Things to consider when flying with your wheelchair: Part 2, (aka What does Special Assistance mean?)

This is Part 2 of my ‘Flying with your wheelchair’ post. Part 1 provided an insight into what services the airlines and airports should provide for the disabled traveller. Part 2 builds on this by explaining what some of these services are. I’ll also share some of my own experiences.

So what is Special Assistance (‘SA’)?

For me, one phrase that sums up the whole idea and ethos of SA is ‘bloody wonderful’. Basically, when you’re sitting there thinking ‘how the hell does this hang together?’, SA is the answer.

SA is the term for the whole range of services that the airports and airlines provide to make sure that my disability doesn’t stop me from going on holiday.

Note that I’ve written ‘my’ disability and not ‘your’ disability. This is deliberate. I’ve said elsewhere on my blog that the term disabled is not ‘one size fits all’. We’re all individuals, with our own strengths and our own failings.

I’m no expert

I’m not an expert on my disability – MS – but I know how it affects me, and I feel comfortable writing about my experiences. I also feel a little nervous with sharing. But on the whole I take the view that if I’ve experienced something – whether it’s been good or bad – it could help somebody else, so why not share.

But what I won’t do, is start to outline how I think SA might work for someone suffering from a different disability to me. That would just be wrong.

Getting back to ‘bloody wonderful’

I haven’t always been in a wheelchair. 2016 was my starting point. I had flown with a mobility scooter twice before 2016. But at that stage I was far more mobile and so my experiences of SA, and what I needed from SA, were different.

Unfortunately, when you get your chair, there’s no massive handbook that covers every factor and every scenario that you are likely to encounter. Suck it and see, is the mantra.

Sure, there’s an instruction manual to tell you how it works, how it comes apart, what each component is etc. But in same way there’s no manual telling you the best way to self-propel or how to ‘pop a wheelie’, there’s no handbook explaining what happens when you fly.

Thankfully there’s the Net. However, the one main downside that I find with the Net is that ‘people’ are generally quicker to post about the negative – sometimes literally frightening – experience(s) they’ve had, than talk about the good experiences. I know this is just human nature. But over time, as the bad stories build up, they outweigh the ‘bloody wonderful’ stories.

And I’ve come full circle again.

A little video

I hope this isn’t the point where you stop reading. But I thought I’d try something new for my blog. I’m including a video. I like its simple clear messages. The video’s EasyJet’s introduction to their SA services. The video is on YouTube, so hopefully I’m not infringing any copyright rules(?) – it might also be my last post containing videos.

When you book your holiday or flight

This is the starting point for SA. When you’re booking, (online, over the telephone or via a travel agent), be open about the fact that you need SA. I know that it’s not pleasant ‘exposing’ your weaknesses. But if you don’t share, they can’t assist. And they need a minimum period of 48 hours before you fly, to arrange the SA that your disability warrants.

If you’re booking online, there’s usually a ‘tick’ box that you’ll need to tick, somewhere on screen, that alerts them that you’re going to need SA. There’s normally also a separate dedicated SA telephone number on the website.

I personally have never just assumed that a tick in the box is sufficient. This might just be my own ‘control freaky’ nature. Once I’ve got the booking confirmed online, I phone the SA line and talk through my options.

The SA teams can also usually help with accessible accommodation – assuming you’re booking a package holiday, that is. But that’s an entirely separate blog post in its own right.

It’s worth you having a refresh of Part 1 of my blog, especially for the links on the CAA website for the types of SA that are available at each UK airport and for the major airlines flying into the UK.

3 categories of mobility: which ‘flavour’ are you?

The airline, generally uses 3 different measures for categorising the type of mobility assistance you need. These are whether you need SA from the check-in desk to:

1. the top of the airbridge/bottom of the airplane steps;
2. the airplane door; or,
3. your airplane seat.

As my MS has progressed, I’ve also progressed through all 3 ‘flavours’. I’m now waiting for salted caramel! Seriously though, just be honest with yourself over how capable and mobile you are. Before needing my wheelchair full time, I was pretty much in denial over the ‘flavour’ of SA that I actually needed. I wore blinkers to how bad my mobility had become. This caused me a whole load of unnecessary grief, (and Lisa a whole load of additional stress). Don’t be a numpty like me.

