Another travel rant; gate-checking pushchairs

[KateandtheGirls]

Great idea, right? You get to keep the buggy right up until the moment you get on the plane, and then when you get off the plane it's right there waiting for you.

At least that's always been the way it worked until our recent flights with British Airways. I took the buggy to the gate, but when I got off the other end in Gatwick they told me I had to collect it at baggage claim.

So there I was, by myself, at 7am after an 8 hour overnight flight, with a sleepy 4 year old and a tantrum-throwing 2 year old who'd just had to be woken after 3 hours sleep, not to mention trying to carry a car seat and a carry on bag, battling my way through immigration at Gatwick airport WITH NO PUSHCHAIR. Not fun.

And it was just the same when we arrived back in Florida.

Is it just British Airways who does this? And why?

[lou33]

I don't mind people asking outright Easy, saves a lot of guesswork . Dh has been, I haven't. I was supposed to go with him but found out I was pg with dd1.

Has anyone seen Twink about? She said she had relatives there I believe, I would like to email her.

[Easy]

Hijacking this thread ...

Have you been before?
You may find that the Thai people take a close (and kindly) interest in ds. It is a society where there are not many disabled people out in the community. They are quite likely to help with stairs and thing, but don't be surprised if they ask outright what is wrong with him. They don't intend to offend

[Easy]

Oh, and check with the steward/ess as you board the plane that they know about arrangements for your arrival. She may well ask the pilot to radio ahead to confirm what you need will be there as you land.

B.A. Always did this for me

[lou33]

Thailand.

[Easy]

Lou, I don't think a quick call to the desk a couple of days before you go can do any harm, just to check that they haven't lost the details.

If you have any problems when you check-in, I find that being smiley, apologetic, and insisting that you 'just can't manage without that assistance' usually works. It's tempting, but makes life harder if you get militant or unpleasant.

Where are you going, somewhere nice?

[lou33]

Cheers Easy, I have spoken to the airline directly, who were v helpful, and they said they had booked disabled assistance right through, including transfres, but do you think I need to call the desk as well a day or two before we leave? I'm just worried because these things aleays seem to go wrong, despite doing everything right iyswim.

[Easy]

LOU, who are you travelling with? Contact the airline in advance, make sure you stress your ds's disability, that he needs HIS wheelchair (otherwise they may try to make you use a general airport one around the airport, and check his in).

Contact me if I can be of help with arrangements (done it sooooo often).

[Easy]

As one who is disabled and ALWAYS request assistance at airports, try this.

1. f you have booked thru a travel agent, ask the agent to clarify with the airline what their policy is. If the policy is to check-in your buggy with luggage ask whether they have a buggy or some such you can use between checkin and the gate, or some other assistance with your children. Get any promises in writing from your travel agent, and Be prepared to stand your ground at check-in (and don't be late).
   
   
2. If you have not used a travel agent, phone the airline desk at your airport of departure, ask about the policy, ask for help if you have to check the buggy in. Whatever is promised, ask for the name of the person you are talking to, make sure they know what flight you are on, and who you are. Be prepared to stand your ground at check-in.
   
   Also, ask when you check-in how you arrange for similar facilities for your return flight. Get any arrangements confirmed, and make sure they know your return flight number and name.
   
   My exp. of BA is they are helpful if they are pre-warned of your needs, but just can't magic any assistance up if you surprise them. The airlines are all trying to treat us like cattle atm, and we have to stand our ground and not let them.
   
   Oh, and after watching the programmes on the telly, I wouldn't EVER travel with easyjet, they just seem to treat customers like MUCK.

[blossom2]

We're flying with Ryanair & taking our buggy.

does anyone have any experiences ??

[lou33]

Cheers FD

[Azure]

I think it depends on the crew, the class you travel and how busy the plane is. I've flown three times with DS (2 BA, 1 BMI) and the only time the buggy has been waiting by the door was when I flew business class to the States and they put it in the wardrobe. By the envious looks of the other people flying with children (in economy) I gather they didn't do it for everyone.

[fairydust]

lou you need a letter from your doctor starting your ds has cp that way they can't not get his wheel chair there for you -

we had this trouble last yr on the way out to malaga they didn't provide us with assistance as we didn't have a letter proving dd's condition we phoned dd doctor once there and he faxed us one and it was all plane sailing on the way home.

we'd also prebooked assistant at the travel agent before going but that didn;'t make a difference

HTH

[lou33]

I haven't yet, I've been a bit snowed under by things, but we aren't going until end of Nov, so will get onto it soon. Thanks for your help btw.

