B. The Sine qua non - airplane, wheels, housing.
1. AIRPLANE: Economy or First class? was NOT a question. The fares for Britt, me and his student assistant were already more than a thousand bucks. No way would I pay more. I was sort of hoping that Delta (the cheapest online that I could buy) would be as sweet as JAL was the time we went to Japan: no questions asked, they upgraded me and Britt to business class. But the Delta flights both ways were fully booked, so that was that. We were a large party of seven traveling: Britt; myself; a student assistant who will help mainly with lip-reading; one of two graduate students who wanted to meet the demi-gods of ethnomethodology that Britt was going to see; and my two tweenaged nieces.
Know way ahead how the carrier handles people with special travel needs. Check the carrier website. I first pored through Delta's on disabled travelers. Airlines that outsource reservation function to call centers should rethink this strategy. I am not being discriminatory but there is something about the resulting frustration when the common language, English, is not spoken clearly. It was embarrassing how many times I had to have the guy on the other end to repeat himself. And he was sooooo sweet, too. He would put me on hold to refer to his supervisor. With the music on, you know he is still online but he would come back to me every 2-3 minutes and ask if I could hold for 2-3 minutes more. I call that consideration but I did need somebody whom I could understand without several repeats.
Unquestionably, transporting a man in a wheelchair whose only gross movement involved a shaking of the head is a special need. I needed the airline to understand that Britt needed to be in his own wheelchair all the way to the boarding area; that although I had others traveling with us, we were not in a position to transfer him to his airplane seat without assistance, mechanical or human; that Britt needed special handling with some quick understanding of his disabilities and respectful of his condition as well as his dignity. I described to several reservation agents what Britt's situation was. I even emailed them directly. I wanted them to know that "this man is long, not heavy. But he is dead weight - he cannot help at all." I had seen the dreadful aisle chair - a device that is nothing more than a slightly reconfigured hand cart- that they said would be used to take him from the outside of the plane to his seat. If airline carriers are serious in assisting disabled passengers, the aisle chair is one of the things that need to be improved to provide safety as well as allow dignified handling of the disabled.
To address this concern, I tried to convince them that I could purchase a portable lift that can be stored in the cabin after using it to transfer Britt to the airplane seat. I argued that a portable Advance Hoyer lift (http://www.phc-online.com/v/vspfiles/html/lift_hoy_advance.shtml) may do the job better than we could ever do with the aisle chair or human strength. However, the agent said the airline will not allow this device, for which reason I could not understand. Still, someone may yet test my theory.
Two hours before flight time? Make that three! Disabled travelers appear to be an uncommon occurrence at ticket counters that many counter personnel may be very unfamiliar with the procedures of checking them in. The ones who checked us in both airports needed assistance from supervisors/senior personnel, in person and by phone. I pointed out that we are entitled to one free luggage which contained three of Britt's machines: compressor, tabletop suction machine and chest percussor. One other box contained most of his other care needs (suction catheters, wash basin, etc.) but I believe this does not qualify for free, although, looking back, I should have asked for sure. There will be delays at the ticket counter because of the situation so make sure there is ample time to check and recheck - for you and the counter people.
I can't tell now whether talking to the airline agents multiple times several weeks before about Britt's transfer made any difference. Describing his condition and asking specifically for strong, tall people to be on hand to help did not translate into reality. Two potbellied small Filipinos at the HNL airport were assigned to assist us. I ended up making the manual transfer myself (thanks to adrenalin, obviously) because their self-doubt increased my own about their ability to make a safe transfer. It was a risk I took but I thought I was a better risk. I think what made a difference was the fact that they actually SAW Britt and the Filipino Skycaps probably reported to their supervisors about the passenger Robillard because when we arrived at LAX and in returning at HNL, we had more reassuring assistance.
Airport security. This website will help in preparing you for the security procedures you have to go through: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/index.shtm. Letting the airline know ahead of time, at least 48 hours before travel, of your need for assistance will allow them to work with you regarding your needs. We had no trouble with airport security at both airports. They were helpful and respectful - their questions pertinent and straightforward. I told them Britt couldn't communicate the familiar way, so the Skycap assistant pushing his wheelchair helped in putting Britt's and my stuff on the conveyor belt so I could be with him while the security officer was patting him down. The only trouble I had was with the urinal which Britt had just used. I had warned the security lady about the urinal being with fluid but there was still spillage. Having learned my lesson, coming back I made sure I emptied the urinal before we went to security!
On to boarding area!
Ask for ways to make you more comfortable, including upgrades. Britt and I needed more space for different reasons. Booking etickets particularly through ticket brokers such as Travelocity restricts your choice of seats to what is made available by the carrier to that particular agent. At the boarding area, they gave us the seats behind the bulkhead right after their business class section where there was more legroom. It allowed Britt to stretch his long legs and for me room to reposition him during the 5 hour flight.
Don't forget the inflatable head pillow! To my consternation, I did. Consequently, for most of the flight, I had to make my right brain work overtime trying to create one with tiny blue blankets and my biceps, holding Britt's head up.
To be continued....
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