Booking a seat

I’m no airplane expert. But from my experiences, when flying around the EU, (short haul, usually 4 or 5 hours max), the ‘standard’ airplane is the 737, using a seating configuration of 3 seats, the aisle and then 3 more seats. I’ve not flown long haul with my wheelchair. I appreciate this is a different ball game and I’ll update the blog when I get around to flying long haul, (or at least on an airplane with 2 aisles and an accessible Washroom).

1st things 1st. There are a couple of things that I want to make clear, from my own experiences. These are:

1. You don’t sit in your own wheelchair during the flight – your wheelchair goes into the hold and you transfer to a standard airplane seat; and,
2. There is NO disabled washroom on a 737.

The picture opposite, shows a ‘stock’ photo of a 737. This is the usual, ‘standard’ class cabin that I’ve come across around the EU. This is the layout and the seats you should expect. I understand that on some 737’s there is a small allocation of 1st class seats. But whether they will be on your flight, depends on the airplane configuration the airline wants to use. In my experience, bank on it being like the photo.

The seat ‘menu’

When you book, you’ll usually get the option to book your seats. Bulkhead seats have more leg room than a standard seat. But there’s only a few of them. Also, the space in front of the bulkhead seats is normally one of the airplane’s emergency exit rows. If this is the case, the airline are unlikely to allocate these seats to passengers with limited or no mobility.

Jet2, for e.g., have a policy that if you need walking aids or have limited mobility, you can’t sit in an aisle chair. Instead, they’ll allocate you the window seat. This is to comply with safety regulations. You might get the middle seat if you’re travelling with a companion.

Transferring, pressure sores and a really cool website

I’ve always found that the seat armrests lift up. So, for me, transferring isn’t an issue. But again, know your limits. You might also want to take your wheelchair seat onboard with you, to sit on while you fly. This is not an issue with the airline, and the last thing you’ll want to start your holiday with, is a pressure sore.

I’ve attached below a link to SeatGuru. It’s a really useful planning tool as it shows the airplane layout and location of the onboard amenities by airline and flight number https://www.seatguru.com/

SA at and around the Airport

The pictures above illustrate what you’ll see at the airport. I was originally going to say ‘what you need to look out for’, but, from my own experiences, the moment your arrive at the airport in your wheelchair, the whole process just starts to ‘happen’. This is mainly because you stand out like a sore thumb when you’re in a wheelchair. This is in a good way. Being visibly different means the SA services will ‘reach out’ to you.

The main thing to note is that the airlines don’t have their own SA teams. The team is the airport’s team. The airline will have notified SA of the names & numbers of the passengers flying on a particular flight, that require SA – remember I mentioned earlier that you need to give the airline at least 48 hours notice of your needs before you travel? Now you know why.

Airport procedure when you’ve limited mobility

The airport ‘procedure’ that I follow, now that I’m in my wheelchair, is essentially the same that it was in the time BW – the time before wheelchair. There are a few ‘tweaks’ but it’s still the same process. If you want to know the steps and the ‘tweaks’ we make, they’re:

