Wheelchair users in UK airports. (merged threads)
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Yes, thanks, I am aware of this new service on American Airlines. Still, there are many options for 1-stop service to BUD from LAX, and in my experience you are better off flying non-stop from the West Coast to some airport in Europe than stopping on the East Coast.
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PRM handling was my first airport job in one the the major international airport in Africa AKA Wakanda kingdom. Its a lovely job and it makes one to appreciate humanity and to love the most. It most cases I know it's an airline job to organize for the processing of PRM passengers. Some airlines do it directly while others do opt for a third party contractor to do the job. WCHR is never that serious and so in most cases may not need DR clearance but just a notification to the airline. WCHS in most cases are those with medical conditions and so they need Dr clearance and the DR must be recognized by the airline you are flying. That job was sweet and it made me to understand disability and learn more about extreme medical conditions
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And Dublin must also be added to that list. I think that OCS in DUB provide the worst Special Assistance service in Europe. In the few years I’ve flown into and out of this place not once have they ever been on time. A typical wait is 15 minutes after the last able bodied person has left. Their record is 45 minutes.
Regulation (EC) N° 1107/2006 demands airport’s provide a service that enables people with reduced mobility on a equal basis with able bodied passengers. This clearly does not happen at various airports. Maybe it’s about time an airport or two was taken to court in order to send a message that the dreadful service currently on offer is unacceptable.
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Regulation (EC) N° 1107/2006 demands airport’s provide a service that enables people with reduced mobility on a equal basis with able bodied passengers. This clearly does not happen at various airports. Maybe it’s about time an airport or two was taken to court in order to send a message that the dreadful service currently on offer is unacceptable.
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PRM handling is one sweet job. PRM handling actually was my first airport job and doing the WCHR,WCHS and WCHC requires nothing but a super positive motive. Where I was working the airlines had the responsibility when it comes to PRM and I still do believe that the PRM handling is best done when obligated to the airlines as the airlines knows the passengers right away from the ticket booking stage which is the first travelling stage. People with disability requires the best and allow me to say that I can still do this job during a holiday or free days when I happen to get one. In Africa where I come from most airports do amazing work when it comes to handling PRM which is not limited to Wheelchair but also extended to blind passengers, unaccompanied minors and even some non dangerous deportee passengers in short doing special services is a good job. In fact if you want this services be done to you even in own home then my DM is free you can contact me . Disability handling is one thing that must be seriously taken care of even outside the aviation/airport environment. Anyone who requires this services outside the airport in a places like homes should contact me. No one chooses to be disable and being disable must not limit one's movement or limit what they can in the society
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I've recently seen a number of signs on disabled toilet doors along the lines of "not all disabilities are visible".
This discussion has focused on wheelchairs (and yes, that was/is the subject line) but PRM covers a much wider range. Indeed "assistance" covers an even larger range and could ,for example, include interpreters (for language or sign language).
In my view we're only scratching the surface both in this thread and in what happens in life generally.
This discussion has focused on wheelchairs (and yes, that was/is the subject line) but PRM covers a much wider range. Indeed "assistance" covers an even larger range and could ,for example, include interpreters (for language or sign language).
In my view we're only scratching the surface both in this thread and in what happens in life generally.
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
I don't want to start yet another thread and this report does not single out Heathrow but refers to others in more detail. (S.o.S. perhaps merge threads?)
Four airports found to be failing disabled passengers
Four of the UK's 30 biggest airports are falling short in providing access for disabled travellers, the Civil Aviation Authority said.London Gatwick airport, criticised by BBC journalist and wheelchair user Frank Gardner last year, is named as failing to meet expectations.
Birmingham and London Stansted airports are also in need of improvement, the CAA said.
Bottom of the list is Manchester, rated as "poor" for the second year running.
Birmingham and London Stansted airports are also in need of improvement, the CAA said.
Bottom of the list is Manchester, rated as "poor" for the second year running.
