Flying to oz, need assistance at the airports

[lifesabitchandthenyoudie]

Hope this is the right place to post. I'm looking at flights to Australia and they're all different companies from what I've used before when flying to other parts of the world. I have ME/CFS and have had wheelchair assistance in all the airports before, from entry to exit. It seems that all the carriers to the east want proof, or medical forms completed in triplicate by your 'medical professional' etc.

Is this as onerous as it looks? I've always just asked for it and got it, never had to 'prove' my illness or get a doctor to sign a form. With my condition I don't 'look' disabled and have only just been officially diagnosed. I haven't got any 'proof' such as a blue badge, any benefits etc. I can walk etc but I can't do airports, I would be crippled within the next few days.

What are people's experiences, with different carriers? Can you just ask for it via the airports? Is there an easier way?
Thank you

I’d think if you’d been diagnosed then whoever did the diagnosis could produce the necessary letter maybe for a few quid? I imagine that route is well travelled by loads of people who need additional assistance on their journeys. Might be worth paying for a carrier who has a good rep for adjustments, I’d imagine BA, Qantas and AirNZ would be decent as they all operate out of jurisdictions with decent disability discrimination laws. Etihad/ Emirates …. Probably not so much :/

I've been to Aus with BA a few years ago and wasn't asked for proof. Seems odd to me.

Also been on many, many European flights since 2005 when I had my first accident and Easyjet, BA, Swiss and Lufthansa have also not asked for proof. I've just been asked to book the wheelchair service in advance. I've booked flights at hours' notice and would struggle to get a doctor's letter on a Saturday morning for a Saturday afternoon flight!

Bristol is the worst airport I've been through for wheelchair services btw!

I have paperwork for my NHS wheelchair loan so I just submit that when blue badge or PIP award isn't accepted.

I don't actually use the (manual) NHS chair much as I bough an electric one, but proof that the NHS deem me in need of a wheelchair has been invaluable.

Bristol is the worst airport I've been through for wheelchair services btw!

Oh god really?

Thanks for the input guys.

Cost is also an issue so haven't looked at BA as they seem pricey... Quantas look good but I have to call them I can't chat or email; Sri Lankan airlines need this form: https://www.srilankan.com/Download/medical-information-form.pdf
Singapore, which has just won the award for best airline, also has a shit website and a very vague form that doesn't seem relevant. All the others seem to need this form or something similar... it's a bloody nuisance!

Are you sure this is the correct form? It looks like one that would maybe be completed for someone travelling whilst sick ie a flight home having been in hospital.

When booking any flights I’ve just asked for airport assistance and have never needed any kind of proof. Plenty of people do who have mobility restrictions ie the elderly.

@MatildaTheCat I went on their chat and she said it is! Apparently it's because I'm under 65 and 'not travelling on one plane from start to finish and not to/from the USA'. Other sites seem to have this sort of condition too. I think all the relevant info is on the second page; but yeah it definitely looks set up for people who have become ill!

Could I just arrange it with the airports?

www.srilankan.com/en_uk/flying-with-us/disability-assistance-request

It's an online form you just tick what you need. They seem fairly decent when I used them (full disclosure, I do not have a disability but I saw them helping multiple customers)

www.srilankan.com/en_uk/Corporate/faq-details?type=14

You can add any other situation here

@gogomoto thank you, so I don't need to get a doctor's input or evidence?

Airline employee here. That’s an INCAD form which is used for two purposes: to determine if someone is fit enough to fly and also for those that need special handling on board (incapacitated passenger who may need to be carried to the toilet, etc), You don’t need that. You just need an SR remark in your booking for a WCHR (wheelchair assistance got a passenger who can climb stairs) or WCHS if you absolutely cannot climb stairs, even very slowly. I don’t work for Qantas so cannot help with that part.

Don’t wish to derail the thread, but want to say have always found the wheelchair/ special assistance team at Bristol Airport to be friendly , polite and helpful.

That's reassuring. I'm booked to fly from Bristol in early 2024. I always have to be talked down from thinking a flight is a good time to go crutch- only (which would be a complete disaster in reality) because I worry about special assistance.

Happy to help, @JeandeServiette.
( and if by any chance you’re flying to Larnaca airport , the team there are outstanding ! )🥇.

I'm not this time but I would absolutely love to see Cyprus again. You've cheered me up there.

@AirlineEmployee that's great thank you! Apologies can I ask what SR stands for? So I imagine I just add that as a comment/email them after to get that added?
@JeandeServiette go for the extra assistance! I don't even need a crutch in normal life but will get very ill if I overdo it. I got the assistance last time I went away and it was a total game-changer. I had very little exhaustion after, compared to previous attempts. Plus everyone was lovely and very professional.

Ok. Now I'm scaring myself by reading reviews. None of them seem very consistent either way (good or bad). Is it really worth paying a bit more for a 'better' airline, or shall I just go cheap and hope for the best? Malaysian Airlines seem the cheapest, and they have good and bad reviews, but I can pay 3 or 400 more and get a range of others - but their reviews are very similar! I don't really care about in-flight service, just about how they will look after you in the airports and changes, and handle any issues that crop up.

@lifesabitchandthenyoudie

To be honest I've been to Colombo airport a few times and I'm not sure it's a poster child for an international airport, it's perfectly functional but I don't have any impairments. As a carrier vice asked a friend who said their mother uses Sri Lankan assistance but that's point to point. Getting you off the plane and onto the next isn't something they have done. If the price isn't too different I would want to hub at a major interchange used to onward flights myself

I think for transit purposes the assistance you get will be more airport dependent than airline dependent. Hope you get flights that work out for you.

My mother's experience requesting special assistance her last couple of trips has been variable, some long frustrating waits at times. But it has made a real difference to her managing (she's on her way back from Australia next week for the final time having sold the family home at last).

I would travel through one of the big airports with a major airline. Singapore is a fantastic airport. Dubai, Abu dahabi and Qatar are well organised too. I've had good experiences through Bangkok as well.