D L and K's Mom
<font color=blue>D, L and now baby Kennedy's mom!<
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2001
We had a terrible time in Dec. traveling with my son and the the airline we travlelled on. We booked our seats last year and then discovered that we were going to have a baby (BIG SURPRISE) on the day we were due to leave for our vacation. I called the airlines but they would not do anything for us. We ended up losing $400 ($100 off each of the 4 tickets we had purchased). I do not fault them for this as it is their policy if there are any changes to the tickets. We re-booked adding a ticket for the baby and paying more than the origianal price...oh well. I called back when the baby was born to give them the name and sex of the baby. I was told I had to do this for security reasons. I also re-checked that we had requested front row seats for at least 2 of the seats as DS is in a wheelchair and is developmentally disabled and we didnt know how well he would like the flight (DS has flown in the past but you never know with him ). I requested assistance at the terminal and explained all about DS (wheelchair, seizures, respitory problems, developmentally delayed, does not speak and is at the level of a 2 year old). I called back a few weeks before the flight checking all info. We left our home in Rochester NY on Dec. 23 and flew to Atlanta..no problems. We had assistance down the jetway and help getting the wheelchair and baby storller under the plane. Someone helped DH with DS and the wheelchair. We DID NOT need help with DS on to the plane as he can walk short distances and he walked leaning on DH from the jetway into the plane. When we got to Atlanta the nightmare started. We waited until everyone got off the plane and then and only then did I notice that it was pouring outside!! We also first noticed at this time that there was no jetway and that we were expected to walk down stairs off the plane. I asked the stewardess about this and she said she would get someone to help us. We waited and waited (we only had 1/2 hour to catch our connection as the plane was late) finally she came back and told us that the chair was there. Yup she was right there our in the rain was DS 's wheelchair and right along side it the baby's stroller....outside in the rain in the cement parking lot place (for lack of a better description). I took baby in her carseat and proceeded to walk down the stairs which were slippery and was stopped by the pilot who took Baby from me and carried her in her carseat down the stairs. DH carried DS (100+ lbs) down the stairs and my DD who is 12 followed with the carry on bags. DS's chair was soaked!! The Stroller was soaked. We were soaked. The steps were slippery. We quickly ran under the little awning and procceeded to the airport terminal. We were upset to find out that we had to climb 2 sets of steps. There was no elevator, there was no one to help us. We sent DD up the steps and told her to go into the terminal and find someone to ask them to help or call for help. We waited at the bottom of the steps and she quickly came back and said that there was no one around. I proceeded to yell at her. I am not proud of this but I just didnt believe that there could not be anyone there. I snapped at her and told her she didnt check hard enough etc. By this time the baby and DS were crying. DS was unconsoalable. He was shaking and had his hands clenched (A sign that he is upset) We proceeded to send DD up to wait by the door to the terminal, DH carried the baby up and left her with DD and then came back down to get DS whom he carried up the steps. I carried up the wheelchair and proceeded to fall down and cut both knees and legs where the chair landed. I just was so upset I started to cry like a little baby!!! Here we were all wet, cold and now sore. DH came back down after getting all the kids into the terminal and helped me. We ran and I mean RAN through the airport to catch our connection. DD had been right. There was no one in the section we had arrived in. Probably because it was late at night and it was Dec. 23. We made the flight and again someone was waiting for us and helped get DS onto the plane etc. When we got on the plane the wonderful stewardess gave us blankets etc. as we were cold and wet. When we arrived in Orlando again there was someone to help us and things were fine. I talked to them and they said to call Customer Service etc. This was fine with me as we were all cold and tired. We checked in to the Dolphin at 2;00 am and slept. I stayed in the hotel room on Dec 24 as my legs were sore and I had a headache. I called the # I had been given (not a toll free call from the airport I may add) and talked to some one and explained the situation. The main reason for my call was to check and see if this was going to happen on our connection back. We did not have to fly through Atlanta on the return trip home we were connecting through Cincinatti Ohio. She said she didnt know that we would have to call the airport directly. I asked for a # and she did not have one. I finally got one from the hotel and called. They said we had to talk to the airlines as they had no idea of gates etc. I re-called the airlines and got a very rude lady. She told me that it did not say that we needed assistance on her notes fro my son from Rochester to Atlanta. It only said it from Atlanta to Orlando. I asked how come we had assistance from Roc to Atlanta and she replied that they must have jsut done it out of the goodness of their hearts. She then got very rude when I asked why no one was in the terminal and asked me if I knew that it was Christmas Eve?? I said yes and I must admit I was a little rude as I asked her what time it was and she replied it was 3:00 I asked was she still working she replied yes and I said well then I really dont care what day it is. I hope the conversation