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.

I completely understand that faced with a lifetime of this shit one would give up on complaining. I entirely respect that.

I regularly get assistance at Manchester airport. They take you straight to the gate- you ask if they can take you via boots etc or the toilets and they generally will. They won't take you to a restaurant as this would mean coming all the way back to find you to take you to the gate, possibly delaying another person needing assistance. I have had to wait 1 hrs to be picked up for assistance at both Manchester/ barca. Left in a holding area for 1hr20 min at Charles de Gaulle - no toilets or drinks after a 2 he flight, and nearly an hour on a plane with the captain and crew as they couldn't leave me on my own. It is because they don't employ many assistants and if a plane is delayed or they lose a passenger - they wander off etc it slows them down. It is better though than when they didn't provide any help and I wouldn't be able to fly without their help, you just have to be prepared !

I always tip the guys who give me assistance as I know they have a shitty job, over worked and underpaid, plus having to deal with people like OP.

I've thought about it, there were several European airports where I was in the duty free section, I handed them a tip, smiled sweetly and said you couldn't possibly give me a few minutes to get some essentials please, I really need some water and mints. Most say you don't need to tip Ma'am, I always say it's the least I can do for your service.

So if I've needed too I've been able to stop, smaller airports I literally take myself through passport & security, no problems. Apart from the one time I was carrying stoma spray in my w/c pocket. It was too big & security got arsey, but that's their job, I guess, I didn't let it bother me.

There's a guy at B'ham who goes 'weeeeee' whilst he's pushing you, yes he does like to get you there quick. It's a busy airport, there's duty free just by the gates I believe. Never had issues at Manchester or Gatwick either. In fact even if something had happened that would get picked up on OP's radar, I wouldn't notice as these guys/girls are essentially doing you a favour helping you.

You don't pay for the service, so really how can you moan. I'd understand if there was a surcharge, but if I'm the only disabled person on a flight, it's a lot of effort just for me.

I would suggest if you so so badly need to go and browse duty free, take a friend or partner, then you can be fast tracked through passport control / security, you have someone who can get you to the gate.

Yes it's wonderful that Gatwick have these pagers, but in smaller airports is it financially viable? Not only for the pagers, but for the man power to come and meet you. When the likely scenario is they have fewer staff so have to get you to the gate. In a bigger airport ok, but the smaller ones won't have masses of staff.

To me whilst OP is temporarily disabled, crikey that'd be most of our dreams come true. But DD was over there to see someone about a bone condition, so wouldn't it have made sense to sit her on your knee or book assistance for her too.

We can't vilify this guy as I'm pretty sure OP asked oh I need to get a meal for DD and she needs time to unwind in the play area. The guy said sorry it's not possible, so all these complaints came up, going to quick, chatting to colleagues, time wasted in security in which snowflake DD could have had playing in this play area.

When OP is in hospital we'll get another complaint, or bunch of them, as OP pressed her buzzer and nurses continued with their chat about life at home, over coming to her aid immediately. Something won't be to her liking. Maybe this is a good example, she wants to go to the shops and grab a coffee too, but the Drs/Nurses/HCA's won't take her in a wheelchair bastards which is SO against her rights. Isn't that the same scenario, by all means a mobile patient could walk to the shops, she can't, so provisions need to be made, not a crappy trolley with a selection of goods. Costa should deliver to her ward. If the food isn't what she wants, the chef should take a personal order, as if she could walk she could go to the restaurant? That is the same scenario is a different setting.

As someone who is w/c bound & disabled, my life is so consumed with pain and suffering I don't notice, everytime my rights are violated. Like those who go out and get into a hissy fit about people staring and not make a designated lane for that person to travel in. If you notice such things, that are usually a quick glance at best, unless the person is younger then it'll picque their interest more. Is it really the end of the world.

I don't know if the Dr in France told OP what she wanted to hear, if she had PMT when flying, but that's what I would mark this under, is it the end of the world.

I honestly believe these people do a great job in airports, they have KPI's to meet, they're poorly paid. To the poster who said, so I shouldn't be allowed to shop then? The answer is shop away if you can get through the airport yourself, or need assistance just up to the shops, or if you've someone with you who can help. Otherwise no, the person has a specific job, if they can't spare time to push you round shops, or wait whilst you push yourself round shops, you either suck it up and go to the gate, or you say I'll take over from here. You can't complain that someone isn't doing their job when they are. I refer you to the hospital example. If you can't mobilise, you have no visitors, you have the same rights as others to get a decent coffee, plus browse the shops. But you wouldn't expect a Dr/Nurse/HCA to take you down there.

