Wheelchair Travel Newsletter: What Happens In Vegas and a Court Case of Interest

A few nuggets of wisdom from my trip to Vegas and details about a critically important court case relating to air travel for people with disabilities.

“No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.”
— Julius Caesar

Hey, everybody!

I’ve just returned from a trip to Las Vegas, where I celebrated the birthday of a close friend. What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there, as the saying goes, but I don’t mind revealing a few nuggets of wisdom.

Here are a few post-Vegas thoughts:

• I stayed at the Aria and Encore hotels during this trip — I like them both, but Encore at Wynn Las Vegas (check out my review!) is my favorite place to stay. Ranking second overall would be Caesars Palace, where I received a suite upgrade not too long ago.

• Wheelchair taxis are becoming more difficult to come by in Las Vegas — before the pandemic, I never waited more than 15 minutes, but on this trip I twice waited nearly 45 minutes. It’s advisable to make an advance reservation.

• I updated the list of My 15 Favorite Restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip… sadly, some of my previous favorites closed during the pandemic. On this trip, I ate at a bunch of familiar places, but did try a new one — Min’s Test Kitchen at Wynn. It’s a superb, though limited-time pop-up restaurant. You should definitely add it to your list if you are traveling to Vegas soon.

After Las Vegas, I traveled down to Florida to visit with friends and celebrate my mom’s birthday! I had a great time in the Sunshine State, but was eager to return to Boston where it is quite a bit cooler!

LAST CHANCE to join me in Portugal! Bookings for the Wheelchair Travel Group Trip to Portugal, taking place August 22-31, will be closing soon. There are only a few spots left… I would love to welcome you on this incredible itinerary. You can get all of the details and secure your spot here.

There is a big court case you need to follow. Disabled airline passengers don’t have a right to sue under the Air Carrier Access Act — this means that airlines can do pretty much whatever they want to you and don't have to worry about a lawsuit. Nathaniel Foster, et al. v. United Airlines, Inc. et al. may prove to be an exception to that rule.

The complaint is a tough read — two parents allege that staff working for United Airlines caused a “catastrophic brain injury” in their 21-year-old son, a college student. According to the complaint, a medical doctor responded to their pleas for help, but were turned away by airline staff who allegedly said “​we got this​.”

This is a hugely important story, but it may not be covered in the national news. I intend to report on the trial next month from San Francisco. Trips like these are not possible without the support of readers like you — to help me cover this and other important stories, please consider upgrading to a paid newsletter subscription or making a donation through PayPal.

Thank you for your continued readership, and enjoy the rest of this shortened work week!

Talk to you soon,
— John

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From the Archives (In Case You Missed It)

These popular articles appeared in a previous newsletter — if you haven’t taken a look yet, give them a read!

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Check out these articles too:

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