Barry Biffle (and some other cynical commentators) need to bite a sharp tongue. My wife suffers from Parkinson’s, multiple myeloma and has lost a kidney to cancer. I think at 75, she qualifies as disabled &/or handicapped.
Her consultants advise her to walk as much as possible always recognizing her stamina and other physical limitations. She hates being a burden to anyone but without assistance, she’s unable to get from kerbside to aircraft door. There’s also a safety risk that if she’s not in a wheelchair, she’s likely to be harmed by the pushing and shoving of other passengers who have neither time nor patience for snails.
We live in FL and retain an apartment in NY from where we see her consultants every 3 months. Each accommodation has its own wheelchair which stays in situ unless one is being hold checked to a different destination. We use the airline service to the plane door.
Whilst she tries her hardest to look and move normally, it’s obvious she has issues no matter how hard she tries not to show them. The deplaning impatient passengers who believe they have a right to push and shove their way off the plane need to have more consideration. They need to remember they too will likely need help and compassion should they be dealt an unfortunate handicap or disability as they age. They certainly won’t appreciate being labeled frauds.
My Husband & I travel quite a bit, based out of Tampa. We often fly Southwest because he can transfer from his wheelchair to the front seat. We see enormous abuses in the elderly population with assistance services and we would agree it is a rampant problem. They need assistance to get on the plane (so they can be first to board or have someone help them through an unfamiliar airport), but they walk right off the plane unassisted . This results in the assistance services being tied up waiting for people who’ve already left and causes shortages in services for people who truly have need. Since you are the primary aviation advocate for disability, we would hope your approach would be more nuanced because when abuse goes unchecked , it causes problems for those truly in need. A simple solution would be if you arrive with special assistance, you must disembark with special assistance. This only supports, not punishes, people who truly need assistive services and makes sure that resources are allocated truly where there is need.
Laura, The main reason that people utilize assistance more frequently on departure than arrival is because there are large numbers of travelers who cannot walk long distances or stand for extended periods of time. Hour-long check-in and security lines are not accessible, and lead people who might otherwise be able to manage the journey independently to require assistance.
The solution is not forcing people to utilize assistance services that they do not need, but in harnessing the massive amount of data that airlines have (but refuse to share) to more efficiently deploy staff based on usage patterns. Assistance services should also not be designed in a yes/no, all/nothing format, but crafted to respond to the particular needs of the individual. When I request wheelchair assistance, which I only need for boarding since I have my own wheelchair, airlines have assigned a staff person to me for my entire journey. What a waste! Similarly, folks who need assistance from check-in to the gate, but not from the gate to the arrivals hall, should be able to make that request.
At the end of the day, if you are waiting a long time for assistance, that is the fault of the airline — don't give them a pass for poor management and operational design.
You raise some interesting points and I acknowledge those. But I fear that forcing airlines to get so niche will only make things harder/more complicated. There are numerous examples of disabled people having to endure additional steps to ensure their rights when abuse happens by the greater population (concerts/theater tickets, hotel rooms, Parking spaces, bathrooms, to quickly name a few) and to pretend that it doesn’t just perpetuates the problem. I hate to use this example, but in the same way the airlines were able to curb the emotional support animal vs true service animals problem seems somewhat analogous. I completely agree that the travel industry has (or should have) enormous access to data that could be leveraged to make life better for people on all ends of the disability spectrum. I would welcome such a change. In the meantime, I appreciate your providing a forum for various voices within the disability community. I admire what you do and your advocacy and thank you or it.
Barry Biffle (and some other cynical commentators) need to bite a sharp tongue. My wife suffers from Parkinson’s, multiple myeloma and has lost a kidney to cancer. I think at 75, she qualifies as disabled &/or handicapped.
Her consultants advise her to walk as much as possible always recognizing her stamina and other physical limitations. She hates being a burden to anyone but without assistance, she’s unable to get from kerbside to aircraft door. There’s also a safety risk that if she’s not in a wheelchair, she’s likely to be harmed by the pushing and shoving of other passengers who have neither time nor patience for snails.
We live in FL and retain an apartment in NY from where we see her consultants every 3 months. Each accommodation has its own wheelchair which stays in situ unless one is being hold checked to a different destination. We use the airline service to the plane door.
Whilst she tries her hardest to look and move normally, it’s obvious she has issues no matter how hard she tries not to show them. The deplaning impatient passengers who believe they have a right to push and shove their way off the plane need to have more consideration. They need to remember they too will likely need help and compassion should they be dealt an unfortunate handicap or disability as they age. They certainly won’t appreciate being labeled frauds.
Have a safe trip! Can't wait to hear about your experiences at the expo
Excellent and informative stuff!
My Husband & I travel quite a bit, based out of Tampa. We often fly Southwest because he can transfer from his wheelchair to the front seat. We see enormous abuses in the elderly population with assistance services and we would agree it is a rampant problem. They need assistance to get on the plane (so they can be first to board or have someone help them through an unfamiliar airport), but they walk right off the plane unassisted . This results in the assistance services being tied up waiting for people who’ve already left and causes shortages in services for people who truly have need. Since you are the primary aviation advocate for disability, we would hope your approach would be more nuanced because when abuse goes unchecked , it causes problems for those truly in need. A simple solution would be if you arrive with special assistance, you must disembark with special assistance. This only supports, not punishes, people who truly need assistive services and makes sure that resources are allocated truly where there is need.
Laura, The main reason that people utilize assistance more frequently on departure than arrival is because there are large numbers of travelers who cannot walk long distances or stand for extended periods of time. Hour-long check-in and security lines are not accessible, and lead people who might otherwise be able to manage the journey independently to require assistance.
The solution is not forcing people to utilize assistance services that they do not need, but in harnessing the massive amount of data that airlines have (but refuse to share) to more efficiently deploy staff based on usage patterns. Assistance services should also not be designed in a yes/no, all/nothing format, but crafted to respond to the particular needs of the individual. When I request wheelchair assistance, which I only need for boarding since I have my own wheelchair, airlines have assigned a staff person to me for my entire journey. What a waste! Similarly, folks who need assistance from check-in to the gate, but not from the gate to the arrivals hall, should be able to make that request.
At the end of the day, if you are waiting a long time for assistance, that is the fault of the airline — don't give them a pass for poor management and operational design.
You raise some interesting points and I acknowledge those. But I fear that forcing airlines to get so niche will only make things harder/more complicated. There are numerous examples of disabled people having to endure additional steps to ensure their rights when abuse happens by the greater population (concerts/theater tickets, hotel rooms, Parking spaces, bathrooms, to quickly name a few) and to pretend that it doesn’t just perpetuates the problem. I hate to use this example, but in the same way the airlines were able to curb the emotional support animal vs true service animals problem seems somewhat analogous. I completely agree that the travel industry has (or should have) enormous access to data that could be leveraged to make life better for people on all ends of the disability spectrum. I would welcome such a change. In the meantime, I appreciate your providing a forum for various voices within the disability community. I admire what you do and your advocacy and thank you or it.