Crappy wheelchair assistance at airport

[Booboostwo]

Today I was traveling with 5yo DD from Toulouse to Manchester. I have a herniated disc (waiting for op) and have trouble standing but I can walk slowly with a cane and I am OK sitting so I thought it sensible to book wheelchair assistance at the airport.

We turned up 1.5 hours before the flight, as advised, and checked in immediately at which point we were asked to sit and wait for the assistance. We were advised it would be a while which I assumed would be 10 minutes but turned out to be a 45 minute wait. Another passenger was also waiting one hour for the same flight.

When the assistant turned up he was very rude and in a huge hurry. He was very rude to another passenger who wanted to ask how long his wheelchair was going to be and then pushed me so fast DD could not keep up. When I asked him to slow down he said he was walking normally and she should just keep up! It might sound a bit OTT but I was genuinely stressed with DD behind me, so that I couldn't see her in a busy airport.

When we got to security he was, miraculously, less in a hurry and greeted all his mates with kisses and told them about the 'rude' passenger who had tried to delay him. (Spending longer telling the story than he would have spent replying to the man).

Now this was a rude guy but the delay meant we never got to stop for food (flight was at 14:30 so DD didn't get any lunch until on the plane at 15h), we didn't stop at the play area and god help us if we needed the toilet!

Is this standard and to be expected? We spent ages waiting at check in, when I complained I was told I could walk to the restaurant at the other end of the airport which kind of defeated the wheelchair purpose and that I might miss the assistance person then! So we were stuck waiting and then rushed on board.

Shots that is both offensive and disablist. Making reasonable adjustments so disabled and mobility impaired people can access services is not a free service and no, disabled people should not be grateful they got what they paid for!

TheFairyCaravan I completely understand that faced with a lifetime of this shit one would give up on complaining. I entirely respect that. But it is someone's fault, lack of people/equipment is someone's fault, it is the fault of the person who decided to underfund this service.

OP, your hysteria over your 'rights' to buy a bottle of cheap perfume is frankly insulting to people who suffer actual disabalism

You have unrealistic expectations, as everyone has pointed out to you

Wow that guy needs some training! My friend had a hop op and we have had pretty good service except not in Scotland (train) where there were staff shortages. Euston station were very good and the last flight we had (Heathrow - Madeira and back) was fine. My friend made sure it was and DEMANDS she is well treated! The only time we had a problem was when we nearly missed a train back from Wales - taxi driver later to pick us up as he had been to the police station! Looking at mugshots apparently. We got the train by the skin of our teeth and another passenger opened the door for us.

So, no, do accept "Mr Toulouse" as the norm. I think he may have been overwhelmed myself but no excuse for the rudeness (mind you if he was French....)

Hilarious. A normally able bodied person is shocked when she discovers that services for disabled people aren't all that and gets all indignant on behalf of wheelchair users.

OP you really don't get to call others disablist for saying your expectations were too high in this case.

The legislation requires that they get you to your flight safely. There is no obligation to facilitate your shopping, eating or play needs. You got caught out because you didn't know this and so you didn't have food with you for your kid.

By all means complain about their disregard of the needs of the minor in your care. Did you mention you had a small child in your care when you booked assistance?

This service varies all over the world. The airport have a duty to get you on your flight safely, no more. They do so when able not when it suits you.

I now have to travel in business class due to my own back issues and most times I've been taken to the lounge to enjoy the food and facilities and then five minutes later they arrive to take me to the flight even though it's not for another hour or more.

Just the way it is.

Actually, getting taken off the flight is far worse. They are under no time pressure so can leave the disabled passengers as long as they need to. Many times I've been dumped outside the plane long after the crew have left.

TBH you are lucky you got assistance at all. I flew from TLS 3 weeks ago with my knee in a brace and with crutches and there were NO asssistance people to help because it was a Sunday.

Luckily for me my Rep found a wheelchair & I had DD2 to push me.

I think you should be grateful for the help you got, not berate the system.

Also, people with long term disabilities don't give up on complaining because of a lifetime of this shit. What an asshole thing to say!

They do, however, pick their battles, plan their journeys around their needs, and have a good laugh at the able bodied getting a glimpse into their world.

You are behaving as the very epitome of privilege encountering lack of privilege for the first time.

Unacceptable that he expects a five year old to run along and keep up. The rest I have no experience with but it sounds shire. What if you or your child are desperate for the loo or need a snack?