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If this is considered OT, then I apologise and mods feel free to remove.
As some have said, "assistance" covers a broad spectrum - and I can talk to my own experiences as a blind (oh sorry, visually impaired) person.
To be clear - I see nothing, nada, zilch - not even whether the lights are on or not.
My eyes, however, are the only body part that doesn't work well.
I travel frequently, and one of my personal gripes is being forced to wait for everyone else on the plane to get off before the "asistance" is available to guide me through the airport.
Even then, insistence on putting me in a wheelchair or buggy when I am fitter than the average person is: a) infuriating as I actually want to stretch my legs and b) somewhat embarrassing.
I am fortunate enough to travel, more often than not, in business class or first cabins and it drives me mad to have the facility to get off amongst the first passengers to leave but being told to wait until the entire plane is empty.
I need to shout out to BA here - one of my carriers of choice - when I explain this situation to cabin crew, often-times a member of the crew will actually escort me through the airport immediately after landing and I am able to get off the plane just like any other passenger (I have sent complementary messages to BA naming the staff that went above and beyond but have never received acknowledgement so can only hope the staff concerned do learn of my complements).
US airports - well there's a whole new topic - very helpful yes, but they have one way of doing things and you'd better comply with that or be prepared for a hard time!
I am not unreasonable, "assistance" is an additional service that the majority of passengers won't need and you could therefore consider it to be reasonable that one would need to wait occassionally, but my experience is, apart from helpful BA staff, that you always need to wait (up to an hour sometimes after doors open).
A couple of times, i have just gone myself and "followed the crowd" but then that brings challenges at passport control and baggage reclaim as you can imagine - but then you see the best of human kindness, and other passengers readily offer help - but it isn't fair to expect that at all.
Summary? I know that "assistance" is an additional service, but it has no flexibility to adjust to the individual circumstance, is executed very badly in terms of timeliness and then there is the somewhat defficient manners and language skills of those employed to consider.
I think it could be vastly improved, but where is the insentive. By paying (in the UK) airports to run the service, what are they going to do? Run it barebones, hope they get away with it and pocket the proffit of course.
Just a nod to the onboard experience here to complete the picture. My experience on my regular cariers, BA, Virgin and American - perfect, I have never had anything but brilliant service and assistance when i need it - so well done and thanks you guys...
As some have said, "assistance" covers a broad spectrum - and I can talk to my own experiences as a blind (oh sorry, visually impaired) person.
To be clear - I see nothing, nada, zilch - not even whether the lights are on or not.
My eyes, however, are the only body part that doesn't work well.
I travel frequently, and one of my personal gripes is being forced to wait for everyone else on the plane to get off before the "asistance" is available to guide me through the airport.
Even then, insistence on putting me in a wheelchair or buggy when I am fitter than the average person is: a) infuriating as I actually want to stretch my legs and b) somewhat embarrassing.
I am fortunate enough to travel, more often than not, in business class or first cabins and it drives me mad to have the facility to get off amongst the first passengers to leave but being told to wait until the entire plane is empty.
I need to shout out to BA here - one of my carriers of choice - when I explain this situation to cabin crew, often-times a member of the crew will actually escort me through the airport immediately after landing and I am able to get off the plane just like any other passenger (I have sent complementary messages to BA naming the staff that went above and beyond but have never received acknowledgement so can only hope the staff concerned do learn of my complements).
US airports - well there's a whole new topic - very helpful yes, but they have one way of doing things and you'd better comply with that or be prepared for a hard time!
I am not unreasonable, "assistance" is an additional service that the majority of passengers won't need and you could therefore consider it to be reasonable that one would need to wait occassionally, but my experience is, apart from helpful BA staff, that you always need to wait (up to an hour sometimes after doors open).
A couple of times, i have just gone myself and "followed the crowd" but then that brings challenges at passport control and baggage reclaim as you can imagine - but then you see the best of human kindness, and other passengers readily offer help - but it isn't fair to expect that at all.
