To ask how airport assistance works

[BorneBackCeaselesslyIntoThePas]

I get that they drive you to your gate. But what about baggage drop, security and passport control?

do they drop you off at these points and then pick up up again? Or do they have a special route?

as you can guess we’ve never had to use AA before, but standing for long periods is now a problem

My friend had special assistance at Bristol airport when she broke her knee.
They met her at the drop and go with a wheelchair (think she had to call via a help point) then wheeled her in to the building, to a special check in desk where they dealt with the luggage.
She was taken through the speedy security area and then kept in a separated area post security where they then used a lift to board her onto the plane.
it was all very slick. Essentially the same person was with her from drop off until she was parked up in the special area post security.

My mum used special assistance at Bristol on multiple occasions - she could get up the stairs to the plane very slowly by herself so didn‘t need a lift, but she did need the wheelchair to get to the gate and back.
It generally worked well until the one time it didn‘t: flight back into Bristol late at night, two people had registered assistance but there was only one wheelchair present. The other person had her family there and they basically insisted their relative got the wheelchair, leaving my mum without. Since it was late at night the staff wanted to get home, so basically forced my mum to walk slowly back to Arrivals with a helper on each arm (instead of waiting with her at the gate for the chair to be brought back ) . It was very stressful and strenuous for her, and she could easily have had a heart attack (since serious cardiac issues were why she needed the wheelchair in the first place). I was furious when I found out. I‘ve heard of other occasions when wheelchair users who don‘t have any mobility have been left on the plane - it’s shocking! The motto, sadly , is that airport assistance isn’t 100% reliable.

It's organised by the airport, not the airline, and may be different in different places. But every time we've used it you check in / baggage drop by yourself as usual and then go the special assistance waiting area. They pick you up from there and take you through security and passport control, then to the gate and on to the plane. Sometimes they have special routes through security and sometimes they just escort you through normally, but either way you don't need to worry.

It varies a lot depending on airport size and setup along with assistance needs.

my advice -

leave lots of extra time
pack snacks with you
if there’s an opportunity to use the loo, do
be assertive about what you need from the system
be kind to individual staff

Which airport? Can recommend LCY and LGW. STN were good except one time we got to the gate and no one came to load us. Flying Ryanair that time too so it was grim.

Also, the service at airports the other end can vary too. Avoid airports that are in proximity of cruise terminals, they can be very busy for SA and you can be left waiting or things can be very rushed.

thank you all for the helpful information

btw, we are flying from Birmingham because it was the only place to get the dates/times we wanted (I know there’s a whole debate around getting there early or leaving late because that ‘gives you an extra day’ - of being tired and wandering around dressed for travelling) But we like to arive, relax and leave, and BHX was the only way to do thix

thank you again

My late husband and I flew from BHX one time and assistance there was good, I recall.