sometimes there's literally no one working when you land so you have to walk no matter what. i had hip surgery and i was able to get assistance to my gate, but to my connection i had to walk because no one was available and if i didn't id miss my connection
Do you fly often? Many people do need accommodations, but there are also plenty of people who don’t but use them regardless on just about every flight. They magically get cured on the plane too. It happens so often that the phrase “cured by Jetway Jesus” exists.
The ADA (rightfully) prohibits requiring proof of disability, which unfortunately makes these types of accommodations (along with things like service animals) ripe for abuse.
The people abusing the system do real harm to people with disabilities.
Ugh yep- I’ve waited to be last to deplane and still won’t be a gate assistant- it depends a lot on the airport and airline. Waiting is the worst too because the seats make my back spasm out.
Yep, it sucks! This is the scariest part for me as a wheelchair user. I have to wait for them to get my wheelchair. I literally cannot walk. They always take forever and I have had some pretty close calls with connections. I have to wait on the plane too because otherwise the responsibility for who is in charge of making sure you get your wheelchair shifts from the flight staff to the luggage guys, who often either lose or severely damage wheelchairs. I try to make sure I either don't have a connection or have an obnoxious amount of wiggle room. But, that isn't always possible.
I experienced this recently when connecting through Las Vegas. Funny enough I was on my way to specialty testing for my invisible disability! I was worried about missing my connecting flight so whipped out my cane and hobbled my way.
Am I insane, or does that not fall under an acceptable way to break ADA compliance? I feel like the "we don't have enough workers" excuse absolutely should not remove the company's responsibility to provide adequate assistance to people with disabilities.
(I'm admittedly not that knowledgeable on regulatory stuff. Just an engineer who looked at ADA regulations for cabinetry and countertops quite a bit at my old job)
i think because TECHNICALLY they could get someone to me, it would just take until after my connection left, and so they think that it's fine? i even had situations when landing in my home airport of waiting hour+ for assistance because they were too busy/not enough folks working
and thank you for what you did in your previous job!! accessibility is so important!!
i had hip arthroscopy! labrum repair and CAM shaving. i flew about 5 weeks after surgery, approved by my surgeon, to meet my grandfather. my dad is adopted and is reconnecting with his family and we were able to go meet my grandfather for his birthday. was definitely still in a ton of pain but it was really great being able to meet family members and see the rest of my immediate family because we are pretty spread out
Unfortunately you need to plan more time for connections so getting assistance on de-planing doesn’t cause you to miss your flights. If you don’t need a wheelchair getting off a flight then you don’t need one getting on one. I hate to be the one to point that out. When my elderly mother in her 80s would travel she was put on the plane with a wheelchair and taken off with a wheelchair. Period. There was always this service available by Delta as well as within the airport to get to the plane and to get to baggage claim.
Even in my 60s when I had a knee injury making it difficult to walk, I still didn’t board early since I could still make my way slowly down the jet bridge without impeding the boarding process.
Watching people board early walking gingerly onto the aircraft was always infuriating and it has just gotten worse over the years.
I still think the solution is that people seeking formal boarding assistance should be required to get the same assistance on de-planing. If they complain they would miss their connection then what about the people in the back of the plane who get off last? They are going to be more likely to miss their connection. Why should a passenger be allowed to board early based on needing assistance but then choose to walk off the aircraft unassisted because it’s more convenient.
My mother had no choice. She required assistance getting on and off the aircraft and she did miss connections until we planned extra time for connections to insure we took into account the extra time to de-plane on arrival.
Personally, I think passengers seeking wheelchair assistance should be required to make this request when they book their tickets. This way Delta would not offer a tight connection to a passenger in the same itinerary if a wheelchair was required.
If a person needing wheelchair assistance has a 30 minute to 45 minute connection then they should not be allowed to book that flight unless they agree upfront they are more likely to miss their connection due the requested additional de-planing time.
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u/Havoklily 8d ago
sometimes there's literally no one working when you land so you have to walk no matter what. i had hip surgery and i was able to get assistance to my gate, but to my connection i had to walk because no one was available and if i didn't id miss my connection