This is a general inquiry and I wasn't sure how to n ame the topic. I have been a frequent poster (mainly to ask questions) on Fodors but my husband and I are close to hitting a block. Up til now we have been able to travel for two weeks a year, mainly to london and europe, leaving our special needs child with our other children. The time has come where our children now want to travel on their own and we need to now incude our gorgeous son in our plans. The USA is the most accessible country and we are thinking that Hawaii is a good place for us to holiday as he loves the beach type places. BUsiness class is probably the best way for us to travel. to accommodate his wheel chair and the difficulties associated with his toileting needs. I have been looking on line for a "cheap" business class fare, we don't need the classy food and treatment but the extra leg room is a must. Is there a discount airline or a particular time of the year that we should look at for cheaper travel to Hawai?

Is there another place, with the sun and water that is equally accessable that we should look at? Any ideas, big or small would be appreciated. Thank you.
PS My son is in a wheel chair, a small manual type one and has some mobility. We dont need accessible rooms., but have found that many places which claim to be accessible, end up having stairs to the pool or stairs to the restaurant, even stairs to the lift (oh sorry about that, never gave it a thought ??)

Where would you be flying from - that might help with other possible beach destinations that might be less in terms of airfare?

I am a rehab RN and somewhat sensitive to needs of those with mobility disabilities and travel. First, the flight. In general a person's wheelchair is not used on the plane. They transfer to a very thin "transport chair" which is wheeled down the plane aisle. This is usually done prior to boarding of other passengers for convenience and, hopefully, dignity. Usually a person is seated on a blanket to make then lifting them up onto the same transport type chair after the flight easier - and is done when other passengers have left the plane.

Toileting on a plane is a problem. The transport chair is not left on the plane. If a person can walk a short distance with assistance, you then have the problem of the plane bathrooms, which are tiny and it would be impossible to fit a second person in there to assist. Sometimes the configuration of the bathrooms is such that a door can be left open for privacy and assistance, but not usually. People I know who can not use the plane bathroom independently unfortunately resort to fluid restrictions, catheters, diapers and hope to avoid using them. I know, not a good solution.

Accessibility. People are clueless. You must be really, rellay specific about what you need and then ask several times. "Are there steps to the restaurant" for example. For some reason people think that one step is not a problem - but as you know, for a wheelchair it might as well be a mountain.

I might consider Florida - since there are so many elderly with mobility disabilities who both live and vacation there they seem to be somewhat more knowledgeable. I have never been to Hawaii, so can't help there. Another possibility that is certain to be accessible is a cruise.

Have you looked into Jet Blue? Not sure if it would work for you but in coach they have much more room between rows than other airlines (I'm actually comfortable - even NYC to LA - which I ordinarily pay extra to go business since the seats and rows are squished together so closely.

As for toilets - check with the airlines since I believe there are some planes (largest ones) that may actually have a handicap bathroom. (I haven;t seen one recently on short haul flights - but I do remember seeing larger toilets with wall bars on some of the largest planes.)

the other option is driving. I don;t know where you live - but airports and planes can be very challenging even for people with minor mobility issues. Are there any places close enough that you can drive - or train to them?

I'm guessing from her screen name and other posts she's coming form Australia which means jetblue would not do much good

United Airlines from SYD has Economy plus seats which give extra leg room and not anything else. From OZ I don't know of any discount airlines to HI but if you're coming form somewhere else you should post that.

Discount Biz class, usually a Z fare, are fares you can buy way in advance but you just have to keep looking for sales,

It may be hard to find 'cheap' business class tickets, but might be worth the expense to travel business. United economy plus does give you more leg room but business class will be even more leg room and wider seats. Another perk is fewer people using the designated restrooms which results in no or shorter lines that might be important depending on your son's needs. Also, if you are in business class and talk to the stewardess, you may be able to use the first class restrooms if their locations would give more privacy if the door needs to be open to assist him.

Rates are low in mid-May but probably because there's a sale on booking 90 days ahead.....I don't think that business class fares fluctuate much, the sales are for economy fares. Do you all need to fly business class or just one?

For accessible hotels you really need to call or email the manager and get precise details.

For discounts on First or Busness Class:

1.) check the individual airlines website (for reg price Bus Class and any Specials)
2.) Cook Travel has specials http://www.cooktravel.net/
3.) Subscribe to First Class Flyerhttp://www.firstclassflyer.com/firstclassflyer/about/
4.) Check this website http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/index.php

navigating flyertalk to look for Business class fares is a really poor idea. The forums are broken up by airline and the only forum that MIGHT be helpful is the Mileage Run forum, which is for people looking for cheap fares to get airline status, not for special needs families.
And i say that as a multi year poster on FT who loves it dearly.

Consider Southern California.

They are used to families with strollers in Orange County--especially Anaheim but also the nearby beaches. San Diego is another good option. My in-laws took my brother-in-law there, did many activities (including Sea World). He used a wheelchair and it went well.

mztery..I posted Flyer Talk as they have a seperate section for Disability Travel that might be helpful..

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/disability-travel-224/

If the poster is from Australia, then the best option would be Jetstar's Star Class (Business Class). They currently have one way Star Class specials for $899.

If you look at the other options such as Hawaiian Airlines then you are looking at around $4200 return or $6200 on Qantas

United would be no good as you need to go to LAX or SFO and then head back to Honolulu

Isn't there somewhere closer to home that would still get you and your family to a nice beach and not be so expensive, far away and require so much time on a plane?

If you have your heart set on Hawaii, perhaps Make A Wish could help??

http://www.makeawish.org.au/NetCommu....aspx?pid=1513

If you go to Hawaii -
http://www.accessalohatravel.com/

http://www.accessalohatravel.com/faq/#4

http://www.globalaccessnews.com/hawaii2000.htm

Beach info -
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ccessible.html

Apparently all of Singapore Airlines' fleet have handicapped-accessible toilets. I'm pretty sure there's a standard accessible-toilet template used by the airlines when they're specifying their cabin layouts to the aircraft manufacturers. (I know for example that one of the loos in the business-class section of American Airlines' 777s is wheelchair-accessible. I'd assume that airlines who have them would also have on-board "airline" wheelchairs to facilitate pax in need of them getting to the toilet. It might be worth phoning a couple of the airlines and speaking to someone in customer service to pin down your options.

If you chose Singapore, then of course you could go pretty much anywhere in Asia for a holiday, but you'd have fewer options to North America since Singapore only uses Singapore itself, Hong Kong or Tokyo for its transpacific services.

You might also look at around-the-world or circle Pacific fares in business class or premium economy (Qantas has PE, as do Virgin Australia.) These seats would be considerably bigger then United's "economy plus" and might be easier on everyone's system. In business class, RTWs or Circle Pacific are not cheap when originating in Oz, but (surprisingly) can be considerably cheaper if originating in NZ. Of course you'd need to cross the Tasman at the beginning or end.

Hawaii is cheaper during the northern summer, but it can also be very hot and humid then, also rainy in places. If it was me I'd also consider Singapore itself, nearby parts of Malaysia, and maybe some places in the South Pacific - Fiji and the Cook Islands come to mind. For the US mainland, California obviously. I too would also consider a cruise someplace - the amenities are always high, accessibility is easy, and once you've unpacked once you're good to go for the rest of the trip.

Debit, only children with life-threatening conditions are eligible for Make a Wish grants. It sounds like the OP's child is special needs, but probably doesn't meet the eligibility criteria.