Kay

Elderly relative must change planes to get to New England for fall visit. I am picking which airport to meet her in to help change planes and which destination airport. Would like airport where change of planes in same concourse and destination airport where Hertz rental cars are in airport or very short shuttle ride. Any advice you can give is appreciated.

Airports for changing planes:
PIT, PHL, or DCA with USAirways

Destination airports:
BOS, PVD, BDL, ORH

Liz

US Airways uses B&C concourses in Phila., and possibly even more as PHL is one of their hubs.

bm

If memory serves me correctly, USAIR utilizes more that one concourse at PIT also.
As far as once arriving in New England, what is your "final" destination? Manchester (MHT) is great for northern New England. The airport is small and easy to navigate. Not familiar w/renting a car there though. Bradley (BDL) is good for southern VT/Western Mass and CT and PVD, similar in size to Manchester would be great if you were planning on visiting southern New England. Hope this helps!

help

Pit(pittsburh) is in a shape of an X...Concourse A runs Gates1-25 1nd B runs 26 to 50....you can get shuttle service(large golf cart type shuttles that pick you up at your gate or wheelchairs)...it is a very nice Airport,not complicated to get around with shoppes and food areas in the middle...also little food areas down each concourse..of the airports I have been to probably the easiest to navigate...try pitairport.com--for map of PIT-----

Emmy

Have flown into MHT. Excellent small airport. Rental car agencies near baggage claim. No shuttle van for cars (just outside of door, I assume you could drive around and pick up relative)

John

DCA would be quite easy for a single-terminal connection. Providence or Bradley are my choices for destination although ORH (Worcester, right) is so small that rental car should be easy as pie. Only problem is that the plane will be VERY SMALL.

Donna F

Request wheelchair assistance. When I picked up elderly relatives at MHT last year, they had already arranged for a wheelchair. My husband's uncle was wheeled all the way out to my car. I usually fly USAir and one time when a delayed flight meant a quick change, a mobile cart was waiting for us even though we are able bodied. We didn't ask for a cart, the airline did because our plane was waiting for us. MHT is a great airport, I've heard Providence is just as nice and small. A lot of people are avoiding Boston if they can. The traffic is too difficult. When my sister has to use Boston she goes a couple of hours early and still crosses her fingers that they get to the airport on time when it's a late afternoon flight.

Kay

Thanks for all the help. I do always request wheelchair assistance, but sometimes a hub gets busy and noisy, chairs and carts get full, she has trouble hearing over the roar, all making her nervous and exhausting her.

Thus, I have found that smaller airports or changes that do not require trains, trams, etc. to another concourse are much better for her even when accompanied. Thanks, therefore for the specifics on PIT and PHL. I'll continue to look for alternatives, but I think her other options are NW through Detroit or Continental through Newark. Neither of which thrill me.

Same for the destination airport--if it's smaller and quieter she thinks everything is better even if it takes just as long to get the car or check-in for return as it does at a larger airport. That's why I'm checking so many destination airports. We have to go to Boston to see a relative, but rest of sightseeing trip will partially be arranged around the best airport for her.

Donna F

Detroit, aaack! I just flew NW for the first time and had to stop twice on a trip to Seattle. In Minneapolis they decided the plane needed repairs so we had to get off the plane and go to another gate ... far, far away. In Detroit, by the time we got to a distant gate, we got changed to a different one which was far, far away. I thought I had misread the monitor but nope, everyone around me was grumbling and the guy next to me was on the phone complaining about Detroit being one of the worst airports he'd ever been to. Not much in the way of food stands plus NW didn't feel we needed breakfast on the trip back. We had boarded Seattle at 10:30 PM and got to Detroit with barely enough time to get to the next gate for a 6:45 AM flight. All we got was a beverage. (First class got a meal.) The planes were roomy but I was pretty hungry by the time we got to MHT at 8:20AM.

Emmy

If your relative has trouble climbing stairs, Newark, more than likely, is not the airport to transfer in. When I transferred in Newark, on Continental, left the plan, when up an escalator, down one terminal, through another check in area (for the smaller planes) when down another terminal, waited, waited, and waited some more, then went through the gate, down stairs (may have been an elevator there, but I didn't use one) onto a bus, bus took us out to small plane in the middle of New Jersey, then off bus and up stair onto plane.

I still highly recommend MHT airport, about an hour non-rush-hour drive from Boston.

mm

You are not specific about where she's starting and where she's ending up -- this would be very helpful information.

Have you considered: a companion traveler? It actually may be cheaper to buy a second ticket on the most direct route for someone to go with her than to route her around Robin Hood's barn. Also, if anyone in the family has a "companion ticket" for signing up for a credit card, that might also be an idea.

joe

You might check with the airline to see if they offer elderly assistance as they do for unaccompanied minors.
Providence would be my choice, and Boston Logan would be my absolute worst nightmare. A 20 year old brain surgeon olympian could not navigate this mess-of-an-airport which is currently in the middle of an ill-planned renovation

Clousie

As others have mentioned, it'd be helpful to know her originating city and final destination. However, since you mentioned Phia. or Pittsburg, perhaps Allentown (ABE) may work. I met my parents there many times when they flew USAir or Delta from Florida, and it's a very comfortable, single terminal, airport to navigate.

cissy

-
Kay:

I can advise which destination airport you should NOT use --- Boston Logan is a madhouse.

Even my own mother who lives in area won't come to airport to pick me up. It's too daunting for her to manage. And she's lived in MA for all of her 80 yrs.

paula

Definitely Providence!! Most major airlines fly into PVD, the gates are all on one level (two arms of a T shape)and you can walk out the door to the rental caar places or the shuttle to the parking lots. Service people are extremly helpful and courteous. PVD gives easy access to 95 and 295 and beyond.

I also live w/in an hour ride of Bradley -that would be my second choice, only because there is some construction right now which makes things a little challenging. However, the previous poster is right - it depends on where you are coming from to meet her. Bradley has easy access to 91 (north to the Mass Pike and South to Rte 84).

Boston (alos an hour away from me) is a mess - avoid it if you can. Though they are extremley helpful to passengers, it can be tough getting around when you know where you are heading! Good luck!

paula

Oh - Worcester....very easy, very small. Not easy to get to if you do not know your way around Worcester. AND though they are trying to change this, it is much more expensive to fly into Worcester. This airport is only 0.5 hour from my house, but we rarely use it due to the added expense.

BTilke

A second vote for investigating whether you could fit a change at ABE instead of the Philadelphia or other big airport. ABE is compact, simple, and extremely easy to get around in and service is more personal than at most airports--I think your elderly relative would be well looked after by folks in the airport.
BTilke