Re: Airline Discrimination - Again...

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all the info . I went to the Buffalo conference with a small

power scooter and had no troubles at all on the way out with Delta. On the

way back however, our flight was cancelled and they booked me on a Northwest

one. During a layover, the scooter wouldn't work & I was left standing outside

the plane with crutches trying to disassemble and reassemble the darn thing

myself. Even tho it is TINY and didn't need to be taken apart to stow, they

had...and hadn't connected anything underneath putting it back together AND had

bent the side of the battery, so now it takes 2 people (NOT me or my daughter)

to lean hard on it to get the battery to meet the terminals. I tried to

complain, they swore they never touched it. I'll probably have to get a new

battery. I think if I had to experience the hassles you have, I'd not be real

willing to fly unless absolutely needed!

Liza

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all the info . I went to the Buffalo conference with a small

power scooter and had no troubles at all on the way out with Delta. On the

way back however, our flight was cancelled and they booked me on a Northwest

one. During a layover, the scooter wouldn't work & I was left standing outside

the plane with crutches trying to disassemble and reassemble the darn thing

myself. Even tho it is TINY and didn't need to be taken apart to stow, they

had...and hadn't connected anything underneath putting it back together AND had

bent the side of the battery, so now it takes 2 people (NOT me or my daughter)

to lean hard on it to get the battery to meet the terminals. I tried to

complain, they swore they never touched it. I'll probably have to get a new

battery. I think if I had to experience the hassles you have, I'd not be real

willing to fly unless absolutely needed!

Liza

[Guest guest]

> Hi guys,

>

> First of all, I have to say that this is all sorted out already!!! I

> of course got " bloody pissed " (LOL) and contacted the airline

(SAS!!!

> They sure don't have policies like that, that I sure know after

> travelling a lot with them!) here in Norway, then wrote a mail to

the

> person in the UK who was booking my tickets about it...

Aase

I was soo dismayed to read this post from you about the airline

foks goofs -- I'm both SORRY you ran into yet another out of

touch / illinformed airline rep / AND so very glad you KNEW your

rights and how to strighten out the mess !

Some thoughts / tips below here that I hope may help others

flying with chairs --

First in the US there is now a special phone line with 24/7

response available you can contact if you do run into serious

difficulties-- I now take it WITH ME stapled inside my ticket's

envelope each time . Having it at hand has saved those frantic

attempts to find / contact them promptly .

I travel with a BIG electric chair on some trips ( and a smaller

" travel " electric chair occationally )-- I've become leary about

using the travel chair however BECAUSE they've totally

TRASHED it twice . They do get it repaired - it's taken them 4-5

months / AND they havn't made ANYTHING available while on

the trip when it got thrashed ( yet another vilolation of my rights -

their responsabiity's ! )

With the big chair it has proved HARD for them to GET onto the

plane --and they DON " T listen when I request the handler who

will actually LOAD it come meet with me to learn the controls . It's

DELAYED the plane taking off a FEW times -- very costly to them

-but would they LISTEN to me ?? HA -- that was too much to

expect .

I always ask I be aloud to USE my own chair - for both comfort

and independance - with them both taking it at the plane door (

then I walk onboard ) and bringing it too me during layovers ect .

at the plane door .

I 've learned that checking it for THEIR convience ISN " T a good

idea in part because it's then DUMPED at the luggage claim

area NOT put back together when I arrive at my destination -

something I CAN " T do is squat down and put those heavy

batteries back in for example .

They don't answer requests promptly at all to come GET it

togethrer OR fix problems they've created by taking apart

sections / connecting bolts ect someone ELSE took apart

needlessly ect -- often ALL of us clueless how someone even

dismantled parts !! This is ALL unneeded as well IF they'd learn

the controls ( I DO bring the manual in a big plastic envelope and

TAPE that onto the chair as well UNDER the seat cushion -- so

the mechnaic's DO have access to try and " fix / repair " parts

someone else disassembled later .

They've also LEFT a 450 lb chair assembled -- worth $28,000

UNATTENDED -- someone could easly be HURT by trying to

snag the chair - OR it could be stollen this way ---GRRRRR !

At one point it was brought to the WRONG upstairs boarding

area - then left in the middle of the upstairs boarding area - in the

midst of a very crowded group waiting unattended , I caught up

finally watching a CHILD goofing with it in GREAT fear while I

was too far away approaching to do anything but shout -- parents

unconcerned / geepers talk about FEAR someone would be hurt

!!

-- I've been stranded waiting for the manual chair /attendant to

turn up and take me down to luggage during this time it was

dumped off -- just NOT a good situation to risk happening

anymore .

The last time I flew cross country changing planes twice ect -- it

happened that the head pilot for the first leg of the trip =was

nearby and overheard my requests / insistance they NEEDED a

luggage boarding person to come up / and saw me being blown

off despite several tries -- then when it DID delay the plane yet

again by at least 30 mins ( engine running and repeat pilot

announcements that they were working on trying to get it

onboard ) --all the while I FELT embarassed since they'd set me

aside boarding EVERYONE else first so the entire plane load of

passengers KNEW who's chair was the problem too !

