mom2boys

My Grandmother wants to attend her youngest grandchild's college gradution in another state. She is 88 and doesn't move quickly. We are concerned about her between the security check point and boarding the plane. What provisions do the airlines make for seniors needing some assistance?

GoTravel

Wheelchair or golf cart is about it inside the terminal. Wheelchairs only go to the end of the ramp and don't go on the planes.

Early boarding also.

rkkwan

Call the airline ahead. Then once you arrive, let them know again, and they'll arrange the wheelchairs and carts. My aunt, who's 89, flew from Houston to Toronto recently, and the only time she really has to walk is to climb up to the regional jet from the tarmac. Also she has to go through the metal detector at the security checkpoint under her own power.

Also get her a seat near the front of the plane. Call the airline if you can't do it online.

Get to the airport early.

MerryTravel

I don't know how common this is or how you'd go about arranging it, but I've also seen people (family/friends, not airline employees) accompany older passengers to their gates.

Statia

My mother travels with wheelchair assistance all the time. She has never had a problem being accompanied by the airlines thru security and to the gate.

I agree that calling the airline ahead and making wheelchair assistance arrangements is key. Don't leave it for the last minute.

I'm sure the airlines will be very accomodating to your grandmother and she will have no problem.

suze

Call and request a wheel chair.

This should take her right from the check-in counter, thru security clearance, and deliver her to the departure gate. An airport staff person pushes and provides an escort all the way.

(I found out about all of this after knee surgery last year. People were extremely nice about it in my experience.)

gail

Beyond what is mentioned above, some other things you can do to make her trip easier - try not to get her on last flight of the day since if it is delayed, she may end up spending the night near the airport. If there is anyway you can use miles or pay to upgrade her to business class or first class, it would make the trip more comfortable. An aisle seat would be nice if you can not.

If she has not flown recently, make sure she is aware of all the ever-changing security rules. Make sure she has a snack with her, since she may have flown in the age when airlines fed you.

Dehydration can be a concern - some elderly women try to limit their fluid intake, especially when out since they have age-related bladder leakage issues. That plus the restriction of carry-on water and fear of not being able to get to the bathroom on the plane may make her at risk.

How wonderful she can attend - I am sure it will be an important event for everyone.

FainaAgain

This is what I saw on the last flight: the elderly in wheelchairs are left sitting in front of the boarding gate. Not even water offered!

Before the boarding, they were wheeled in and helped into seats.

kgh8m

To follow on with what Gail said...

Several years ago, my grandmother joined my parents and me on a trip. She had not flown in years (and this was still pre-9/11) and she got really addled by the security screening process (even getting a bit belligerent with the screener who wanted her to remove her overcoat). Now that security is even tighter, if your grandmother hasn't flown in a while, it would be best to prepare her for exactly how security will be, incl. what kind of things she will be allowed to carry in her purse, so she does not become confused at why everyone is being so demanding and stern.

Underhill

There's a narrow wheelchair that goes down the aisle on the plane if needed. When you call the airline to make arrangements the person you talk to will probably ask if your grandmother can walk onto the plane; if not, the special wheelchair comes into play.

I've needed a wheelchair this past year because of knee problems, and the only difficulty is when planes don't leave from a jetway and I have to climb up and down stairs.

sylvia3

You can easily get a pass from your airline to get through security to accompany someone who needs assistance. Make sure someone on the other end has done the same thing. I wouldn't trust people to take care of her within the terminal.

J_Correa

My grandmother resisted flying for awhile, but we finally got her on a plane and now she is ready to fly anyplace anytime (as long as someone buys her ticket - LOL). She is 85 and loves the attention she gets from the skycaps who push the wheel chair. My grandmother is quite the flirt - LOL.

Elainee

Be certain you grandmother has identification with her. My mother was 90 and in a wheelchair with a nurse. She no longer carried a pocketbook and had no identification. She was refused boarding. Next day she came back with identification..no problem.

dherron

As others have mentioned, first of all, call the airline ahead of time to make arrangements. When arriving at the airport, you can have a skycap outside get a wheelchair for you. An assistant will stay with your grandmother and push the wheelchair. I don't see that anyone else has mentioned tipping the attendant but I always do (when traveling with my older mother or my disabled husband). I've never known what is an acceptable tip but I always give them $3.00. They'll get $5.00 if they do anything extraordinary (i.e., wait outside the bathroom, have a really long walk, entertain their wheelchair passenger, etc.).

By calling the airlines ahead of time you can be assured they will do everything to assist your grandmother. If she cannot walk down the aisle of the plane, they will provide a wheelchair that goes down the aisle. If she cannot ascend or descend stairs and the plane is not on a ramp, they will provide a mini-elevator. They will also have a wheelchair waiting for her when she is ready to deplane.

If she needs assistance getting off the plane, she should notify the flight attendant on board or let the gate agent know before she boards the plane. Again, they will ensure that she receives the care she needs. In fact, they are bound by law to do so.

I've only had one problem when traveling with my mother. When in Rome, they insisted they either needed to get us to the gate (where the plane was being delayed by 3 hours) or they would have to take the wheelchair and we could not have it back. My mother is mobile (but with arthritic knees) and insisted she would be okay to walk to the gate when we were ready to go. Although, technically, and legally, I do believe we could have owned Continental for this major faux pas.

Ideally, someone would travel with your grandmother as 88 year olds seem to get easily confused, frustrated, frightened, etc. But even if she goes it alone, I believe she will be in good hands with the airlines.

MerryTravel

dherron brings up a good point about tipping. There was a column in our paper a year or so ago that skycaps and cart drivers at our airport make less than minimum wage because they're supposed to rely on tips (like waitstaff at restaurants), but they're not allowed to tell their customers that fact.

suze

Thank you for the tipping tip. I didn't know that(!) as I only used the service that one trip when a last minute injury made walking near impossible. As an ex-waitress I feel awful not to know the proper etiquette.

DebitNM

Following up with the tip that she drinks water to avoid dehydration and the fear of not making it to the restroom in time [or not wanting to even have to get up and therefore not drinking] perhaps she might be encouraged to wear Depends on the plane...just in care. MY MIL does this now, as she would rather endure wearing them [and her selfimposed embrassment, since no one knows she is wearing them] than face to alternative.

Hope this helps...
Debi

Cole2006

Kind of a cheap tip if you ask me.

Barbara

My mother used this service a few months ago flying from EDI to LAX. Her big worry was getting lost in Heathrow, plus it was a long walk from her arrival gate to departure gate there, even though they're both in terminal 1. We had discussed in detail what she needed to do and how much to tip. When she checked in at EDI, this was with BA the whole trip, she didn't need a wheelchair there, but the agent called LHR and made sure there would be a chair waiting for her as soon as she got off the plane, in the jetway.

When I was waiting for her at LAX, I noticed a lot of seniors using this service and they had two people helping them, one to push the chair and one to take care of their luggage. So you may have to be prepared to tip two people. Also, I think that if they shepherd your relative through immigration, get their luggage for them, etc. the tip should be at least $10 each. As it happened, there was not chair waiting for her at LAX. She was OK with it, but I was not very pleased. So, in the event there isn't a chair waiting, the senior has to speak up and ask one of the agents. It may be best to talk tio a flight attendant before arrival. My mom did this on her return trip and had no problems, even though her flight from LAX arrived late at Heathrow and she had very little time to get to the next gate.

It's a great service, but like everything else, screw-ups can happen, so you have to plan ahead.

LoveItaly

I had to use a wheelchair once (do to an injured knee from a fall in Italy). I tipped the porter $10.00 (thank goodness I thought of it at almost the last minute).