[nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
Joe Orozco
jsorozco at gmail.com
Thu May 20 05:27:24 UTC 2010
Hi Melissa,
There are always exceptions, but I don't know that I've ever encountered a
situation where gate changes were not announced either on the plane shortly
before landing or via the airport's announcement system. To make sure
though remember that if you are changing planes, there is always a
representative just inside the gate after leaving the jet way. Ask them to
double check that you are going to the right location. If you are headed to
the gate for your first flight, you may wind up needing to go to the gate
you were told and double check with the agent at the desk. It is highly
unlikely that last-minute gate changes would not be announced throughout the
airport. Regardless, you are at an airport, and even late at night or early
in the morning you are never going to be in a situation where there is no
one around to confirm your information.
Best,
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Melissa Green
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 12:37 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
This has been a really good topic for discussion.
I wonder though how do you find your new gate whin its been changed?
There is noone around and there has been no announcement.
So how is this acomplished?
Melissa Green
No person has the right to rain on your dreams.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Domonique Lawless" <dlawless86 at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 7:57 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
> Joe,
> This is a great idea and I'm sure that Meghan who is most talented can
> incorperate this into our site. Another thing to add is not to be
> intimidated by airline personell. When I was traveling home from a
> trip to China a skycap wouldn't listen to me when I said politely that
> I didn't need assistance. She kept insisting that I follow her and at
> the time I had no choice since she snatched my boarding pass out of my
> hand after I deboarded and went through customs. She ended up taking
> me to the special service room where I explained to her coworker how
> she wouldn't respect my wishes and give me back my ticket so I could
> travel to my gate. Since I firmly held my ground I got my way and was
> able to travel to my gate.
>
> My point is that only you know what's best for you and no one has the
> right to push you around, whether they want to take your cane or stick
> you in a "special" room all by yourself. It is best to remain as calm
> and informative as possible when dealing with stubborn airline
> personell but sometimes you have to let the gloves come off and not
> give in. I appologize if this doesn't make any sense. This past week
> has been exceptionally stressful and my brain is still a little
> frazzled.
>
> Best Wishes,
> Domonique
>
> On 5/17/10, Meghan Whalen <mewhalen at gmail.com> wrote:
>> This is great material for the website. I'll figure out the
best way to
>> incorporate it into the resources page.
>>
>> Thanks much,
>> Meghan
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "J.J. Meddaugh" <jj at bestmidi.com>
>> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "National Association of Blind
Students mailing
>> list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 7:55 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
>>
>>
>>> While airports can often seem like some of the most
confusing places to
>>> navigate, they are often the most simple. Consider a couple
of points.
>>>
>>> Gates are usually organized in numerical order. For many
airports, think
>>> of the gate area as a long hallway. Some will have all of
the gates on
>>> one
>>>
>>> side of the hallway and other places (restaurants, gift shops,
>>> bathrooms,
>>> etc.) on the other side. Other airports place odd gates on
one side and
>>> even gates on the other side. A few larger airports will have two
>>> different sets of gates, one on each side of the hallway,
such as the A
>>> gates on the left and the B gates on the right.
>>>
>>>
>>> In many cases, these gates will be 50-100 feet a part from
each other.
>>> So
>>> you can use this judgment to get an idea of about how many
gates you've
>>> traveled. What you may try doing once you find the right
concourse is to
>>> travel down a few gates and then ask someone which gate is
nearest to
>>> you.
>>>
>>> You can also ask if it's on the left or right side.
>>>
>>> If you can avoid printing your ticket at the airport, you
may save the
>>> hassle of having your seat reassigned or having your ticket
flagged as
>>> needing special assistance. For shorter trips, it's often
very feasible
>>> to
>>>
>>> not check any bags. Remember, you are allowed one carry-on and one
>>> personal item. Many travelers stretch this to using a
laptop bag as a
>>> personal item and a smalled wheeled suitcase as their
carry-on. It can
>>> generally measure 22 by 14 by 9, though some airlines allow
bags a bit
>>> larger and as long as you're close to this number, you
won't be singled
>>> out by a gate agent or TSA employee. If you can stick to carry-on
>>> luggage
>>> and print your boarding pass before you arrive at the
airport, you can
>>> go
>>> straight through security to your gate without your seat
being moved or
>>> any airline agents messing with your reservation.
