Wheelchairs in airports.
Jul 17th, 2004, 10:30 AM
#1
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Wheelchairs in airports.
My better half has rather suddenly developed a very sore hip so that she has trouble walking. :-<
We have made arrangements thru our travel company for a wheelchair In each of the airports involved (LAX-SFO-FRA-Milan) UAL and LH.
Is it customary to tip the attendents?
Is there anything else that I should know??
:-B
We have made arrangements thru our travel company for a wheelchair In each of the airports involved (LAX-SFO-FRA-Milan) UAL and LH.
Is it customary to tip the attendents?
Is there anything else that I should know??
:-B
Jul 19th, 2004, 03:00 PM
#3
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In the US everyone expects a tip, so figure $3 - $5 each stop. In Europe, you can offer a tip in the same price range (to pay in local currency, the euro - it might be accepted or not.
Though lately we've noticed porters at airports outside U.S. who previously didn't accept tips, are now accepting, even with a sign indicating how much was expected.
Though lately we've noticed porters at airports outside U.S. who previously didn't accept tips, are now accepting, even with a sign indicating how much was expected.
Jul 25th, 2004, 12:23 PM
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Yes tip!
A member of my family requires a wheelchair and generally the service we get at airports is nothing short of fantastic, even when travelling in Economy
At certain airports (Hong Kong and Heathrow were the most memorable) we whistled through to the Diplomatic passport control, luggage was collected by the porter and brought to us, we were then whisked very quickly through customs directly to our transport.
San Francisco was okay. The Porter was very courteous and helpful, but we did have to queue for over 50 minutes in immigration - so if you are in any doubt get the wheelchair as the queues here can be quite long.
Always keep an eye out for special needs check-ins as well as special needs lanes at immigration (Auclkand particularly good here).
Always draw your attention to the gate staff, and you should be able to board and settle in 5 minutes before other passengers are allowed to board. But as a similar courtesy to other passengers we always wait to the end to leave the aircraft, so as not to hold people up.
The major advantage we have found with using the wheelchair at the airport is that it announces your presence
A member of my family requires a wheelchair and generally the service we get at airports is nothing short of fantastic, even when travelling in Economy
At certain airports (Hong Kong and Heathrow were the most memorable) we whistled through to the Diplomatic passport control, luggage was collected by the porter and brought to us, we were then whisked very quickly through customs directly to our transport.
San Francisco was okay. The Porter was very courteous and helpful, but we did have to queue for over 50 minutes in immigration - so if you are in any doubt get the wheelchair as the queues here can be quite long.
Always keep an eye out for special needs check-ins as well as special needs lanes at immigration (Auclkand particularly good here).
Always draw your attention to the gate staff, and you should be able to board and settle in 5 minutes before other passengers are allowed to board. But as a similar courtesy to other passengers we always wait to the end to leave the aircraft, so as not to hold people up.
The major advantage we have found with using the wheelchair at the airport is that it announces your presence
Jul 26th, 2004, 12:04 PM
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Do a search for wheelchair... There was a good thread on this topic last month.
Do tip- most of the time, the people pushing the chair will be working on minimum wage and will not be employed by the airlines. They will probably be able to get you through the security lines faster. Also, they may offer you a ride on a motorized cart down the concourse instead, which is great. It's so much faster!
Have a great trip!
Do tip- most of the time, the people pushing the chair will be working on minimum wage and will not be employed by the airlines. They will probably be able to get you through the security lines faster. Also, they may offer you a ride on a motorized cart down the concourse instead, which is great. It's so much faster!
Have a great trip!
