wheelchair cabin; means passenger cannot walk and has to be taken to the seat by special cabin w/c.

In my case it was WCHR so my experience relates to this service only.

- BKK (Suvarnabhumi) : Excellent. How it should be done !

- MCT: Had to wait more than 5 minutes, after that smooth sailing.

- FRA : Professional.

- BRU : Very bad, long waiting (upto 30 minutes) and unfriendly staff.

Now for a tip I read on another travelforum, it helps that if about 1 hour before landing you remind the FA on board that you need WCHR service at the airport on arrival, the Captain will communicate with the airport to remind them, and indeed it worked on my return to MCT, they were waiting for me.

I thought that relating this experience would be helpful to some members and I would like to invite other members that have experience to inform us and maybe give us tips on how they handle the stress and eventual pitfalls of different airports.

Thanks

Yermanee

[Ricardo]

I usually travel with a walking-stick these days, long walks are becoming more painful as my knees get older/stiffer, and I find BKK & LHR I'm often offered priority-boarding when they see a passenger with a stick. But as FF-silver, on my current preferred-airline, I get this anyway !

I've also found the staff at DEL/Delhi to be very helpful, often offering an electric-trolley ride to my gate, the international-terminal is somewhat spread-out.

BOM/Mumbai is useless, however.

[gamini]

Perth Australia was my best experience. Although I had to wait until passengers got off. Once I was in the wheel chair I got pushed as if in a race by a female ground hostess yelling at everyone to get out of the way and took me right past all the passsengers queing at immigration and the same on to customs. I was the last out of the plane but ended up out into the arrival hall first. No tip was expected unlike Bangkok which was also very good. Most other places were OK except heathrow which was most unhelpful. But the real problem is the seating. Airlines do not seem to offer comfortable seating for disabled passengers unless you can afford to travel business class. With a bad back and arthitis in my knees travelling squashed up in economy is a nightmare.

[yermanee]

Having delved a bit deeper regarding rights of disabled passengers, I found the code of good conduct for airports here :

http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trasportiaccessibili.org%2Fita%2Fpdf%2Fcode%2520of%2520good%2520conduct%2520in%2520ground%2520handling.pdf&ei=i026UvjvL6S4iQfdy4CYCg&usg=AFQjCNFmexDvjLKXREAC4YLBTuxRncP-Ng&bvm=bv.58187178,d.aGc

Hope the link works, if not just google : ECAC Code of Good Conduct in Ground Handling for Persons with Reduced Mobility.

Yermanee