Air travel & mobility issues About This Page:

[Eeyore Tattoo]

Did you know you can ask to be boarded first & also sit closer to the front by talking to the special services person with the airline?
I only learned that last year...
It sure helped me to not have to try to get far down that small isle & trip over people & things.
I was also closer to the "ladies room" enough said

[Disney4us2]

Thanks for the tip. Were you traveling alone? I will be traveling with my DD. What if all the seats are full? I guess I would just have to use my assigned seats. I will be bringing my rollator, do they gate check it?

[Eeyore Tattoo]

I traveled once alone, other the times with my DH.
The airline holds 6 to 8 seats for special needs or other people up until
a few days before the flight, If they don't have a need for them they are released to general sales. But you must speak to the airline rep to get what you need..

[iamgrumpy]

That is great to know! I know with Southwest since seats aren't assigned those in wheelchairs/scooters or who have a blue pre board sleeve can preboard before A Group but must have a medical need to do so!

[Ranger One]

When I flew in December I had a walking cast on my foot due to stress fractures in my leg. I phoned the airline a week before I was due to fly and arranged with them to get pre-boarding status. I could have actually gotten a wheelchair for use in the airport but I was able to make my way through the airport sufficiently on my own with my cast but having the ability to pre-board the flight was fantastic. I was the second person, along with my mom who was travelling with me, to board. There was one other person and their family who pre-boarded because they were in a wheelchair. We got to get on the plane before the executive class and all the families with small children. It made it so much easier for me to make it down the narrow aisle with my cast and it allowed me to get settled in my seat without having to climb over everyone in the aisle with a 10 lbs cast on my foot.

If you need it, definitely look into pre-boarding with your airline.

[Disney4us2]

What about Delta or United? I would be flying one of those since they have the direct red eye to MCO. I know I could pre board, but what about those "special" seats?

[Eeyore Tattoo]

Originally Posted by Disney4us2

What about Delta or United? I would be flying one of those since they have the direct red eye to MCO. I know I could pre board, but what about those "special" seats?

I am sure they will do the same, You need to call the airline and speak to them with your issues..

[Disney4us2]

Originally Posted by Eeyore Tattoo

I am sure they will do the same, You need to call the airline and speak to them with your issues..

Thanks for the info.... good to know

[Ranger One]

Originally Posted by Disney4us2

What about Delta or United? I would be flying one of those since they have the direct red eye to MCO. I know I could pre board, but what about those "special" seats?

I pulled this information off the United Airlines site for you. Not sure what your exact needs would be.

Aircraft accommodations
United has several features to accommodate people with limited mobility, including:
Selected seats with movable armrests, so customers using wheelchairs can more easily transfer from an aisle into their seats.

A specially designed onboard wheelchair for use in flight. The wheelchair is used to move about the cabin and go to and from the lavatory. The passenger sits in a regular aircraft seat during flight.

On some aircraft, a lavatory with an extra-wide door and low threshold, heavy-duty assist bars and other design features make it more convenient for customers with disabilities.

Reservations personnel will be happy to provide you with additional information. United Airlines will keep working to make air travel more convenient, comfortable, and pleasant-in the air and on the ground-for all of our passengers.

Mobility assistance
Airport and flight connections assistance
United will provide in-airport wheelchair service at no charge to passengers with mobility impairments or other disabilities. This service is intended to assist passengers in moving through the airport to reach a gate area. Wheelchair attendants are able to assist semi-ambulatory customers in getting to and from the aircraft seat during boarding and disembarkation. They may also provide assistance in getting passengers to an airport lavatory, but they cannot provide any assistance within the lavatory.

In-flight assistance
Every United aircraft and gate area has available a specially designed wheelchair for mobility-impaired customers to use. These wheelchairs are referred to as "aisle chairs" because they fit in the aisles of our aircraft and may be used to move about the cabin.

Once passengers are onboard the aircraft, our flight attendants can help with stowing and retrieving carry-on items, as well as providing wheelchair assistance to move passengers to and from the aircraft lavatory (although they cannot provide assistance inside the lavatory). Flight attendants may also provide assistance with taking oral medication, identifying food items on meal trays and opening packages.

While United flight attendants are able to provide some types of assistance, as described above, they are not able to provide continuous personal assistance onboard the aircraft. Flight attendants are not permitted to carry or lift customers, provide medical services such as giving injections, or assist with eating or personal hygiene.

United requires any passenger who has any of the limitations listed below to travel with a companion who is able to provide necessary assistance. These limitations include:

needing personal or continuous attending care
being unable to follow safety instructions from our personnel
having a mobility impairment that would prevent the person from being able to assist in his or her own evacuation of the aircraft in the event of an emergency
A companion who is traveling for the purpose of assisting another passenger must book a ticket for travel on the same flight as the person needing care.

Wheelchairs
Using United's wheelchair service
Every airport United serves has wheelchairs available, and virtually all of the cities we serve have jet bridges or special equipment to board customers who cannot climb stairs. Also, airports have narrow aisle wheelchairs for customers who require them to reach their seat in the airplane. Our reservations personnel can help you with information and order a wheelchair for points of departure, connection and destination. When you request a wheelchair, we need to know if you are able to walk without assistance and how far, and if you can ascend and descend stairs without assistance. You can request a wheelchair by calling 1-800-241-6522 and selecting the "reservations" option.