1. Check in desk (1). The eagle eyed airline staff are on the look out to assist you and move you up the line. They want to Fastrack you through the process. Who could have an issue with this?
2. Check in desk (2). When the check-in staff ask if you are stopping in your own wheelchair until you get on the airplane, the answer is YES. If you say NO, you’ll transfer to an airport wheelchair at this point, and your chair will disappear into the hold with the suitcases. The airport chair is unfamiliar and will, (most likely), be far more uncomfortable than your own wheelchair.
3. Check in desk (3). So you answer YES to point 2. At this stage, the wheelchair is flight ‘tagged’ by the check in staff. This shows you’re staying in the chair right upto the airplane door.
4. Special Assistance staff (1). Make your way to the SA team area. Give them your boarding card and they’ll be expecting you. I’ve always travelled with Lisa so we always make our own way round the airport and up to the Gate. But the SA team do always ask if I need assistance around the airport. It’s not because I’m a VIP – but of course, I am – it’s just all part of the SA service. Remember, ‘bloody wonderful’.
5. Special Assistance staff (2). Make sure the SA team know which ‘flavour’ of mobility passenger you are. Do you need SA to the Gate or to your airplane seat? This makes a massive difference to your airport experience and stress levels and depends entirely on whether, and how long/far, you can mobilise. Take away my chair, an I can’t independently mobilise. So I need SA right upto the airplane seat. This usually necessitates the Ambulift, (see below) and always the Aisle Wheelchair, (again see below).
6. Airport security. If you’re in your chair you’ll not be going though the scanner. Instead, you’ll need the security ‘pat down’. Personally, I’ve never had an issue with this. The security staff have always been professional and courteous. But, other people can see this differently – there are negative views on the Net.

Airside Baby!

Boom. You’re now airside. Now kill your time as you normally do – airport lounge, wander through duty free, constantly check the airport screens for when you need to ‘Go to Gate’ etc.

Will passenger Hurst, flying to Dublin, please make their way to Gate number 26

We’ve all heard similar messages coming from the airport tannoy. Now I’m in the wheelchair, I don’t want to hear them about me. I try to get to the Gate sooner rather than later, so the Gate staff know that I’m in a wheelchair. They can then make sure the SA staff come to the Gate to board me on the airplane. My preference to get to the Gate as soon as I can, is for 2 reasons:

1. I don’t want to increase my stress levels unnecessarily by being on the last minute getting to the Gate – travelling in a wheelchair can be stressful enough without you keeping everyone else on the flight waiting; and,
2. the airline staff might want to board you first, to minimise general boarding disruption. I’m old enough to be relatively comfortable in my own skin, but transferring from the Aisle Wheelchair to the fight seat can feel as though all eyes are on you. And this is not everyone’s cup of tea.

SA getting on the Plane

This depends on how the Ground Crew are boarding the airplane. But usually you’ll either be:

1. Taken down the airbridge to the airplane door; or,
2. loaded on the plane via the Ambulift – the what???

So what’s an Ambulift?

I had no idea what one was. But they’re absolutely ace. I found this really cool video on YouTube (again) and thought I’d ‘borrow’ it (again). Basically, SA take you from the Gate, (in your own wheelchair) to the Ambulift. There’s a platform at the back of the Ambulift that you roll onto. This platform lifts you to the level of the main carrier, (the big white box).

Then, the Ambulift is driven to the airplane and it ‘docks’ onto the airplane, at a side door. Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean.

Another little video

In and out of the Aisle Wheelchair

This is when my stress levels start to rise again. It’s time to leave the Ambulift and transfer to your airplane seat. If you’re boarding via an Airbridge, at this point you’ll be sitting waiting at the airplane door in your own comfy wheelchair.

As you already know from earlier in this post, you don’t get to fly in your own wheelchair. So how do you get from the Ambulift, (or the airplane door) to your seat? Enter the Aisle Wheelchair! How’s this beauty for glamour?

I can stand and transfer. I’m doddery, but I can transfer independently. If you can’t transfer on your own, let the SA team know how to transfer you. It’s your body and you know how you need lifting. You don’t want an injury, or to fall out of the chair while transferring. While all the transfer malarkey happens, your wheelchair is taken by the SA team and passed to the baggage handlers to be loaded in the the airplane hold. One tip from me is to remove your side guards and seat cushion from your wheelchair and take them with you into the cabin. The flight crew don’t bat an eyelid over this. You also have the peace of mind knowing these removable parts of your chair are travelling with you and won’t be lost.

Losing your legs?

Losing your ‘legs’ is emotional. You take a massive leap of faith, trusting that when you arrive at your destination, your legs will be there as well, and in one piece. However, until the legislators change the rules allowing your wheelchair into the cabin, and to be your flight seat, this is what you have to do if you want to fly.

