Return journey - from Melbourne to London
At Tullamarine my boarding pass was handed directly to the wheelchair pusher . This is because the wheelchair person had arrived by the time that the check-in process had been completed . It was also a natural thing for the check-in lady to give my boarding pass to the pusher (and not to me) because the wheelchair pushers are employed by Qantas, the same company that employs the check-in person . It was a sprightly middle aged woman who pushed me . I asked her how long she had done the job . She said that she had been doing it for twenty years, ten years with Ansett and then when Qantas took over Ansett she automatically became a Qantas pusher . There was sadness in her voice - she obviously preferred her previous employer . At our arrival at the gate I thanked my pusher and said that I could walk the air-bridge.
The arrangement at Hong Kong was most impressive . While the plane was in the air, a flight attendant came to us to confirm the wheelchair requirement . We were told to remain seated until the other passengers had disembarked . When almost all of the passengers had disembarked we were approached by the flight attendant and told that the wheelchairs were ready . My wife and I are capable of walking up the air-bridge, but we do as we are told . I was pushed along the air-bridge by a Chinese man and my wife was pushed by a Chinese lady . As we left the air-bridge we passed a woman with a large white card which had three names written in letters approx two inches high - this was a surprise because the person said that there was a message for us - but actually it was the Hong Kong airport safety-net system to ensure that all passengers who ask for a wheelchair are catered for . The service that I received from my pusher was extemporary and so I tipped him, which meant that I also was obliged to tip the lady pushing my wife . My wife subsequently told me that the second tip was deserved . The third passenger who needed assistance was a walking passenger who had never flow before, she was about sixty years old and had quite understandably been anxious about how to get from A to B in a large airport.
The three of us were given assistance at Heathrow T3 . We were told to sit in our seats in the plane . We were then summoned and accompanied the wheel chair supervisor to the end of the air-bridge (my wife and I are perfectly capable of walking shortish distances) . It was then a very long wait, but eventually the wheel chairs did come . We were pushed along the passageways and taken in a lift, but in total a fairly short journey . At the next stage there was no buggy . The wheel chair pushers were not happy with this . I was told to sit down on the corridor seats and not to leave until she came back to tell us . To cut a long story short - when we ultimately arrived in the baggage hall there was no luggage on our carousel . Not only was there no luggage but there were no waiting passengers . I needed to find a supervisor, but first a visit to the toilet was overdue . On my return my wife was standing there (we had asked the wheelchair pushers to take us and leave us in the baggage hall) with our suitcase - it had evidently been on the belt when we had originally arrived, but was on a trip to the non-passenger environs . So we were certainly the last passengers of our flight to go through customs.
Next year when the competitors for the 2012 paralympics arrive in London, there will be some interesting scenes in Heathrow airport . There will be no need to go there to see . The scenes and intelligent anger will be on the television in the living rooms through the entire world . And it will not be the Spanish owner of BAA who will earn the opprobrium - it will be Britain - and the British tourist business will pay the cost during 2013 and 2014.
Will this be the legacy of the 2012 Olympics?