The pilot came and found me when we landed -explained he

HAPPENED to be on a special " team " responsable to help spot

problems /and get them solved . He was soo tickled to GRASP

what was going on --and be able to take this to a big regional

problem solving meeting --and immediatly asked could I stick

around a little while to help WORK out a better solution , be

willing to be contacted to help work on it ect too . ( I was GLAD to

partner in this effort . )

He first went to their computer system - opening a reservations

file kept on each passenger these days ( HMM -- I didn't KNOW

they now do this ! ) And placed a special RED FLAG problem

notice that allerts them to read comments below -- then entered

info. saying the chair is VERY difficult to load without

understanding the controls -- and that I should be allowed to go

down to the actual LUGGAGE boarding spot MYSELF with the

chair in the future / showing the person who WILL load the chair

myself exactly how to lower the back / disable the power AFTER

the required profile is set ect . - then boarded through the airline

personel entrance by climbing one flight of stair's since that IS

something I can mannage .

LOW and behold ---THIS worked -- the last three flights went

SMOOTHLY this way !! I've now contacted the two other airlines

that I use on occation too --all three DO have a special needs

flaging procedure you can request have your details entered into

--it saves ALL those repeat conversations about the TYPE of

chair - weight and demensions ect . over and over = once

entered you just tell them at the time of reservation to see the file

/ and that your planing to travel with the chair they've got info on :-)

Last year I had a BAD experience where they sold me a ticket

--then tried to back out saying they couldn't accomidate a chair

AT all -- I tried going up the chain of supervisors through THREE

supervisors - none of whom would even discuss the TYPE of

chair with me much less that I'd flown from this airport before

where they had mannaged it . Frustrated I turned to the National

airtransportation federal office== where they are responsable to

help ensure this sort of problem is solved -and filed an offical

complaint .

THEY brought a federal avaiation engineer into the loup of

determining if this chair CAN be safely transported on even the

small little puddle jumper planes ect --then did act to notice the

airline that they MUST accomidate the chair --and FINED the

airline for discrimination after an investigation too . ( This all

happened quite promptly -- solved within just a few days

timeframe ) . This isn't a civil fine YOU recieve --it goes to the

airports to purchase BETTER boarding equipment to solve this

sort of stuff better in the long run . I was able to designate the

fine money GO to the airport I use most often --so even this

" hastle " felt worthwhile to persue / stick out !!

I learned they really DO act to " fix " the discriminatory actions

/behaviors now --and they ARE getting much better about this

sort of problem now -- it's a very refreshing change from just a

few years back .

So those of you in the states -- I can''t PROMISE it's all solveable

-- but if you do have that electric chair ==DO ASK them to enter a

permanant RED flag note in your reservations file -- it can greatly

solve the issues that we experience without it !

I think the risk of more dammage has been brought way down

now too -- at one point it SEEMS they must have DROPED the

folding travel chair from a 15 or so ft height - since the steel

frame was bent in three different ways /dirrections at ONCE .

LATER in that trip they " goofed " and sent the chair to the

WRONG airport pickup rather than transfering it on to my

destination too -- It was LOST badly dammaged for two days

timeframe before finally turning up in an unclaimed baggage

office of the wrong airport ! -- THIS alone has me convinced we

are BETTER off asking it be BROUGHT to us to USE when

changing planes mid trip ect .

They DON " T seem to grasp that if they DO cause dammage -

they are responsable to arrange IMMEDIATE rental /use of an

ELECTRIC chair too -- NOT a manual chair loan -- yet another

" fine clause " YOU should be aware off and DEMAND WHILE still

at the airport - there is a special " officer " sort of representative

they can PAGE to come to the baggage office WHEN you

discover damamge ect . WHO SHOULD solve it as soon as

possible ( even on a weekend - although it can take a few hours

to locate a rental source with what YOU need . )

Am I getting demanding / picky -- You bet -- unless WE take this

on ourselves , it's just NOT going to happen . I'm really fed UP

with their carelessness -- they'd NEVER act this way with

someone's CAR for goodness sake - LOL . -- I've learned though

that you CAN put them on notice to SOLVE these chair issues

promptly --and they ARE getting much better about it too .

I hope that helps some -- I know folks afraid to fly with electric

chairs because of prior nightmares -- the good news is they are

improving AND we have that 24/7 helpline to turn to now too !

Aase -- I admire your willingness to be the truly squeeky wheel

who DOES demand your rights / and work to get this stuff solved

too -- WITHOUT advocates like you are - it wouldn't BE improving

!! YOu go gal -- I KNOW how uncomfortable it can be to confront

them and insist on your rights --but it's worth the efforts too --

your not just solving it for yourself - but for everyone else too .

in Paradise