Happy Thanksgiving! You certainly gave me a new perspective on American Airlines. It's the only one I've traveled on from DC to Tampa and back multiple times. I used their wheelchairs and left mine at home in both directions.Was treated well enough tho for the 18 hour ordeal of traveling from both directions. Live in Florida but am sole caregiver to my 93 year old mother here. Son was flying me back and forth. Had the ability to stand and walk a few feet back then. No longer the case, with the added mobility issues of also having to be on supplemental oxygen too and all that goes with that, given I'm a veteran and this rural community where mom is only issues the outdated heavy metal WWII era metal tanks. Couldn't carry enough of them to get to and from here - so that's a big problem. Any insights on traveling with both wheelchair and supplemental oxygen? Or requiring to be able to sleep sitting upright at night? The VA is currently moving all older veterans to home care (aging in place) so we have hospital beds provided for us, etc.Missing traveling the globe as I once did. Have adult son and grandchildren permanently in HK and Indonesia.
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you feel better soon. You will not be alone tomorrow — you are with your many fans who will be thinking kind thoughts about you for your service to our community and your generous advocacy as you educate the “Temporarily Abled.”
Also, thank you for validating my experience with American Airlines and their miserable, dangerous and insensitive gate-to-gate “service” at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Although i specifically requested a wheelchair, they once again threw me into what apparently is a 3-wheeled re-purposed baggage cart with others, as they have been doing for the past ten years or so. They subcontract for this dubious service with incompetent and unresponsive drivers who drive too fast and make sharp turns and jostle passengers who have to transfer to other carts at each floor level. I am ambulatory but have arthritis in both knees and am 4’8” and can barely climb onto the carts. The seats are too narrow and there are no seatbelts. I will contact USDOT as you recommended. It certainly did no good to contact American Airlines multiple times. I’m glad they were fined. I haven’t felt safe to travel since that happened nearly a year ago.
Thank you for enriching so many lives with your newsletters. I am 74 now, but in my past life as a social worker and psychotherapist i worked on issues relating to mental health discrimination and other forms of maltreatment caused by poor training of professionals with the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the Governor’s Council on Disability among other organizations. Still, i have been ineffective in addressing American Airlines’s sadistic and long-standing mistreatment of those for whom mega airports are unworkable.
If American Airlines put a fraction of effort into improving disability accommodations as they put into placing obstacles in the way of change, they and we would have fewer problems traveling.
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Trails when you are better.
You improved my life by just being here on Substack.
Could I DM you to briefly pick your brain about your travel knowledge.
Newly out of being bedridden. Just got my powerchair. (after years of self advocacy). At about 80% complete, I need to move cross country. Every way I look I find a No. Persisting till I get that yes.
Happy Thanksgiving! You certainly gave me a new perspective on American Airlines. It's the only one I've traveled on from DC to Tampa and back multiple times. I used their wheelchairs and left mine at home in both directions.Was treated well enough tho for the 18 hour ordeal of traveling from both directions. Live in Florida but am sole caregiver to my 93 year old mother here. Son was flying me back and forth. Had the ability to stand and walk a few feet back then. No longer the case, with the added mobility issues of also having to be on supplemental oxygen too and all that goes with that, given I'm a veteran and this rural community where mom is only issues the outdated heavy metal WWII era metal tanks. Couldn't carry enough of them to get to and from here - so that's a big problem. Any insights on traveling with both wheelchair and supplemental oxygen? Or requiring to be able to sleep sitting upright at night? The VA is currently moving all older veterans to home care (aging in place) so we have hospital beds provided for us, etc.Missing traveling the globe as I once did. Have adult son and grandchildren permanently in HK and Indonesia.
Dear John,
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you feel better soon. You will not be alone tomorrow — you are with your many fans who will be thinking kind thoughts about you for your service to our community and your generous advocacy as you educate the “Temporarily Abled.”
Also, thank you for validating my experience with American Airlines and their miserable, dangerous and insensitive gate-to-gate “service” at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Although i specifically requested a wheelchair, they once again threw me into what apparently is a 3-wheeled re-purposed baggage cart with others, as they have been doing for the past ten years or so. They subcontract for this dubious service with incompetent and unresponsive drivers who drive too fast and make sharp turns and jostle passengers who have to transfer to other carts at each floor level. I am ambulatory but have arthritis in both knees and am 4’8” and can barely climb onto the carts. The seats are too narrow and there are no seatbelts. I will contact USDOT as you recommended. It certainly did no good to contact American Airlines multiple times. I’m glad they were fined. I haven’t felt safe to travel since that happened nearly a year ago.
Thank you for enriching so many lives with your newsletters. I am 74 now, but in my past life as a social worker and psychotherapist i worked on issues relating to mental health discrimination and other forms of maltreatment caused by poor training of professionals with the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the Governor’s Council on Disability among other organizations. Still, i have been ineffective in addressing American Airlines’s sadistic and long-standing mistreatment of those for whom mega airports are unworkable.
If American Airlines put a fraction of effort into improving disability accommodations as they put into placing obstacles in the way of change, they and we would have fewer problems traveling.
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Trails when you are better.
Your comrade in advocacy,
Joan Shapiro
Hi John,
You improved my life by just being here on Substack.
Could I DM you to briefly pick your brain about your travel knowledge.
Newly out of being bedridden. Just got my powerchair. (after years of self advocacy). At about 80% complete, I need to move cross country. Every way I look I find a No. Persisting till I get that yes.