United will check your personal wheelchair free of charge along with luggage. Battery-powered wheelchairs—with dry cell, wet cell, gel cell, or non-spillable electric storage batteries—are acceptable, but certain safety procedures must be followed in preparing the wheelchair for carriage. Reservations personnel will be happy to answer any specific questions.

If you use United's wheelchair service, we will provide an attendant at no charge to assist you in moving through the airport. This service is intended to assist passengers in moving to or from the gate area or the plane. Wheelchair attendants may provide assistance in getting passengers to an airport lavatory but cannot provide any assistance within the lavatory. If an attendant is not wanted, we will, where possible, provide you with a United wheelchair for independent use. You may be required to leave your driver's license as security until the wheelchair is returned.

Using your own wheelchair
We are happy to accommodate customers who prefer to use their own wheelchairs to and from the gate area. You may check your wheelchair at the gate and also request to use it between flights, during lengthy layovers. Where the connecting time between flights is short, you may prefer to use United's wheelchair service to expedite transportation to the connecting flight.

A collapsible wheelchair can be stored in the aircraft cabin. Please note cabin storage space is limited and does vary by aircraft type. So when you arrive at the gate be sure to tell the gate agent. The agent can advise you about stowage options for your flight and ensure that the proper tag is placed on your wheelchair. United's baggage personnel need the tag so they know to bring you the wheelchair to the arrival gate when you are departing the terminal, or to bring it within the terminal during layovers between flights. Although United employees will make every effort to deliver the wheelchair to the gate promptly, the facilities at the particular airport may slow this process and require some patience.

If you need extra time at the gate to board, you will usually have the opportunity to "pre-board" prior to others in order to be safely and comfortably seated. If you use your own wheelchair at the gate, you may wish to check in and board early so United personnel can prepare and load your wheelchair.

Airport wheelchairs are in great demand during certain travel periods. Our airport personnel will appreciate your patience if you must wait a few minutes for a chair. If you have any questions, concerns or special requests, please contact a United Complaints Resolution Official (CRO) located at any United airport location.

[PamelaK]

Thanks for that great information. I'm sure it will help someone out very much!

[SueM loves WDW]

You can also request preboarding with a disability at the gate before boarding begins.
Even if you have requested it before, we always talk to the agent at the gate about it - sometimes they forget, so be prepared to remind them that you need it and be listening for them to announce (we travel twice a year with a child with a wheelchair and they do sometimes forget and sometimes start boarding without calling for preboarding).

Depending in the size of the plane, you could be preboarding as much as one hour before takeoff. Some people find that works well for them, but others would rather not be on the place that long.
So, time matters for you, you may want to ask the gate agent how long before you will be boarding.

The bulkhead seats are the ones at the front of the plane (or the front of the economy/standard class). Depending on the plane, there may be a wall in front of you and sometimes it will be a curtain and the back of the First Class seats. There will sometimes be a bin to put some of your belongings (that would normally go under the seat in front of you) and more often there will be only the small pocket that holds the airline magazines and safety information.
This is a picture of an aisle chair for people who can't walk or be carried on board. Aisle chairs are narrow enough to fit down the aisle.

The airline personnel will help to lift the person onto the chair and then the belts are fastened to secure the person into the chair. Airline personnel take care of taking the chair into the plane and transferring the person to the seat.

Wheelchairs, special needs strollers, walkers, etc. can be checked at the gate and will be brought back to the gate (unless you instruct them to be delivered somewhere else). Power wheelchairs and ECVs should be able to be gate checked, but depending on the airport, they may need to be checked earlier because they can't be carried down the steps from the gate to the baggage area of the plane. Mobility devices are carried free of charge and do not count toward the bag count for the person.
We always gate check our daughter's wheelchair. Sometimes they will give us a gate check tag right away when we check in and sometimes we are told to ask at the gate. If you have a connecting flight to make, it's important to keep in mind how long you have between connections. If the time is long, you may want your mobility device back at the end of the first flight. If it's short, there may not be enough time.

This is a good link to a summary about air travel rights for people with disabilities.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Interesting info!

[Teresa]

We've always pre-boarded with DD Samantha. As a disabled passenger, she gets to board ahead of everyone else.
We usually try to make sure we just have seats near the front of the plane, but if that doesn't work, the desk staff will be happy to ask people if they'd like to move. Some will, and some won't. Just depends.

You can also ask for an "Aisle chair", a thin wheelchair type thing that can transport the disabled passenger down the aisle.
Boarding early gives you the ability to get on, get settled, get a wheelchair loaded if you have one, and store all those medical supplies that have to be carried on.

Glad you found out about this! It makes traveling so much easier!

[Her Dotness]

One thing that walking disabled people may not know is that smaller airports that have commuter plane flights to larger hubs may allow you to stand on the lift that takes you up to the top of stairs into the plane.

DH was asked when we first flew this way if he'd rather be seated in a wheelchair or preferred to stand on the lift. He'd figured he'd have to remain in a wheelchair for safety reasons but was told he might simply stand if he'd rather.

This may differ from airport to airport, however, but it never hurts to ask.