I don't understand why they can't provide wheelchairs that can be moved by themselves. Sounds like a ridiculous complicated way of going about things.

Having used a few wheelchairs in different airports I can only empathise with the white knuckle ride you sometimes get.

One in Germany had my able bodied carer running!

What do such posters think I should have done if I had a connecting flight with a, let's say, four hour wait? No food/drinks, toilet, shopping, play or anything else then as well? My 5yo and I should have sat quietly in a corner so as not to disturb anyone else?

Unfortunately yes - and I have been in that situation.

A couple of years ago Ryanair tried to charge £40 a pop for this service.

Did you actually ask the assistant to take you to the bathroom?

Whilst I agree that the OP is completely unrealistic, she is raising a fair point. There should be a service offering help around the airport, a carer to take you to the shops etc, but that would probably being too costly for most passengers.

I really don't know the solution. Even the "unaccompanied minor" services seem to disappear from most airlines. Unless you pay for a travelling companion, travelling is pretty grim.

I should add that there are airport lounges you can access on a pay as you go basis, or with a membership card, whilst flying economy. That could help, but they are not always conveniently located.

@unweavedrainbow you just tell them at check in that you want to stay in your chair as far as the door of the plane. They will tell you to go to assistance on the other side of security and they should give you a pager. You can then wander round until the pager goes off and they will take you to the door of the plane and then take your chair to the hold. When you land they will bring your chair to the door of the plane then take you to the baggage section. If you need help getting to the car etc they will take you there.

Quite clearly I said the legislation above makes it a duty of all airlines to collectively fund it! They are choosing to underfund it.

Their 'duty' is to get you from check in to the flight. There is no duty to provide a one-to-one carer to provide personalised service for shopping and playground needs. You got to the airport, you were transferred from check in to the gate, you boarded the plane, and you got to your destination. That was their duty, and they fulfilled it. There is no human rights breach because you didn't get to go duty free shopping or have some minimum wage airport attendant sit and watch your 5yo play on a playground.

I don't like to use the word 'entitled', but I think that the OP, on her first flight with needing assistance, thinks that they should provide a personalised butler service does fit with that word.

Booboostwo Shots that is both offensive and disablist

No it isn't. For all the reasons people are advising you.

Just because you didn't get the personalised experience you would like, does not mean it is a terrible service. You were delivered from check in to your plane safely. I agree that it was possibly a bit fast for your child, but as many pp have said, they are run on a shoestring - which IS the thing that could be focused on. Campaign for that, not better shopping opportunities.

BTW, how is you know for 100% sure I am not disabled myself?

pointstaken There should be a service offering help around the airport, a carer to take you to the shops etc, but that would probably being too costly for most passengers.

And therein lies the issue. We (the travelling public) want more for less. We want the cheapest tickets but we want full service and added extras like personalised wheelchair service on tap for free for as long as the user wants it at any time of the day or night. Until someone sets up a not for profit airline, they are always going to be accountable to shareholders and boards to cut costs and maximise profits.

Those airline execs and boards of directors and shareholders are where the change needs to come from. If you are troubled by the issues, buy shares, attend AGMs and make your voice heard properly.

If you want or need someone to take you around the shops, then you need to prepare for this. If you have a disability, you'll know this and you either accept that you don't get a mooch around or you take someone with you. If you're temporarily incapacitated, well then it's a one-off and I don't know why you'd whinge about a one-off when it's not such a big deal.

Life is hard as a disabled person but I don't think the airport special assistance is part and parcel of that.

I have had up to 12 hours layover before after a 13 hour flight . Sometimes I will leave the airport if I know the place well and it is easy to get around . Sometimes I have stayed in the airport and just ask the staff to bring me to a café . When it gets near the time to leave I will ask a passenger for help and most are obliging .

If the layover is shorter then I will ask the assistant to bring me somewhere to buy food before we go to the gate . Usually this is never a problem and since I have 13 or 14 our flights people do understand that you want to buy a snack . If the staff are in a rush I will ask them if there is a café near the gate and once we get to the gate I will either go by myself or ask another passenger who is going to buy something if they would kindly Help me to buy something as well .

Before I go anywhere though I always pack lots of books and other things to keep me busy . I bring along dry snacks especially on the long-haul flights but usually Buy drinks at the airport to take on the plane since I find it easier drinking out of bottles or coffee cups with straws .

