Looking for tips for managing air travel for a person who uses a walker (rollator). I know about arranging for a wheelchair in the airport and for getting on and off the plane, but how does the person manage the restroom on a long flight? How can they move up and down the aisle, given how narrow the aisles are on many planes? More important, how can they use the restroom itself? Airplane restrooms are difficult even for the able bodied! Wearing "adult" underwear I'm sure would be helpful in case of emergency, but far from ideal.
Passengers who are non-ambulatory can still fly, but they’ll need help getting to and from their seat on the airplane. The aisle chair (also referred to as a straight back or high back) is a small wheelchair that is used to transport immobile passengers from their own wheelchair to a seat on the airplane. Aisle chairs are used during enplaning and deplaning, and can also be used during the flight to access the lavatory.
Stay home if possible. You may have real trouble if anyone in your party gets Covid on your trip, and cannot return home.
When you purchase your tickets, try to always get a direct flight. Always tell the airline you are traveling with a mobility impaired person and you will get priority boarding. (BTW, use a wheelchair through the airport! Going through security, is easy. TSA will take everything and usher you to a special screening where the person in the wheelchair doesn’t need to take off their shoes! Southwest’s TSA PRECHECK
is a great idea if possible.)
RR before flight boards is essential! I try to only fly 3 hours or less. Limit liquid intake during flight. (Wear support socks and stretch often to avoid leg cramps. You’ll need to do this even though you’re in a car!)
You will be able to take the wheelchair right up to the plane. You will be able to use the airplane’s aisle transport chair or walk with help from caregiver or flight attendants. They will seat you automatically at the bulkhead anyway. I usually choose the aisle for the added legroom for my braces.
Wear a disposable brief with a thick pad, too. If you can’t walk at all, the airplane’s lavatory is impossible. I use the RR as soon as I get off the plane before going to claim the luggage!
I’m always the last to deplane. It gives the airline time to bring up my wheelchair from the cargo or have one delivered. Then I can deplane at my own unhurried pace. The flight crew is always good at helping me.
If taking a car, stop often to use RR and stretch.
The biggest takeaway is don’t be afraid of traveling—just be prepared.
You will have space, I don't think a person that is mobility challenged can get in the ridiculously small coach seats. You have to shuffle sideways to get in them.
Call the airline that you are flying and ask to speak with someone to help you maneuver this trip. They are usually super helpful, they want you to have a good flight. Ask about a mobility ride, they can transport you on a golfcart.
Ask the flight attendant in flight to confirm the wheelchair/transport, them not being there is fairly common, it is the airport that does this, not the airline.
I would think that the small bathroom would actually be convenient for someone using a walker. I have seen flight attendant holding up a blanket at the bathroom, perhaps it was someone needing help, I didn't pay attention to who came out.
Best luck for a successful flight.
People were gagging from the smell, and I admit I was one. I mean, we all tried to be kind, b/c in the back of minds there's this 'this could be me!' but it was awful.
They did give us extra cookies, but really, nobody felt like eating.
I would go first class only if I had this situation. Planes seem to be smaller and smaller. What is now first class was business class just a few years ago.
Sometimes we just have to face the fact that flying, although so much faster, is not the best route. Mom wanted to see her OB one last time and even though the flight was 75 minutes start to finish, she was terrified she'd have and accident. We ended up just not going. OS and I had 1st class seats and we'd planned this trip to the nth degree, but the fear of offending others on the plane made mom pull out at the last minute.
And you definitely won't be able to fit in the plane's washroom to help. I don't think keeping the door ajar is an option but you can wait outside. Limit their liquids before and during the flight and outfit them with a very absorbent brief. Make sure they are in the middle seat and you're in the aisle seat...it's too tight a fit to scoot towards the window. Or, they are in the aisle seat and you are in the aisle seat on the opposite side across the aisle. FYI the arm of the aisle seat does go up if you feel underneath it towards the back.
Most of all, pay for a direct flight.
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