Daughter broke her foot help with airline transportation

[buzzgirls&dad]

Hi all, My DD broke her foot and needs to be completely weightless with that foot. She is currently using a knee scooter to get around. My concerns are about how to go through TSA (We are global entry so usually get precheck.) Will they just pull her aside and wand her? Also, we are flying American can we gate check the scooter? but she needs something to get to her seat, how does that work? Can the scooter go in the plane? I'm so worried it will get left behind. We are going to Palm Springs and last time we had to walk out of the plane and go down steps , walk across the tarmac and then go up another set of steps she can't do any of that. I called the special assistance line and they didn't have answers other than to use a wheelchair but that doesn't help with the other questions. I'm thinking I should just call back and hope to get someone more helpful. Any help from the DIS would be much appreciated. TIA

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes, wanded.
Every plane has an aisle chair. Use the knee scooter to the gate, gate check (having arranged for this at the gate), use aisle chair to seat. Reverse at destination, waiting to get off plane until later, allowing knee scooter to be placed in jetway.
Can NOT advise you on how you will change from one plane to another. Does that airport even have jetways, or is itvalk stairs to tarmac? Has she considee crutches and hopping? Yes, I'm serious, having spent over two months non-weight-bearing.

 

[shoreward]

Twitter is your friend. Try asking your questions there.

If they can't assist, they may give you some better direction.

 

[Bjkandma]

If you think the walk through the airport might be hard for her, I'd recommend "wheelchair assist". When you book your flight ask for "wheelchair assist" and that You will need an "aisle chair". You will locate a courtesy phone and again request the assist. A wheelchair and pusher will arrive (allow extra time for this, they are usually - in my experience - slow.)

They will push her through security, stopping at family restroom, etc all the way to the gate. Someone from airline will push her through jetway, she will then transfer to aisle chair. Again, someone from airport\airline will assist. She will be boarded as one of the first ones on (along with your party). You will be one of the last ones off and it will be reverse. Airline personnel will call for aisle chair and wheelchair will be at jetway.

They will then push wheelchair throughout airport. Someone in your party would unfortunately have to push the knee scooter through the airport and gate check.

We tip anyone who assists us. The amount as well as if you chose to, is at your discretion.

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

Thank you all for the quick response. I will add the wheelchair assist/transfer chair to our ressies ( made last July) when we have to change planes. I will call again for the info about getting off the plane with steps and ask for a supervisor if things are still not clear. Again, thank you all so much.

 

[gatour]

I did a bit of research. Palm Springs is a weirdly laid out airport. There are two termininals, one is is for "regionally" planes. You exit the airside terminal at ground level but I imagine you would have to walk up stairs to get into the plane.

The other airside terminal, is more "conventional". You can use a jetway to access larger planes (ex. 737). According to the terminal map I found, American uses a gate (8) in this terminal.

It sounds like you used this gate last time to board what I would consider a regional jet. I go down the steps to the tarmac then a walk across the tarmac, to climb step to get into the airplane.

See if you can find out what kind of airplane you will be flying. If it is a regional type plane best case would be one set of stairs. Worse case two set of stairs. I am not sure how airports handle your situation.

If it is a large jet, then gate check the knee scooter and request a wheelchair (as others have suggested).

Hope someone else has more actual experience in regards to the former.

I have had several occurrences of going to ground level at a gate to board a regional jet, but have always been able bodied and no one on those flights had a condition similar to your daughter's.

Good luck.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Not at Palm Springs but another airport they had a lift that got wheelchair passengers on and off planes that board on a tarmac instead of the jetway so they would do the same for her. She shouldn’t have to do stairs at all.

 

[Spartan86]

My wife and I went to WDW with her non weight bearing. She had a knee scooter and we had a set of collapsible crutches that we carried in a camp chair bag on the scooter handlebars. We gate checked the scooter, crutched on and off the airplane and used a wheelchair at WDW. It worked out ok. We travelled on Delta BTW. Oh and wanded, patted down at TSA with Pre-check.

 

[starry_solo]

You should consider flying into Ontario Airport (ONT) as their terminals aren’t like Palm Springs (all gates, no walking onto tarmac)....if you can.