And I know several people with disabilities who do complain about the bad service . I'm already paying over 1000 pounds for tickets usually so why should the assistance be so poor ? I believe Heathrow and Gatwick outsource their assistance and few people are trained to actually assist people properly . I know somebody who provides training at airports and when he first offered to train people at one of the airports in the UK they declined .

And yes somebody said bumping off flights . Tiger air Singapore would not even allow passengers with disabilities to fly on their own even if they did not need assistance to the gate . You needed a family member as a carer. I had a massive fight with them at check-in on Christmas Eve because another passenger was willing to be my guardian and the airline still said no . I said well what if someone doesn't have a family member to travel with ??! Thankfully tiger air have changed their policy so now you can fly alone if you notify them within five days of your travel but they make people feel as if They are incapable of even making a decision for themselves .

And on and on and on ....

It's life as a wheelchair user. It's not right or fair but there you go.

I never manage to use trains easily nowadays either

It is their duty to get passengers from check-in to the plane but it is not their duty to not listen or respect the passengers they are assisting that is what I meant by the way when I said the service should be better .

A few months ago somebody made a mistake and connected me on a flight when I said I was stopping in Singapore . I had two separate tickets . I kept trying to tell the assistant that I wanted to go out of the airport and also to cancel the second flight . Nobody listened and in the end they told me I couldn't have assistance to go to immigration . When I got to immigration alone the officer asked me where the assistant was and I said they wouldn't help me because I wasn't connecting flights . Immigration called assistance and the same woman turned up who would not listen to me before . I said I was tired since my flight had arrived at 10 and by the time I reached immigration it was 4 AM and the woman said to me well why didn't you wait for assistance ???? And yes I did complain !!

Airlines and airports are fulfilling their obligations. The trouble is (and I appreciate this is not for you to worry about), with lo cost travel there is less wiggle room with all services. All contractors are paid less and less in order to keep costs down. It keeps ticket prices low, but it is not the best service. And this is true of most carriers, not just like cost, such is the competition for low fares.

shots fired said it much better than me!

TitaniasCloset

They can't provide self-propelling manual wheelchairs because people will steal them - same reason hospitals have such awkward wheelchairs (most now use the ones that you have to wheel backwards...) which is pretty hideous really.

Am sorry you were so shaken by your journey Booboostwo - the breakneck pace passenger assistance use must have been stressful when you'd a five year old trying to keep up. Thing is, as PPs have said, you got exactly the service assistance are meant - and able - to provide. And nobody broke your own wheelchair/you didn't have to bumshuffle or be carried anywhere/you didn't find yourself alone in the baggage hall long after everyone else on your flight had got themselves away home/you didn't almost miss a connecting flight/you didn't have to pass over piles of documents at security to prove you could carry on sharps & extra fluids & controlled substances... (etc etc All Of The Things)

Travelling when you're disabled is HARD. My functional ability varies & I dread having to use my wheelchair even getting around London because more often than not on the train & the tube I have to get other passengers to lift me off because staff haven't shown up. Luckily I'm little, underweight & have a lightweight chair so people are quick to offer to hoik me about the place, or I'd find myself Feck Knows Where... (Let's not get into the buggies vs wheelchairs thing ) You have to work your way round things & plan everything & compensate & compromise. But most of us do that with pretty much everything, to a greater or lesser degree: I buy shoes with Velcro fastenings so I don't have to try to fiddle with laces when my hands don't want to cooperate - and I've developed some seriously freaky abnormal musculature to compensate for bits of me that don't work & to try to Do Things Like Other People. Clearly I can't speak for all people with disabilities - but I've yet to hear about anyone who can just skip through life with all the unthinking ease of a person without disabilities.

There isn't that much interest in making it easier for us either, frankly, because there isn't felt to be that much money in it. We all know shops are, in theory, wheelchair accessible - not so much, and not just the ones excused on grounds of not being able to adapt. Disabled toilets are frequently used as store cupboards &/or kept locked (not with a radar key).

Yes it's the C21 and we should have equal access to services. We don't. We keep fighting. Though we do have the odd other thing on our mind, notably PiP, that really is an utter ableist shit-show inhumane erosion of rights...

Of course I expected to be able to eat and my child to be able to play while I used a wheelchair! The assistant could have left us in the restaurant next to the play area and could have been contactable by phone to get us later.

We did this at H'row. They issued my friend with a pager but we came back before the plane was ready anyway.