was taped as they warn you that it may be taped when you first call. I hung up after getiing nowhere and called back on Dec 27th and was assured that the flight from Cinn to Rochester was a bigger plane and there would be a jet way or someone would assist us. I was also told that they had all my notes on DS. Well the flight from Orlando to Cinn was delayed and they had switched planed causing us to all be put in the middle of the plane. I spoke to a very nice gentleman at the desk and he fixed the tickets so DH and DS would be in the front row. He also asked if we would be interested in being "bumped" as the plane was full. He offered $500 per seat, dinner for the family and an over night stay in the airport hotel. Well we decided this would be great as DS was tired and the plane was still delayed. We still had to wait until everyone boarded so we waited. It turned out we didnt need to be bumped so we got on the plane with the help of an employee. I did check to see if we were in the computer as needing assistance and was told yes I was.We arrived in Cinn and got off the plane (Again with assistance) and found the gate we were leaving from. We again had to wait (no fault of the airline as the weather was terrible). All of a sudden there was an announcement that the electricity was out in the tower and all flights would be delayed all flights all airlines. We made ourselves comfortable got something to eat and waited. I did go up to the desk to see if they had any idea as to how long we would be waiting so I could take DS to the family rest room and change him. The employee was wonderful and she said it would be at least and hour as once the elecrtic came on our plance was not one of the first ones to have clearance. We chatted for a few mintues and she took our boarding passes because again there was a mix up and DS did not have front row seats as stated. I went back to the desk after changing DS and she assured me all was well and that someone would meet us at the gate and we would have at least 2 seats in the front row and gave us back our passes. We finally were ready to board and we were asked to board last. No problem we walked down the corrider to the door and it was pouring out (we knew this as that is why the electric had gone out) when we got to our door leading out to the plane (again no jet way and the plane was waiting with the steps down). We waited, and waited finally a very nice young man arrived and we told him what we were waiting for and he went and got the "lift" which was soaked!! We wiped it off as best as we could and he loaded DS chair onto it. He was very nice and felt terrible that it was wet etc. He could not get DS chair on to the lift. For some reason DS Stroller type chair was to wide. He tried as DS cried because of all the noise etc. I have to say he was very nice as he covered DS with a blanket over his coat because the awning was not protecting us from the cold and rain. He finally called someone else and they sent another person over who helped us lift DS onto this little skinny chair and then they lifted this on to the plane. DS was so upset , screaming, crying shaking.I was so angry but it was not this persons fault at all. In fact both young men were wonderful and very sweet. When we got on the plane again we were treated wonderfully by the one stewardess. DS calmed down finally and off we went. Our dream trip was horrible!!! First the airplane trip then DS got a nasty cold/flu while we were in Disney and was in the hotel for 6 days. WE had to have a Dr come out and examine him and get 3 perscriptions. It cost us $286 that I am hoping our insurance will pay. I can't say that being wet and on and airconditioned plane caused all his problems but it sure did not help. Neither did it help that he is now probably going to be scared to fly. We had him so prepared. I called the airlines and spoke to a wondeful man who checked and said yes,it was our error it is in the computer that you needed assistance. I asked what I could do in the future so this does not ever happen again and he said we had done everything wrong. He offered to send DS a gift basket and a letter of apology and I expalined that DS would not understand this. I told him that DH was very , very disappointed as this was the first and now probably the last time we ever flew this airline. We are planning another trip to Disney in the summer as I never really got out of the room. He offered us $200 but this does not even pay for DS's ticket. I said no thank you and said I was going to write a letter to the airlines as I felt that they put all our safety on the line as well as upsetting my son. All I feel they owe us is our airfare back.I asked him if he thought this was being greedy and he replied as an employee I cannot answer that but as a father no, I do not. He said that $200 is the most he could offer that if we felt we were entitled to more we had to pursure it higher up. I felt as if they had bumped up we would have received $500 and after all we went through we were only being offered $200 not even the cost of DS's seat. Am I being unreasonable? In the beginning I really didnt care about the money as DH never ever wants to fly this airline again and the complensation will probably be in "Airline $" but now I am mad. DS was treated terrible, he was upset and no one should be subjected to that kind of treatment and he got sick and never even got to enjoy our trip to see Mickey. What do you think? Am I being unreasonable and letting my feelings take over? I wrote a letter to the airlines and I am sending it to the DOT also. I saw a thread at the top of this page that I am going to read also. What would you do? I want honset answers. Am I just being unreasonable becasue it was my son? Shoudl we have taken the $ even though it feels like it is not enough for all DS went through?? Sorry this is so long.
