Another wheelchair question..

You can get wheelchair assistance at the airport. There Chairs are smaller to go down the plains rows. Wheelchair to Magic Express at airport. You can rent a chair or scooter to be at the hotel for your used 24/7

Yes, you can get wheelchair assistance at the airport, however, you *are* expected to tip your provided assistant, and you have a stranger pushing you. The added expenses of the tips can be avoided simply by bringing your own equipment and having a family member push you.

The chairs that you reference that are "smaller to go down the plains rows" are special aisle wheelchairs that are located ON the plane (and are carried on every aircraft) and you must transfer at the jetway door to that special type of wheelchair if you require that form of assistance. So it's not a "one and done" - you don't use the same wheelchair from the front of the airport to your seat in the aircraft.

And yes, you can rent a wheelchair or scooter once you arrive, but again, you will have an additional daily expense to rent equipment that they already have at home.

Since your personal wheelchair or ECV will fly for free on every US carrier as medical equipment, why not take your own personal mobility device? It avoids extra expense, and you don't have to wait for airport porters, or vendor deliveries to show up to go on with your day.
 
The chairs that you reference that are "smaller to go down the plains rows" are special aisle wheelchairs that are located ON the plane (and are carried on every aircraft) and you must transfer at the jetway door to that special type of wheelchair if you require that form of assistance. So it's not a "one and done" - you don't use the same wheelchair from the front of the airport to your seat in the aircraft.

Yes, I know from personal experience that mama bunny is correct about smaller wheelchairs. When I had just fractured my pelvis, it would have been very painful for me to switch chairs, so they decided to pre-pre-board me with the full sized wheelchair so that I could be guaranteed the very front seat. They squeezed it as best they could onto the plane, helped me stand, pivot, and lower myself into that first seat. Although the smaller aisle whelelchair would have given us more flexibility on where to sit, a regular wheelchair CAN get a few feet into the plane if necessary.
 
I would not say it's available "as soon as you land." We regularly have to wait 5-10 minutes for staff to bring my mobility devices up from the hold.

It's a pet peeve of mine- I think the captain needs to wait as long as I do, if he's indeed responsible for the safety of his passengers, he should be the last one off the ship. This would also incentivize efficiency on the airline's part. My time doesn't cost them anything. An aircraft captain is a different story.

And if the captain needs to go pee, stretch his legs, make a phone call before he flies back out, he shouldn't have that time? I don't get this at all - just because you have to wait a whole 5-10 minutes, it should mean someone else has to wait that long too? The plane has a certain turnaround time frame. The equipment gets there in that time frame. Why penalize a pilot when things are actually going just fine? You'll be waiting at the luggage carousel anyways.
 
And if the captain needs to go pee, stretch his legs, make a phone call before he flies back out, he shouldn't have that time? I don't get this at all - just because you have to wait a whole 5-10 minutes, it should mean someone else has to wait that long too? The plane has a certain turnaround time frame. The equipment gets there in that time frame. Why penalize a pilot when things are actually going just fine? You'll be waiting at the luggage carousel anyways.
It's called customer service. I want the airline to be incentivized to reduce the wait time as much as possible. And that wait time isn't from when the door is opened. It's from the time everyone else has deplaned, since the airline wants wheelchair users to wait until all other passengers have gotten off.

About 20% of the time the wait is 20 minutes or more. I have places to be, too.

The pilot can use the lavatory on the plane. I can't. My body doesn't bend at the hips.
 
I would not say it's available "as soon as you land." We regularly have to wait 5-10 minutes for staff to bring my mobility devices up from the hold.

It's a pet peeve of mine- I think the captain needs to wait as long as I do, if he's indeed responsible for the safety of his passengers, he should be the last one off the ship. This would also incentivize efficiency on the airline's part. My time doesn't cost them anything. An aircraft captain is a different story.

Hi, SteveMouse.

I usually wait for most passengers to leave the Delta flight since I have a difficult time standing in the jetway while all of the baby strollers and my wheelchair up. Plus sometimes it gets a little crowded with other passengers leaving the plane jetway past me. And if they're a lot of airline attendants waiting in the jetway with their wheelchairs to pick up passengers that requested them.

I was curious about your two statements:

I think the captain needs to wait as long as I do...

and

An aircraft captain is a different story.

I just want to make sure you were talking about airline pilots. I was just confused. Sorry.

Every time I fly Delta from ATL or MCO or ECP, I am usually the last one out. Just my experiences, but the pilot and head flight attendant never left until I left. Sometimes they help me remove my airline protective cover and put my medical backpack on the wheelchair seatback.

