Assisted Travel (Air)

elainebadknee
elainebadknee Bots Posts: 3,703
edited 11. Oct 2012, 07:34 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi

Having just come back from lovely Menorca we had booked assisted trave at manchester and Mahon airports...I can honestly say its a great service, got shown a wheelchair and my great sister wheeled me right from check in through passport control and boarding where we got put into a little truck, brakes on wheelchairs and up to the door of the plane..
The guys at Mahon were brilliant, getting our luggage for us and going like an express train (he shoudve been driving for formula 1)! All smiles and nothing too much trouble...Tipped them as they are so helpful...
If anyone needs to use this service please do as its a godsend...

Also can i just recommend Meet & Greet airport parking its great, chaffeurs meet you at terminals with the car, so easy and stress free..

Elainexx

Comments

  • valval
    valval Member Posts: 14,911
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    sounds like holiday was good then glad it all went smooth val
    val
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,281
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Elaine
    I am glad it went well, I used it last year when we went to Spain, I couldn't believe how helpful it was, and we even got seats on the plane near to the toilets...
    Love
    Barbara
  • fowls48
    fowls48 Member Posts: 1,357
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Elaine

    Welcome home glad you had a great stress free time


    karen xx
  • elainebadknee
    elainebadknee Bots Posts: 3,703
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Val

    Yes it all went very smoothly...I hope not to use it again as hope to be as good as new post op but if you need it, its a great service!

    Elainexx
    valval wrote:
    sounds like holiday was good then glad it all went smooth val
  • elainebadknee
    elainebadknee Bots Posts: 3,703
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Barbara

    Yes they do a great job dont they, make you feel just like youre getting the help you need/want...

    Elainex
    barbara12 wrote:
    Hi Elaine
    I am glad it went well, I used it last year when we went to Spain, I couldn't believe how helpful it was, and we even got seats on the plane near to the toilets...
  • tkachev
    tkachev Member Posts: 8,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks for the tip. I'm going to use it next time. I've always struggled at airports and get left behind while the men march off to find the booze. The moving sidewalks are fantastic but of course the healthy find them too slow so march off again.I'm always stressed and tired and in pain, last on the plane so get the tail end seat and get left to look after the kids....its easier to stay at home :roll: !

    Glad you had a super holiday!
    Elizabeth :D
    Never be bullied into silence.
    Never allow yourself to be made a victim.
    Accept no ones definition of your life

    Define yourself........

    Harvey Fierstein
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Sounds great - I'm envious of a bit of holiday sunshine too
    I've used this service at Newcastle Airport and it was fab too however at Bristol it was really quite rubbish.
    I'm not a huge fan of Bristol airport at the best of times but last time I went through on crutches and finding it almost impossible to walk any distance they were useless
    Got there and checked in - reminded them that I'd booked assistance and they pointed me to an unmanned desk. At the desk a scrap of paper said to use the phone.... where they said that they could get me a wheelchair once I got upstairs and through security. Thankfully had hubby & 4yo son with me, they helped me upstairs and thankfully a lovely security man rushed me to the front of the queue. At this point they took away my crutches (to go through x-ray) and I had to go through the machine without any assistance or crutches (which although only a few feet of travel was excruciating), thankfully DH could take off my shoes for me and put them back on again.
    Got the crutches back to be stymied as to where the assistance desk was, if there was a sign we couldn't see it. Finally found it, tucked away round a corner in the only bit of space they haven't sold for retail outlets.
    The lady said to come back in 45mins and she'd find me a wheelchair. Ended up sitting on my own as I couldn't face any more faffing and sent family off to get a drink. I then needed the loo and found that all of their accessible WCs were out of order except for the one downstairs and back through security :roll:
    So with difficulty went to the regular loo.
    Finally went back and got a wheelchair at last to find out that assistance at Bristol that day meant. Getting into the chair, where a lady then shouted "watch out coming through" and pushed me headlong into the crowd (oww my shins), she then pushed me to the gate where she realised that they were shorthanded (they had 3 people requiring assistance on our flight) so gave the wheelchair to my husband and I had to hold hands with my son . The strategy then was to get my husband to push me to the bottom of the flight of stairs in front of the rest of the queue and then get me to walk up the (wet) steps to the plane (which was lethal) whilst the rest of the passengers tutted that I and the other 2 guys took so long.
    It was an awful end to our trip and seemed daft as they had the passenger lift thingy at the airport as we'd used it when we arrived.
  • elainebadknee
    elainebadknee Bots Posts: 3,703
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Elizabeth

    Well on the way out our plane took off at 09.20 and we only checked in at 08.20 as we got held up in traffic jam just near airport cut off....We got put through with ease and speed although my sister was wheeling me, her feet going ten to the dozen and me wincing sometimes as folk dont always look where theyre going! We made it onto the flight in jig time! It was lots to walk at manchester and in all honesty my mum couldve used it too but they pull everyone in the group with me so nobody has to wait behind..
    Its a fab service and i cant fault it...The little truck is an experience as only one of my brakes was on and i wiggled a bit on way up to plane door but guys were so helpful!
    No need for stress!