Summary? I know that "assistance" is an additional service, but it has no flexibility to adjust to the individual circumstance, is executed very badly in terms of timeliness and then there is the somewhat defficient manners and language skills of those employed to consider.
I think it could be vastly improved, but where is the insentive. By paying (in the UK) airports to run the service, what are they going to do? Run it barebones, hope they get away with it and pocket the proffit of course.
Just a nod to the onboard experience here to complete the picture. My experience on my regular cariers, BA, Virgin and American - perfect, I have never had anything but brilliant service and assistance when i need it - so well done and thanks you guys...
Son of Slot
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Thanks amf1966, good to hear positive stories. The frustration of waiting to be escorted when you do not need to be must irritating at times.
It also reports the wheelchair was passed out of a window on the aircraft.
unless I’m missing new inovations the only windows that can open are on the flight deck. How do you pass a wheelchair out through them?
unless I’m missing new inovations the only windows that can open are on the flight deck. How do you pass a wheelchair out through them?
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
Yes, I noticed that window and thought, if they get the wheelchair out of the window of the High Lift - how do they get the pax out ... it does sound like 21st century 5th hand journo. I was once interviewed on the phone by someone about an event, at which I was the key note speaker, with detail backed up by a reporter who had been at the event - and the number of errors was astonishing and that was in The Daily Telegraph! So they are many levels of incompetence.
This article is about travelling with a disability in any mode but starts with this :
I this Guardian article they link the story of Mr Smithers.
This article is about travelling with a disability in any mode but starts with this :
Every day brings news of novel, cruel and unusual indignities inflicted on a human daring to travel while disabled. In the latest demoralising example, Steve Smithers was prevented from flying for the crime of carrying spanners, in case he used them to “dismantle the plane” instead of adjusting his wheelchair. It would take a time-rich, engineering-genius-meets-world’s strongest man to do that, not someone paralysed from the chest down.
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He states "The wheelchair had to be dismantled, passed through the lift window, and then reassembled before he was helped down the stairs."
I read that and assumed it was too big to fit through the door of the high lift vehicle, so it was taken apart and passed through the window, then assembled again.
The comparison with Cambodia doesn't sit right with me. If anything that is extremely degrading to be carried up the stairs like a child, in the rain. I'm not sure why he saw that as suitable assistance. That's worse than what happened at LHR, where there were trained,dedicated staff on hand to assist, albeit with a mishap. Cambodia may be a poor country, but it's airports should still meet international regulations with regards to disabled services. Admittedly he doesn't state which airport it was, it could have been a small airfield, but if it has scheduled services, especially international or wide body, then it should definitely not need a disabled passenger to be carried up stairs by the flight deck.
I read that and assumed it was too big to fit through the door of the high lift vehicle, so it was taken apart and passed through the window, then assembled again.
The comparison with Cambodia doesn't sit right with me. If anything that is extremely degrading to be carried up the stairs like a child, in the rain. I'm not sure why he saw that as suitable assistance. That's worse than what happened at LHR, where there were trained,dedicated staff on hand to assist, albeit with a mishap. Cambodia may be a poor country, but it's airports should still meet international regulations with regards to disabled services. Admittedly he doesn't state which airport it was, it could have been a small airfield, but if it has scheduled services, especially international or wide body, then it should definitely not need a disabled passenger to be carried up stairs by the flight deck.
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
... and another one ...
The Guardian
Paralympian left stranded on Stansted flight after staff delay.
Anne Wafula Strike had to wait on board her disembarked flight for 45 minutes despite having booked assistance.
Anne Wafula Strike had to wait on board her disembarked flight for 45 minutes despite having booked assistance.
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
... and another one ... Luton this time. He plans to sue them.
BBC news
The image is shocking: Justin Levene, a paraplegic man, dragging himself along the floor through Luton Airport after his self-propelling wheelchair was left behind on a flight.