>>>
>>> Be sure to check on your flight from time to time to ensure the gate
>>> hasn't changed or your flight is still running on time. If
you can use
>>> text messaging on your phone, you can send a message with
your airline
>>> and
>>>
>>> flight number to Google (46645). For instance, text "aa 2500" for
>>> American
>>>
>>> Airlines flight 2500. You will receive a text back with the current
>>> information. Alternatively, most airports offer wi-fi
Internet access.
>>> While there is usually a fee to access the Internet,
usually the airport
>>> website and/or flight tracker is accessible for free.
>>>
>>> Also, you may be looking for a snack or some food. You can
either wander
>>> down your concourse and listen for sounds of grills,
glasses clanging,
>>> cash registers, people ordering, etc. Or, the airport's
website will
>>> often
>>>
>>> have a list of food establishments and other landmarks. The better
>>> websites also show where in each concourse a particular place can be
>>> found, such as the nearest gate.
>>>
>>> Who's next?
>>> Thanks, Joe, for starting this very useful idea.
>>>
>>>
>>> J.J. Meddaugh - ATGuys.com
>>> A premier Code Factory, KNFB Reader, and Sendero distributor
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
>>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 5:48 PM
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
>>>
>>>
>>>> Dear all,
>>>>
>>>> It seems the recent article resonated with some of our
members. Some
>>>> of
>>>> the
>>>> responses suggest some people would have done the exact
same thing in
>>>> similar circumstances, so rather than criticize or judge people's
>>>> actions,
>>>> why don't we create an archive of ideas people have to
address a myriad
>>>> of
>>>> situations. We could call each thread the How To Files,
devote a week
>>>> for
>>>> people to generate ideas per thread, and whoever is
managing the NABS
>>>> website these days could create individual pages with a
compilation of
>>>> our
>>>> responses so that people can peruse the information later.
Here's my
>>>> first
>>>> contribution in hopes that others will follow suit:
>>>>
>>>> How To Files - Traveling by Air
>>>>
>>>> When traveling on an airplane, you should feel as comfortable as
>>>> possible
>>>>
>>>> to
>>>> ensure an enjoyable experience. Remember these days it is
possible to
>>>> make
>>>> your reservations over the Internet. If the website
proves difficult
>>>> to
>>>> navigate, you may call the airline by phone and ask that
the telephone
>>>> rates
>>>> be waived. Keep in mind that taking this route may result
in your not
>>>> being
>>>> able to take advantage of online discounts, and while
organizations
>>>> like
>>>> the
>>>> NFB are working to ensure website accessibility, you will
need to find
>>>> the
>>>> best course of action to reserve your trip there and then.
If at all
>>>> possible, try to check into your flight in advance to
avoid having to
>>>> stand
>>>> in line to obtain your pass. If you have to check in
luggage, you'll
>>>> need
>>>> to approach a counter or curb-side check-in anyway, but
checking into
>>>> your
>>>> flight in advance means you'll have the opportunity to
choose your seat
>>>> if
>>>> this was not done while purchasing your ticket or unless
you're flying
>>>> Southwest.
>>>>
>>>> When you arrive at the airport keep in mind that most
airline counters
>>>> will
>>>> be arranged in a central area. Of course you have to take into
>>>> considerations that different airports are set up in
different ways,
>>>> but
>>>> your transportation will usually drop you off at an
entrance that is
>>>> most
>>>> closely located to your particular airline counter. Now
all you have
>>>> to
>>>> do
>>>> is find the lines that correspond with your counter.
Sound difficult?
>>>> Sometimes you may need to keep your ears open for people
walking by to
>>>> ask
>>>> where the counter is located. Listen for heels, rolling
suitcases and
>>>> chattering kids who may be walking with their parents. You will be
>>>> surprised at how willing people are willing to answer your
questions,
>>>> and
>>>> who knows, if you don't ask, you may pass up someone who
could be on
>>>> your
>>>> plane headed to the same destination.
>>>>
>>>> After finding the correct line you may discover that
staying in line is
>>>> made
>>>> easier through following the velvet ropes. Use your cane
to gently tap
>>>> the
>>>> heel of the person in front of you. If you are using a
guide dog, ask
>>>> Cujo
>>>> to move forward until you fill the vacant space the person
ahead of you
>>>> has
>>>> left after moving forward. If you haven't tried all this before,
>>>> you'll
>>>> get
>>>> the hang of it over time with a little practice. Feel
free to engage
>>>> said
>>>> person in conversation. Chances are the person in line
may be on your
>>>> flight.