[Galaxy]

message withdrawn

[lou33]

Lunar, the airline said they have organised disabled assistance for us all the way through, but I'm starting to worry now, after reading all these posts!

[LunarSea]

I've known BA to not only not have the buggy when you get back to the gate, but insist you check it in with your bags so you don't even have it to get to the gate. And to add insult to injury by charge you excess baggage for having the temerity to have a buggy at all, pointing out that their t's & c's only say that it will "usually" be carried f.o.c. Thank goodness ds is big enough to not really need it now.

Lou33 - I'd insist on one of those noisy golf-cart things if they can't get the wheelchair to the door.

[lou33]

Please tell me it will be different with ds2's wheelchair! The airline told me it is stored in the plane and not the hold, but now I am getting worried at having to carry him, and deal with 3 other tired ones, plus hand luggage and a dh with a fear of flying!

[Blackduck]

Easyjet made us check it in to the hold, but when we went to Turkey with Sunsail you took it to the gate, and it was on the tarmac at the bottom of the stairs when you got off the plane! Agree with everyone here, why can't all airlines do it the same way! And it p*sses me off even more when they make you check your buggy cos its 'too big' and then half the passangers on the plane are carrying 'hand luggage' the size of a family suitcase!

[LIZS]

easyjet did this once to us at Gatwick - we arrived at 11.00pm with sleepy 4 yo and 1 year old. We had to carry both of them miles through to baggage hall, not sure what would have happened had I been on my own with them. However I was under ther impression that this was BAA policy rather than individual airlines.

[StickyNote]

Have to say I always flew British Airways to and from South Africa because they DID let me have my pushchair at the door, sometimes from the cabin, other times from the hold. Virgin didn't, which was why I only flew with them once.

Sounds as if it depends on the crew/airport which is no help whatsoever when planning a trip.

[bloss]

Message withdrawn

[Linnet]

Maretta, where did you fly to with BA that they put the buggy in the overhead locker? Was it an International flight or an inland British flight?

I don't like British Airways and I try not to fly with them if I can possibly help it because of what happend to us one time we flew with them. I posted this on another thread here but we flew with BA once Glasgow to London and back again and we were told, on the London to GLasgow flight that we could keep dd's buggy( she was 1 at the time) with us up to the gate and that they would put it in the wardrobe? on the plane with us not in the hold. This didn't happen though, we got to the plane and they told us it had to go in the hold, when we pointed out what we'd been told at check in the air steward said that information was wrong. While she was telling us this a little girl with a dolls pram, yes a dolls pram with a teddy in it was entering the plane and her dolls pram was put in an empty aisle not in the hold. I pointed this out but was still told that our buggy had to go in the hold but that they would make sure we got it back straight away when we landed in Glasgow. This did happen but I think it was just because we made so much fuss. They also wouldn't let us put the Kilts that we had with us in the overhead lockers they also had to go in the hold, although they had been in the overhead lockers on the way down! we'd been at a wedding in London and the whole weekend was spoilt by this experience.

Sorry rant over didn't mean to go on and on about it.

[Grizzly]

On a recent trip to Malaga from East Midlands the buggy was collected at the gate on departure, went in the hold and was delivered with the baggage on landing. It's an awful long way from gate to baggage reclaim in Malaga. Fortunately not a long flight and there were two of us - dh carried ds who was a hefty 7 month old at the time.

[Yorkiegirl]

Message withdrawn

[mckenzie]

we flew with Easyjet in Marcha dn took the pushchair to the plane in Lyon coming home and when we landed at Stansted we could see the pushchair, on the tarmac not 20 feet from where we were standing but on the other side of the plane. We asked if we could have ti and were told 'No, collect it with your baggage'!! It was about 9pm but luckily there were 2 of us and DS had slept for ages in the afternoon and so wasn't tired and grumpy. But honestly, how was that for jobsworth. To make it worse, when we got to the baggage reclaim the pushchair never appeared and we were told it must have been left in Lyon. I told the chap that we'd seen it on the tarmac at Stansted and he made a phone call and came back with 'it must have been left in Lyon'.
Never mind, when we got it back eventually it was so badly damaged that they had to give us a brand new one!