    Elainexx
    tkachev wrote:
    Thanks for the tip. I'm going to use it next time. I've always struggled at airports and get left behind while the men march off to find the booze. The moving sidewalks are fantastic but of course the healthy find them too slow so march off again.I'm always stressed and tired and in pain, last on the plane so get the tail end seat and get left to look after the kids....its easier to stay at home :roll: !

    Glad you had a super holiday!
    Elizabeth :D
  • elainebadknee
    elainebadknee Bots Posts: 3,703
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oh that sounds like a right hassle...I will admit machester were better than mahon as she knew right away at check in we needed assistance but mahon we had to remind them and as it was smaller i never had wheelcahir onto plane...I was okay but legs were aching by time i got into my seat....
    I hope next time you use it, its as smooth as my time..

    Elainexx
    cthornley wrote:
    Sounds great - I'm envious of a bit of holiday sunshine too
    I've used this service at Newcastle Airport and it was fab too however at Bristol it was really quite rubbish.
    I'm not a huge fan of Bristol airport at the best of times but last time I went through on crutches and finding it almost impossible to walk any distance they were useless
    Got there and checked in - reminded them that I'd booked assistance and they pointed me to an unmanned desk. At the desk a scrap of paper said to use the phone.... where they said that they could get me a wheelchair once I got upstairs and through security. Thankfully had hubby & 4yo son with me, they helped me upstairs and thankfully a lovely security man rushed me to the front of the queue. At this point they took away my crutches (to go through x-ray) and I had to go through the machine without any assistance or crutches (which although only a few feet of travel was excruciating), thankfully DH could take off my shoes for me and put them back on again.
    Got the crutches back to be stymied as to where the assistance desk was, if there was a sign we couldn't see it. Finally found it, tucked away round a corner in the only bit of space they haven't sold for retail outlets.
    The lady said to come back in 45mins and she'd find me a wheelchair. Ended up sitting on my own as I couldn't face any more faffing and sent family off to get a drink. I then needed the loo and found that all of their accessible WCs were out of order except for the one downstairs and back through security :roll:
    So with difficulty went to the regular loo.
    Finally went back and got a wheelchair at last to find out that assistance at Bristol that day meant. Getting into the chair, where a lady then shouted "watch out coming through" and pushed me headlong into the crowd (oww my shins), she then pushed me to the gate where she realised that they were shorthanded (they had 3 people requiring assistance on our flight) so gave the wheelchair to my husband and I had to hold hands with my son . The strategy then was to get my husband to push me to the bottom of the flight of stairs in front of the rest of the queue and then get me to walk up the (wet) steps to the plane (which was lethal) whilst the rest of the passengers tutted that I and the other 2 guys took so long.
    It was an awful end to our trip and seemed daft as they had the passenger lift thingy at the airport as we'd used it when we arrived.
  • bubbadog
    bubbadog Member Posts: 5,544
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Elaine, my OH & I always book help at the airports there and back, they are excellent! And I love it when you see someone who had been rude and got in your way in a que, while you are fast tracked to the departure lounge! I also got to use the truck lift! Wow how weird! But what the staff do at all people to help you when you use a wheelchair makes the holiday so stress free. I know my OH is so grateful for it. Well I will be using them again in December! I've phoned and checked it's a been sorted ready! It will be weird if I have to use the truck lift in Barbados!! This will be the 5th time we go to Barbados! But Barbados holds special memories for us as we got married there!
  • elainebadknee
    elainebadknee Bots Posts: 3,703
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Bubba

    Oh yes sometimes you see the people giving you evos and then you think *** you mr/mrs rude!! I had a right mrs sourpuss on the way back from Mahon who was so put out cos she wasnt seated next to her husband and then he kept coming seeing her, stufifng his face with the contents of her rucksack and being a right pain in ****! She even was grumpy when me and my sister wanted loo and grumppily said "which way are you going"....Miserable git!
    Oh get you Barbados, and im going to lowly Menorca, lol!!

    Elainexx
    bubbadog wrote:
    Hi Elaine, my OH & I always book help at the airports there and back, they are excellent! And I love it when you see someone who had been rude and got in your way in a que, while you are fast tracked to the departure lounge! I also got to use the truck lift! Wow how weird! But what the staff do at all people to help you when you use a wheelchair makes the holiday so stress free. I know my OH is so grateful for it. Well I will be using them again in December! I've phoned and checked it's a been sorted ready! It will be weird if I have to use the truck lift in Barbados!! This will be the 5th time we go to Barbados! But Barbados holds special memories for us as we got married there!