>>>>
>>>> So, you've checked your bags and obtained your gate passes. While
>>>> you're
>>>>
>>>> at
>>>> the counter you may request assistance to get to the gate.
If you're
>>>> running late, asking for assistance may be prudent since
you don't want
>>>> to
>>>> get lost and potentially miss your flight. If you're a diligent
>>>> traveler
>>>> and have over an hour to kill, consider making an
adventure of finding
>>>> your
>>>> gate. After all, it's much more fun to walk around
exploring than it
>>>> is
>>>> to
>>>> sit still for over an hour. What, you've got a book you'd
rather be
>>>> reading? Trust me, at 37,000 feet you won't be doing a
whole lot of
>>>> walking
>>>> and will have plenty of time to catch up on what happens to your
>>>> favorite
>>>> characters.
>>>>
>>>> And speaking of story plots, isn't it true that your
characters need to
>>>> overcome a conflict to make the story worth reading?
Well, it's the
>>>> same
>>>> concept here. You will not fully appreciate your
independence unless
>>>> you
>>>> learn how to fully experience the joys of getting lost. I
assure you
>>>> real
>>>> world adventures are far more fulfilling than the ones on paper.
>>>>
>>>> Here's the first major tip, when you're at the counter, do
not try to
>>>> get
>>>> the representative to give you the whole layout of the
airport. Just
>>>> ask
>>>> for general directions to the security checkpoint. People vary in
>>>> their
>>>> ability to give directions, and if you learn how to break up your
>>>> journey
>>>> into small pieces, you'll have greater success and will be
less likely
>>>> to
>>>> get overwhelmed and frustrated.
>>>>
>>>> Now, assuming you're still walking along by yourself, your
task is to
>>>> find
>>>> the security checkpoint. With the general directions the
>>>> representative
>>>> gave you, you're going to start off heading in the
direction they gave
>>>> and
>>>> already be on the lookout for the second person who can
confirm these
>>>> directions. So, obtain, then verify. As you walk keep in mind the
>>>> sounds
>>>> you can associate with checkpoints. You will no doubt
here the beep of
>>>> the
>>>> metal detectors. Perhaps you'll hear the rattle of bags lumbering
>>>> through
>>>> the x-ray machines. Maybe frustrated security representatives
>>>> admonishing
>>>> people to take off shoes and pull out laptops?
>>>>
>>>> Here's the next tip: Wear shoes you can easily take off.
This is not
>>>> even
>>>> a blindness-related tip. This is just an important point
for blind and
>>>> sighted people alike. If you wear complicated boots, you
don't want to
>>>> be
>>>> sprawled out on the floor undoing your laces while
generally holding up
>>>> the
>>>> rest of the passengers. Also, prepare your computers to
be taken out
>>>> and
>>>> put on the trays. Look at your airline's website to find
out what is
>>>> currently being allowed. Again, if the website does not
work, pick up
>>>> a
>>>> phone.
>>>>
>>>> Just before you get to the security checkpoint you're going to
>>>> encounter
>>>> the
>>>> first TSA representative who will verify your pass and
identification.
>>>> Ask
>>>> him or her where the nearest line is to the metal
detectors. Remember
>>>> when
>>>> asking for directions to point with your finger to make
sure you fully
>>>> understand where they are directing you. If you're wrong,
keep trying
>>>> until
>>>> you've got it right, or allow them to take your hand and point your
>>>> finger
>>>> in the right direction.
>>>>
>>>> Okay, I've gotta run, but I hope others will chime in with getting
>>>> through
>>>> the security checkpoint and finding restrooms, restaurants and
>>>> ultimately
>>>> your gate. I think we can all collaborate on what to do
while flying
>>>> and
>>>> how to properly exit the aircraft. And, please add any
details you
>>>> think
>>>> important in the trip up to this point. I'm sure even frequent
>>>> travelers
>>>> may learn a thing or two.
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>> Joe
>>>>
>>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>>>> sleeves,
>>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
all."--Sam Ewing
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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