Short layover, handicapped passenger

This may not be where to ask this, but most people on CC travel lots and know a lot about airlines.

DH's mother is going on a cruise with us and she is handicapped. She can walk with assistance, but very slowly. We are flying in the day before our cruise with a connection in ATL. Our layover is only 44 minutes. What can we do to ensure we aren't going to miss the next flight? Should we call the airline to make arrangements for a wheelchair? Will they let us off the flight first or right after first class?

Any suggestions? That airport is big enough and hard enough to get through, but it will be worse trying to get through with her.

TIA.

This may not be where to ask this, but most people on CC travel lots and know a lot about airlines.

DH's mother is going on a cruise with us and she is handicapped. She can walk with assistance, but very slowly. We are flying in the day before our cruise with a connection in ATL. Our layover is only 44 minutes. What can we do to ensure we aren't going to miss the next flight? Should we call the airline to make arrangements for a wheelchair? Will they let us off the flight first or right after first class?

Any suggestions? That airport is big enough and hard enough to get through, but it will be worse trying to get through with her.

TIA.

Good morning!

I work for a regional airline and hope that I can be of assistance.

When you get to the airport and check in, request your wheelchair to the gate. When you get to the gate, ask the agent to forward in the system for wheelchair assistance both to ATL and for your connection.

I can't really say how the wheelchair service in ATL runs. Most of the time they are there when the plane arrive at the gate. However, unless you are sitting right behind first class in coach, they won't really let you off first (you do have some fa that will announce to the cabin to let those with tight connections to deplane first).

With our flights and the major airline that we feed to, they often make an effort to ensure that wheelchair customers make the flight. When you get off, if possible, ask the gate agent giving the connections to alert the next gate that you have a wheelchair coming. There are many times when we hold a flight for a reasonable time due to a wheelchair customers in route.

If you are traveling within the same airline, hopefully your gates are close. ATL is huge!!

Now, I can tell you that the wheelchair service in some airports is alot to be desired. For the airport that I work at, I often tell people that I know to allow extra times for service. There are times when a wheelchair customer is on a plane 10,15, 20 minutes after everyone else is gone due to the slowness of the service.

If you let the agents know when boarding and deplaning about your wheelchair, hopefully this will ensure a smooth trip.

It may help to know your itinerary so gates can be checked at ATL for you.

As diva said sometimes wheelchair assistance can be a crap shoot. I have often heard pages in the airport for wheelchair assistance. It may be of greater advantage to ride the "golfcart" Hopefully you arrive and leave the same concourse, because otherwise you have to get the train.

Atlanta airport plan http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Default.asp?url=sublevels/terminal/termmap.htm

45 minutes isn't a lot of time in ATL for non-handicapped passengers, let alone one in a wheelchair. A couple of thoughts -- if you are on cruise-air tickets, this is likely a no-go, but if you purchased them yourselves, you might want to try to ask DL if you can make a switch to a longer connect due to the handicapped passenger. This is a long-shot, but worth an ask.

When talking with DL, make sure that the wheelchair requests are in your record. Then, make sure it's there when you check in. Talk with the agent and see if you can get handicapped seating on the plane - it is nearer the front and may get off the aircraft earlier than being in row 87. If no handicapped seating, be as far forward as possible.

Double check your gate assignments on DL website the day before and day of your flight. And recheck at every airport. Get the layout of the airport in your head - use the ATL website for maps.

Airlink Diva gave some very good info -- unfortunately, you're not passing through MEM, which is a nice compact hub with easy connects. And some great barbecue!!

We had the same problem when traveling with my mom. It wasn't Atlanta, now I forget which airport..maybe ORD...But we told the airline of our problem and they had a "golf cart" or whatever you call the driven cars, waiting when we got off the plane. I would have had a tough time moving the wheelchair, carryons etc thru the crowds in a swift way. I think you're looking for some big time stress in that short block of time. (I had an hour) ANd that's presuming all the planes arrive and unload on time. I wouldn't risk it.

Hello from Canada. My husband travels with his own wheelchair even though he can walk short distances. We alert the airline when booking and on checking in we request that the w/c be 'gate checked' this means I wheel him to the plane, and then the w/c is taken away to be loaded. It gets a tag just like your suitcase, & it should be waiting for you at the door of the plane on arrival. We bought a light w/c - $150. Its not a selfpropelling one but it's light and the top 1/3 of the back folds down so it it great to get in a car trunk. it's worth the price not to worry about a w/c being there for you on arrival.