I think there's a chance people wouldn't be so if OP didn't sound so bloody entitled. My daughter deserved to go to the play area as we were here to see a orthopaedic Dr. No your snowflake DD had to go through an examination at worst, Hospitals here don't have play areas for kids that have just been to see a consultant. Some of these children have awful diseases like cancer. I still don't get why you 'had' to go all the way there, if she's so distressed by it. If she needed a treat so badly, why not treat her when you got home?

You'll complain if we tell you that you're crazy for thinking this poor guy was your servant. Hopefully they'll see through we had to wait nearly an hour, I asked a reasonable question and got told no, so I'm complaining so next time you do as I ask. They'll just laugh and think crazy English woman, got herself assistance and made her kid walk behind. Which is another thing if your daughter can't walk that fast, he was likely going at a normal pace, he couldn't afford to slow down as it could have implications on others waiting. What do you expect them to compensate you with?

A little tip if you didn't pick up on it, give the guy €10 and ask that you quickly grab something for your daughter, plus ask him to slow down. He wasn't to know she was anything other than an able bodied child, so the running to catch up wouldn't kill her. If she needs assistance, book her in for it. Or walk through the airport on your stick.

Pay mind to those of us who are permanently disabled and how we have bigger fish to fry.

I am genuinely staggered at so many people taking the side of the airports. These are profit generating entities producing millions of pounds.

In the 2015-16 financial year Machester Airports Group made £778 million pounds. That's £778,000,000.

Why is it an unreasonable ask for a wheelchair assistance programme to provide a service taking passengers from the entrance, to a restaurant, from the restaurant to a soft play area, from the soft play to a toilet, from the toilet to a gate.

Yes it would cost money. Are we all conservatives now? Do we think profits should go into shareholder pockets or invest in a good experience for service users? Could Manchester Airport spend some if the £778,000,000 on that?

People with disabilities are people. All of you calling the OP entitled how would you feel if I told you next time you fly you can't visit the shops, you can't use the loo, no soft play, no meals, nothing. Count yourself lucky you get to your flight on time!

What if I told you men are allowed to access those services but women are expected to bring sandwiches and a potty? Disabled people deserve the same level of access to services as any other person.

Shame on those of you who called the OP entitled. Shame on you for clearing thinking she is a second class citizen because she needs to use a wheelchair.

£778,000,000, record profits. Manchester Airport should be ashamed of the service they provided here.

Youd think the OP advocated beating on people with disabilities rather than had just wanted to take her daughter to soft play, with the treatment she is getting here. Way OTT.

Plus what Bishop said.

People with disabilities are people. All of you calling the OP entitled how would you feel if I told you next time you fly you can't visit the shops, you can't use the loo, no soft play, no meals, nothing. Count yourself lucky you get to your flight on time!

It's happened to me loads of times. I am disabled. I've been booking special assistance for years. It's not perfect, life isn't. But, heck no one died from not being able to buy a cheap bottle of Bombay Sapphire after a week in the sun! My kids have never, ever played in soft play at an airport. I don't think they've missed out on some massive, life changing event have they?

I always arrive at the airport the minute the check in opens. That way we're usually in less of a rush and it gives the assistance people some flexibility with times. I would imagine they do an audit so they have a rough idea of how many personnel they need. It's completely unrealistic to suggest that disabled people are giving their own personal assistants to ferry them around the airport until they board the plane.

I really don't understand why Manchester Airport should be ashamed over this. It happened in Toulouse for a start...

Having to run behind my wheelchair is unacceptable

That is, yes.

Expecting someone to hang around while she plays is and my able-bodied son with able-bodied parents has never played at a play area in an airport. I don't eat at airports generally although I might get a coffee to kill time. But it sounds like you arrived 1.5 hours before, and then had already waited 45 minutes so in all honesty you needed to be at the gate anyway. Don't gates officially close 30 mins before take-off?

Your gripe is the 45 min wait at the outset and the silly speed of walking.

We haven't had issues of rudeness, but more than 50% of the time, when we check in, they say there is no note about us requiring wheelchair passenger assistance and the Ambilift, despite us always ticking this box when booking online, and making at least one, very long phone call to the "Special Assistance" number which concludes with us emailing them a scanned doctor's letter. Luckily this has never caused serious issues, however it does increase the already high level of stress involved in flying with a high needs family member and their medical medical supplies.

