[Travelandtourism] Questions about getting assistance in airports

[Peter Wolf]

Hi Sami-

I get that wheelchair crap periodically too, and I am not total.  I fly with my dog a lot.  It is standard procedure to advize that you have a dog or “special needs” either in the reservation, or when calling back to tighten up those details once you have the ticket.  Different airlines have different time periods, so ask.  Domestically, I have found that a week before is sufficient.  This will help them know you’ll be asking about a bulkhead seat if that’s what you’ll be doing.  My dog isn’t huge, but she really has to back under or curl up in a regular sardine seat.  For me, it’s about communicating with them in time that they don’t upsell seats to people who would prefer to sit in the bulkhead.  

I have found that being proactive is the best thing at airports.  This might mean that if there is assistance from the airline desk, great.  But, it is important to state your timeframe or they can really keep you waiting, even to a stress point.   So again, communicate; that keeps it friendly and stress free by preventing time mishaps.   The other thing is at security.   People forget that who is being security people…is just a person. State your need to be walked or assisted through right up front.  What people forget, particularly in “enforcement” scenarios like TSA, is that these people are company employees, and you are a customer.  This goes far, because you can talk to them like people, telling them exactly what you need and how, and you will usually find that it goes over very nicely.  This is forgotten in a lot of transactions, so it can instead be mistaken for a a dignity, or hassle, or “disability”, or treatment issue instead.  So go a little early, be friendly, and direct, and with all that room and niceness, tell them what you need.  We’ve found it makes a mountain of difference.   Have fun!
Peter

On May 27, 2016, at 10:53 AM, Sami Osborne via TravelAndTourism <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I hope you're all having a great holiday weekend and enjoying spending time with family and friends.
> 
> This August, I'll be traveling from my home state of NY all the way to San Francisco, CA for a ten-day-long music camp for the blind.  This will be my first time flying by myself without my family.  I'd like to ask you guys a couple of questions about getting assistance to the gate at the airport, which we, as blind people, probably all need.
> 
> First of all, how much in advance should you let the airline know that you need assistance? When my mom was buying the plane tickets, she discovered that one of the questions they asked was if I was a blind person with a guide dog.  She didn't answer that because I only have a cane.  But on the airline's website, there is no information regarding getting assistance if you're blind.  So I'd like to know if you'd need to apply for assistance well in advance of your trip or just a few days before? Also, should you do it on the phone or can you do it online?
> 
> Second, I know that they can help you to the gate, but will they assist you with getting to the security checkpoint as well? When I go flying with my family, the airport employees usually assist me with going through security, so I already know that they can do that.  But as for getting from the curb to the checkpoint, would they be able to do that?
> 
> Third, as I mentioned before, this is my first time  flying on my own.  I know that a lot of times in the airport, they'll ask you if you want a wheelchair, only because they assume the worst about us.  I think you know what I mean.  Anyway, when I apply to get assistance, should I tell them that I don't need a wheelchair and just use sighted guide with whichever airport employee is walking with me, or would I need to do that  at the airport?
> 
> I hope that you people who fly independently can help me with this.
> 
> Thanks and happy Memorial Day weekend,
> 
> Sami
> 
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