Re: Airline Discrimination - Again...

[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