It takes me a little longer to connect screw-in my joystick.

But they always stayed until I exited the jetway.

Lately, I have waited for an airline flight attendant to let me know when an airline wheelchair attendant is available in the jetway with their wheelchairs to roll me up to the gate to a chair. That way I could sit down in a gateway area seat and rest while removing my airline protective cover and get the wheelchair ready to work.

So your experience says at least one pilot doesn't wait for you or the last passenger to leave?

And if the captain needs to go pee, stretch his legs, make a phone call before he flies back out, he shouldn't have that time? I don't get this at all - just because you have to wait a whole 5-10 minutes, it should mean someone else has to wait that long too? The plane has a certain turnaround time frame. The equipment gets there in that time frame. Why penalize a pilot when things are actually going just fine? You'll be waiting at the luggage carousel anyways.

Hi, DisneyOma.

I always thought it was the airline's policy or rules to stay.

The airline toilet is usually next to the plane's entrance/exit.

And I have seen them use it while waiting in an empty first-class seat while waiting for my wheelchair to arrive in the jetway.

I have also seen them using their cellphone and stretching their legs in the jetway waiting with me as I received my wheelchair.

I don't think I am making him stay and causing him to be penalized.

I always thought it was the airline's policy or rules to stay.

Not only have a pilot help me or wait for me, but I recall a couple of times when a Delta pilot said he was going down the jetway service stairs to check why it was taking so long and he and a loader brought my wheelchair.

I realize pilots and flight attendants have a time schedule. And I think they also know that.

I tried Googling airline policy or rules about this, but all the results were talking about arrival or being stuck on the tarmac.

Just my experiences. I'm not trying to judge anyone's personal opinion or experiences.
 
Sorry. We must have been typing at the same time.

I agree with you.

I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for you on many levels as you described when you flew at your airport and airline.

But my experience is those baby strollers and wheelchairs were still being brought up the jetway service chairs while passengers were still deplaning, but my airplanes have been larger and completely full.



It's called customer service. I want the airline to be incentivized to reduce the wait time as much as possible. And that wait time isn't from when the door is opened. It's from the time everyone else has deplaned since the airline wants wheelchair users to wait until all other passengers have gotten off.

About 20% of the time the wait is 20 minutes or more. I have places to be, too.

The pilot can use the lavatory on the plane. I can't. My body doesn't bend at the hips.
 
No airline will normally leave a passenger alone on an aircraft. I've never been left alone- there's always been a flight attendant. Given the markets I usually travel, airlines of choice are Southwest (which is usually good), United (a bit less so), and American (which is the most problematic).

There's no financial incentive to the airline for speedy service for passengers on a plane where flight attendants are concerned. A number of airlines only pay wages from the time the door are closed until they open or, in some cases, while the plane is airborne.
 


No airline will normally leave a passenger alone on an aircraft. I've never been left alone- there's always been a flight attendant. Given the markets I usually travel, airlines of choice are Southwest (which is usually good), United (a bit less so), and American (which is the most problematic).

There's no financial incentive to the airline for speedy service for passengers on a plane where flight attendants are concerned. A number of airlines only pay wages from the time the door are closed until they open or, in some cases, while the plane is airborne.

I've never been left alone on an airplane either. On a smaller aircraft, all of the passengers had deplaned and the cleaning staff had come to pick up trash and blankets, but the flight attendants and at least one pilot were still on board waiting to inform me my wheelchair had arrived in the jetway. I had moved to the first-row seat to wait.

But I have never been left alone on an airplane or jetway by myself.

That is good to know about the other airlines.

I haven't been brave enough to try another airline. I've been tempted with SouthWest, but I always end up with Delta since I know them and I just don't fly that much.
 
It's called customer service. I want the airline to be incentivized to reduce the wait time as much as possible. And that wait time isn't from when the door is opened. It's from the time everyone else has deplaned, since the airline wants wheelchair users to wait until all other passengers have gotten off.

About 20% of the time the wait is 20 minutes or more. I have places to be, too.

The pilot can use the lavatory on the plane. I can't. My body doesn't bend at the hips.

Thanks for the clarification. That makes more sense as to why you are frustrated. Not sure how they can change it - they get the stuff up there as fast as they can, as they have only a set amount of time to turn the plane over for the next flight. I really don't think anyone is doing it deliberately, to make you wait longer.

I wish they'd let people who do not have bags in the overhead bins off first, then the people with those enormous, stuffed, heavy bags can have more space to haul their crap out of the bins. If they let people who can exit the area the fastest go first, then they'd be able to have more time to do the things they need to do to get everyone what they need, instead of having everyone stand around waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
 

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