Search the Net and you’ll find umpteen videos showing how your wheelchair gets wrestled loaded into the hold. You’ll also find umpteen reports of the damage that can happen. Unfortunately it happens. I think we’re all playing the ‘odds’ game in this regard. Thankfully it hasn’t happened, (yet(?)), to me.

I’d sooner not worry about it. I accept it’s another risk associated with flying. I don’t like it. But I want to travel, so I have to take the risk. The Montreal Convention, is the airline regulation that governs how much an airline needs to pay you if your wheelchair is lost or damaged in transit. The maximum they need to compensate is c. £1,200. Aaaaargh!

As this is considerably less than the cost of a replacement wheelchair, make sure you have adequate insurance in place before you fly. My wheelchair is insured on my house insurance as well as my travel insurance.

So what assistance do you get inflight?

I’ve taken this handy wording from the British Airways website, but the content is pretty universal:

During your journey you will need to look after:
personal care during the flight, such as eating and taking medicine
personal care in the washroom
the needs of your assistance dog

You will need to travel with a safety assistant if you need help to do any of the following:
lift yourself, for example in our out of your seat
reach an emergency exit unaided
communicate with the crew on safety matters
unfasten your seat belt
retrieve and fit a life jacket
fit an oxygen mask

British Airways, What Assistance is Available?

The inflight toilet

I’ll give this special mention. It’s my own personal ‘terror’. I’ve vowed to myself to resolve the terror before any trips this year. I’ll let you know how I get on with that, but a ‘leg bag’ is looking favourite for now. Through management – limiting fluid intake, (which is not a great idea) – and no doubt a massive amount of luck, I haven’t needed to use the onboard toilet since I became a full time wheelchair user.

I believe that every airplane has to fly with an Aisle wheelchair onboard. I also believe the cabin crew are trained to help you transfer to the Aisle Wheelchair and will take you to the door of the toilet, (and back to your seat after). But despite making 4 return flights as a wheelchair user, and blogging about wheelchair travel, I feel embarrassed that I don’t know this with cast iron certainty.

However, I do know that once you are at the toilet, you’re on your own. This is perfectly understandable. But compared to the grab rails and space in an accessible bathroom, an inflight toilet is TINY. Never mind there not being ‘enough room to swing a cat’, I think you’d struggle trying to swing a mouse!

SA at your destination airport: what to expect

I have found this to be pretty much a reversal of what you experience on the way out of the UK, and, for me (so far), my experiences are all good ones. To summarise, the process is usually:

1. Remain in your seat until every other passenger has left the airplane. Don’t worry if you’re still sat there when the cleaning crew arrive to spruce up the airplane for the return flight. The cabin crew remain on hand and are usually good fun.
2. when the ground crew arrive it’ll either be to take you into the terminal via the Ambulift or to get you from your seat to the Airbridge. Either way, it’s back into the Aisle Wheelchair to get you out of the airplane. As regards when you’ll be reunited with your ‘legs’, it varies. I’ve had them waiting for me in the Airbridge, in the Ambulift or down in baggage reclaim. Everywhere is different.
3. You’re off the airplane and back on the ground. At this stage, the SA usually gets even better. To rebalance the fact that you were last off the plane, the SA team accompany you through Passport Control. This is usually a ‘Fastrack’, supreme experience that sees you pushed to the front of the queue.
4. Baggage reclaim is as it always is. Albeit SA always help reunite me with my luggage. Then it’s into the Arrivals hall. This is where there’s usually a lot of gratitude and hand shaking as the SA team exit stage left. They ask where you’re going to, and how you’re getting there etc., and then point you in the right direction.

I just have to give a special shout out at this stage to the SA team at Fiumicino airport, Rome. They really were ‘special’. They came with us from the arrivals hall, over the road to the train station for the Leonardo Express into Rome, (see my Rome post for the details). They were even prepared to travel with us the 30 minutes into Rome. 5***** service!

Final thoughts

My ‘message to self’ is to find out about the whole in-flight toilet saga, once and for all. Slay the demons!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and I hope it’s encouraged those frightened by the thoughts of travelling, to give it a go. In the final part – Part 3 – I’ll cover some handy tips that I’ve been grateful of on my travels. Bye bye for now.