For those who need wheelchair assistance at the airport-is this new?

[Simba's Mom]

I've needed wheelchair assistance for several years. If DH is with me, the attendant pushed me up the ramp, then DH says "I can push her to the new gate" and off we go. At the new gate, an employee from the airline then takes me down the ramp to the plane. But this week, when DH said he'd take me, the attendant said "Oh, no-we're not supposed to release the wheelchair to the customer". Then when we got to the new gate, because boarding was still an hour away, she made me transfer to a seat, and when time to pre-board got close, a new attendant came and I then transferred back to a wheelchair to pre-board. As I told DH, no ability to use the restroom during the hour wait since I was wheelchair less. I later talked to an attendant who said that the wheelchair is signed out to them at the beginning of the shift, then they have to turn it back in. Is this something new?

 

[Marrila]

I've needed wheelchair assistance for several years. If DH is with me, the attendant pushed me up the ramp, then DH says "I can push her to the new gate" and off we go. At the new gate, an employee from the airline then takes me down the ramp to the plane. But this week, when DH said he'd take me, the attendant said "Oh, no-we're not supposed to release the wheelchair to the customer". Then when we got to the new gate, because boarding was still an hour away, she made me transfer to a seat, and when time to pre-board got close, a new attendant came and I then transferred back to a wheelchair to pre-board. As I told DH, no ability to use the restroom during the hour wait since I was wheelchair less. I later talked to an attendant who said that the wheelchair is signed out to them at the beginning of the shift, then they have to turn it back in. Is this something new?

Is it a universal airport policy? Nope.
It might be a new policy at one airport. You can still tell the transport person your needs, I would probably involve the gate agent if necessary. (Like if I was concerned I would have no way to get to a restroom.)

 

[redberyl]

We just flew yesterday and on one leg of the journey they had my daughter transfer to a seat and told me if I needed further assistance to contact the gate agent. But in the other airports they left it with us. It didn't matter to us because my daughter can walk shorter distances to get food, restroom, etc, so I don't know what would've happened if I had questioned it. Dulles was the airport that took the chair away. Harrisburg, Atlanta, and san antonio left it with us

 

[SteveMouse]

It has been an airport by airport policy for at least 25 years.

I suppose there is some concern about wheelchairs going missing and/or liability if there was an accusation of or actually some type of incident and the passenger sought compensation.

I do know of at least one death where a passenger attempted to self-propel themselves down a jetway in what I understand to have been an airline wheelchair (or she didn't have the requested airline staff assistance in boarding) tipped over. There was a significant head injury, brain damage, an extended hospital stay, and, sadly, her death (before being discharged from hospital).

It is not a rumor. She was a person I knew fairly well.

 

[fla4fun]

Is it a universal airport policy? Nope.
It might be a new policy at one airport. You can still tell the transport person your needs, I would probably involve the gate agent if necessary. (Like if I was concerned I would have no way to get to a restroom.)

I would have no problem asking for a trip to the restroom if I needed one. I would not want to board an aircraft without making a pit stop first, especially if I couldn’t walk to the lavatory on the plane by myself. I would rather not use the facilities on the plane anyway unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Fangorn]

My experience has also been that procedures/policies vary wildly by airport.
Some are good, most are barely adequate, and unfortunately, we've run into a couple of awful ones.

Steve