Disabled Access On A Plane

Disabled Access on a Plane

http://www.sagetraveling.com/Plane

International plane travel is not very different than plane travel within
the United States, however there are a few exceptions.
• The flights from the USA to Europe will leave in the afternoon or evening
and will arrive the following day.
• Because the plane flights are at least 7 hours, a few additional challenges
arise.

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Sitting for long periods of time
The first challenge is that sitting for that length of time may be a problem
for some people. Fortunately, some overseas flights use bigger planes that
have bigger seats that recline further than those on US domestic flights.

This is true for both Coach and Business
Class. Some airlines have seats that lie
completely flat in Business Class (which
certainly makes sleeping easier), but
the cost for Business Class is about 7 or
8 times more expensive than Coach.
You can sit on your wheelchair cushion
if you need to.


Using the bathroom
The second challenge is using the bathroom during the flight. This is
generally not a problem because a folding “aisle chair” is kept onboard,
and the flight attendants can help you get to the bathroom. The onboard
aisle chair is similar to the aisle chair used to board the plane – it is very
narrow and has four very small wheels underneath it.


Using the bathroom
There are no big wheels to push so you will need a flight attendant to push
you. There is at least one accessible bathroom onboard which is big
enough to fit the aisle chair in. Flight attendants can help you transfer if
you need it. They’ll appreciate it if you do not ask for assistance while they
are serving meals. Other options include using a leg bag or peeing
discretely into a bottle while in your seat…which is really easy to do if
everyone is asleep (hey, ya do what ya gotta do!)


Seat Selection
As for your seat selection, you have a few options. The typical layout of a
row on an international plane is window, 2 seats, aisle, 3 or 4 seats in the
middle, aisle, 2 seats, then the window. The first option is to take an aisle
seat in the bulkhead, which is the first row behind Business Class. There is
additional leg room in the row, and it allows people sitting next to you to
exit the row more easily. The problem with the bulkhead is that the arms
do not fold up because they contain the trays.


Seat Selection
This can make for an awkward transfer. The second option is to sit in a
window seat on a row that is not in the bulkhead. The arms fold up on
these seats which makes the transfer easier. Additionally, if you sit at the
window no one will need to climb over you. The third option is to get an
aisle seat in the middle portion of a non-bulkhead row. The persons sitting
on either side of you can exit to either aisle rather than climbing over
you. The decision really depends on how well you transfer and how many
people you have with you.


Flight Transfers
When I have a layover in the USA, I always insist on having my wheelchair
brought to me at the door of the plane and pushing myself to my next
flight. In Europe, I have found that this is not necessarily the standard way
of doing things. When I have had layovers in Paris, sometimes they will
transfer me to an airport wheelchair, and an airport employee will push me
through customs and to another terminal.


Flight Transfers
The plus side of doing it this way is that you avoid a potentially long
customs line and you’ve got an airport employee to help you navigate the
various terminals. The potential downside is if your flight is delayed, you
may have some difficulty figuring out where your wheelchair ends up. Be
sure that they put a baggage check tag on your wheelchair….if you get
separated from it, they will be able to easily locate it.


Miscellaneous
Most flight attendants on flights within Europe will speak English. -
Normally I stay in my own chair until I get to the plane, but at the Berlin
airport I was asked to transfer into an airport wheelchair so that they could
run my wheelchair through the X-ray machine. I then stayed in the airport
wheelchair until I got to the plane.- On some flights, the plane will park on
the runway rather than pulling up to the jetway. To get on and off the
plane, the airport personnel will get you off the plane by using an elevating
vehicle that is similar to the one they use to load the meals onto the
plane. There are no challenges with this….it’s just a little different.


Miscellaneous
- Very important info about RyanAir! You have to inform them when you
book the flight (or at least 24 hours before the flight) that you will need
assistance boarding the flight. They need to reserve assistance at the
airport, and they will not let you board otherwise! Seriously! This has been
a big controversy and is not the case with British Airways, Air France, Easy
Jet, etc… RyanAir and EasyJet are the cheapest flights within Europe.- All
flight attendants on trans-Atlantic flights will speak English.


We look forward to making your accessible dream vacation a reality!

Call Us: 1-888-645-7920

Contact us at info@sagetraveling.com

http://www.sagetraveling.com/Plane

http://www.sagetraveling.com

http://www.sagetraveling.com/

Disabled Access On A Plane

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