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.