I also always check if we need to inform the return departure airport and I am told no, it is now against my booking and alerts the return departure airport, - only to sometimes be told when we check in to return home that we should have notified them separately and they have no record.

I now just inform everybody possible but it hasn't made a discernible difference to our strike rate.

Okay, I got which airport it was wrong. My point stands. Do I need to look up Toulouse's profits as well?

If you want someone to take you around all the shops etc then you sort a carer. Just like you would have to do anywhere else if you needed the assistance to do so. The service provided by airports isn't a shopping service it's a get you onto the plane service

I think people are shocked at the OP's assumption that the staff were there to make her journey pleasant when she doesn't have enough experience to realise that they are there to ensure the airport runs smoothly, so she made assumptions that were proven to be wrong. Whereas there are disabled people used to not even being able to get on the plane, let alone have time to pick up some water www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/20/ryanair-flight-takes-off-without-passenger-in-wheelchair-dublin

It's not helped by the weird idea that some people have that disabled people get everyday special treatment that they don't.

At least that service was available to OP the day she flew. I flew home on a Sunday 3 weeks ago from Toulouse and there was no assistance available at all. Luckily DD2 could wheel me in the chair.

I am in two minds about this, but I will share a story from about five years ago.

I was working at a tube station under a London Terminal (I won't say where) and it'seems TfL policy to assist visually impaired persons (VIPs) throughout their journey, because it can be a very dangerous place if your vision is depleted in any way. I assisted a VIP female from the tube train and took her to the mainline station. There was four members of staff on the gates. I had already established from my customer what her NR destination was, and asked the gentlemen to help her to the train. One of them asked if she had booked assistance. My customer said no, because this journey was spontaneous, she needed to get to her very ill father who had basically hours to live. So the NR man said he couldn't help her. I found this ridiculous, so I asked the other three for help. They said no, it wasn't booked so none of them are authorised to assist. Fuck that. So I asked if I could take her to her train. No, because I work for the Tube and I don't have a ticket. (Railway politics, private vs public ownership). In the meantime my customer is getting more and more upset, and begins to cry.

So I take her to the ticket office, buy a platform ticket, and use it in the wide barrier, getting us both through at the same time. The four members of staff remain standing there, doing absolutely nothing. I read the departure screens, and put her on the right train, but not without giving her a hug and a tissue before she embarks.

It's different in an airport, I grant you, and maybe the OP did sound a bit entitled, but when you have a disability, it takes extra effort to complete some tasks in life, and it makes you tough. You may come off as rude, or whinging, but every case is different.

RhiWrites ...the airports. These are profit generating entities producing millions of pounds.

• Yes, that's why they exist. They aren't charitable organisations run for the benefit of enabling us to see more of the world.

In the 2015-16 financial year Machester Airports Group made £778 million pounds. That's £778,000,000.

Do we think profits should go into shareholder pockets

• I imagine the Shareholders* of any commercial company think exactly that, yes (*most of which are the insurance and pension companies that are investing your contributions so as to pay your pension later on, btw. Good investments = better pensions)

Could Manchester Airport spend some if the £778,000,000 on that?

• Yes they [any commercial entity] could. If that is what the Shareholders voted for. But they don't.

Buy shares, attend AGMs, get involved if it heats you up this much. But just saying that a commercial company should voluntarily dent its own profits to offer custom wheelchair services 24/7/365 is ridiculous. What would be the next service you think they "should" offer - complimentary foot rubs, as a pp says?

TitaniasCloset
No worries - it's not exactly something you'd think about if you didn't have to... what I find particularly objectionable is that it's not even Desperate People Stealing Wheelchairs, people nick them because they think it's funny. And apparently don't think they're worth hundreds of pounds (even cheap ones) and the lack of one leaves some people totally unable to get around. Ugh. Humans.

hellokittymania
Definitely The Done Thing to tip assistance in the States. I saw another passenger do it on my first transfer so copied but my friend tipped the guy who delivered me to her (as it were) & apparently you tip pretty big for trundling someone about the place. Or maybe you work it out by size of airport &/or how tired assistance person seems (tbh was worried I might have to find chair for him, he sounded in a bad way behind me...) - I didn't really like to ask

RhiWrites
Did you not notice how many of us saying OP's expectations were too high were doing so because we are experienced users of airport assistance due to our own disabilities? So plenty of us have experienced the picture you paint (right down to practically being thrown into the plane by the assistance man at Gatwick on one memorable occasion...) & indeed worse.

