Wheelchair information
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Jasper Kelly Friday 9 July 2010 |
I was interested in the responses to my colleague Kayte Platt's article Traveling with my Aunt about wheelchair users and the pitfalls of travel for the disabled.
I mentioned this article to my contact at the CAA and he gave me the following advice which I thought it might be useful to repeat here.
Airlines must carry your mobility equipment free of charge. You must tell the airline when you book and give them details of your wheelchair or scooter.
Because aircraft seating has to meet air safety regulations, you cannot take your own wheelchair into the passenger cabin and it will be stored in the hold.
Wherever possible you should be able to stay in your own wheelchair until you reach the side of the plane. You will then need to transfer into a boarding chair. The point at which you will have to change chairs will depend on what facilities and equipment are available at the airport.
If there is an air-bridge or tunnel, you should be able to stay in your own wheelchair right to the aircraft door. If the plane is parked away from the terminal, you will probably have to transfer into a boarding chair at the departure gate.
You should be aware that powered wheelchairs or scooters, which may need to be packed in a specific way, do present certain problems for airlines.
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Christine King, Luton 9 July 2010, 06:45AM | |
| I am not a wheelchair user but I do have limited mobility. I have noticed that airlines often ask me for proof of need if I ask for a seat with extra legroom. Sadly, some able bodied people try it on and this makes it harder for those of us that actually need the facility. | |
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Brenda Lay, Brighton 9 July 2010, 06:53AM | |
| On the topic of "did you know?" - I discovered recently that airlines are entitled to refuse travel to disabled passengers traveling without a companion. The rule is that a disabled passenger must be self-sufficient. This is obviously common sense but the difficulty is in the interpretation and the fact that the decision is left to people who have no medical knowledge and often very little time.To travel alone, you should be capable of moving from a passenger seat to an on-board wheelchair. In normal circumstances, I am more than capable of doing that. However, it takes me a little time and when stressed and pressured to hurry up, it takes me even longer. | |
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| My daughter-in-law is an air stewardess working for Virgin Atlantic. She says that Virgin have one of the very best policies and attitudes to disabled people but it is still a very difficult task for her and her colleagues to always know what to do for the best.As a general rule, cabin crew are not allowed to lift passengers in and out of seats. This is for health and safety reasons, both to protect the crew members and to protect the passengers. She says that there are horror stories of passengers complaining (and probably threatening to sue) airlines if they are lifted. Sue is a very caring person and says it can be upsetting to watch a disabled person struggle out of a seat. Do you help them or do you just stand and watch? The rules are clear but human instinct and the human face of the airline makes you want to help. She says it is a very difficult for everyone involved. | |
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