It would indeed be lovely if airports spent more on improving the experience of people with disabilities. However, as I noted in my earlier post, businesses really aren't interested in doing that, because they don't see any money in it. They are acting within the law, so...

zebra our local Tesco store has to have the "firefly" trolleys (the ones adadpted for people with mobility problems) locked up because people were stealing them. you do have to wonder what goes through people's minds sometimes!

I think a lot of people who have responded are either disabled or having experience with this. If OP said OK I'm being a bit OTT expecting my child to go to soft play, but grabbing a bite to eat would have been nice, i.e. accepting her expectations were a bit off, then she'd get more sympathy.

The fact OP is temporarily impaired, plus the entitlement winds people up as we live this day in day out with no concessions.

The fact remains OP was annoyed at a few things which are par for the course, but with heightened anger she picked out other things which again aren't really the guys fault. He has an important job at low pay. If he's delayed at all, it could delay a flight, costing the airport and other airports lots of money.

Heathen tthat was really lovely of you

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. SuperDabdy
Why shouldn't I be shocked at crap service? Should I be delighted? And I did not become indignant on behalf of anyone, I thought it was unacceptable to call anyone who needs assistance for a service which they are legally entitled to, entitled for complaining because they did not get what they should have gotten.

You have experienced horrendous disablism. IfICanDream Reading my posts may help you understand this point but here goes again: my experience at the airport was shoddy; claims on this thread that wheelchair users should be grateful for what they get and that they are entitled when they expect their rights to be met are disablist.

FairyTales You win the prize for the most unpleasant posts on the thread and for the silliest assumptions. My DD weighs 22 kilos, I am in a lot of pain and there is no way she could sit on my knee. Calling her a brat in the making is unacceptable. We did not have an appointment in Toulouse, we live in Toulouse, our appointment is in Sheffield and we have to pay privately for her care.

Once again it is not an entitlement to expect the assistance set out in the legislation and in the code of practice. It may be unrealistic but it is not entitled.

Which legislation says they have to provide a shopping and dining service?

I have to say I have only had good experience at Manchester since becoming a wheelchair user. We have been prioritised at every queue (almost embarrassingly so) and always treated well. DH has even joked he is going to start taking me on his business trips just to get through the check ins more easily.

Heathen I wonder if you work at Kings Cross. We (DH and four offspring) once had a fab weekend in London and were refused entry to the platform because there was no assistance to get on the train. We argued that I was perfectly happy and capable to get out of my wheelchair and jump on the train but they were having none of it. And while we argued loads of other people went through the gate and the train pulled out and we had to wait another hour for the next one.

It took the shine off our weekend slightly, to have to deal with such petty unhelpfulness, and I have to say, I very much felt the woman at the gate was getting off on her little bit of power. I wish I had complained really.

I think the problem here is that you're expecting the service to be more than it is. The service is designed to get you from check in to your flight if you are unable to walk that distance or use your own chair. It's an EU-regulated service and those are the requirements - anything else that an airport may offer is above and beyond. It's not designed to take you round duty free or to get meals or whatever. If there's time once you get through security, you're able to do these things but that would usually be by yourself not with the assistance - the assistance is only required to help you to the toilet so again, anything else would be above and beyond.

(To be honest most wheelchair users would bring their own chair to the door of the plane - my mum is in a wheelchair full time and this is what she's always done.)

However, your wait was excessive (though I believe 45mins is around the max allowed within the guidelines) and it sounds like he was terribly rude and making your daughter run was not appropriate at all so YANBU to make a complaint. Just make sure you're not complaining about things that are outside the remit of the service because that won't get you anywhere unfortunately and will only negate the valid aspects of your complaint.

Your heart is in the right place OP and you're not wrong to rail against the inequalities disabled people face on a daily basis but as someone who cares for a disabled person, it's frustrating that able-bodied people only seem to take notice when they're personally impacted. And this is such a non-issue in comparison with so many other things - I guess I can't help but wish you'd use your energies on one of those!

If you want to improve services for disabled air passengers, you'll need to lobby your MEP, I guess - not that it will be possible for much longer!

sirzy
I'd not heard of the Firefly trolleys - they look fantastic, what a brilliant idea! And how sadly predictable some revolting articles would steal them. The trolleys suitable for wheelchair users have a propensity for going walkies (wheelies?) as well, apparently, which when there are so few to start with is an utter mare.

TinklyLittleLaugh
The privileges are few. Embrace them.