Has anyone in a power wheelchair with a ventilator ever flown to WDW?

[cathie]

We would like to try flying to Florida from NH with our disabled friend who uses a large power wheelchair with vent attached. I know he would have to transfer out of his W/C to board & sit in one of the regular seats. We would probably have to carry him on. Has anyone ever had any experience with this? He would also have to use his vent while flying & store his power W/C & med. equipment. We have driven to Florida with him over 15 times. We would like to see if flying would work. Thanks for any info!! Cathie & The Gang

 

[Meezers]

I can't answer about the vent...but they do have chairs that fit the planes aisles....maybe someone behind could carry the vent or it could be placed on his lap?

I am sure someone else will have some better information.

 

[RaySharpton]

I don't have an answer for you, but I sure would appreciate a trip report of your experience. I hope that someone might be able to help you.

Sincerely, Ray

 

[dclfun]

Cathie- I flew first time with my vent and feeding pump this past May from DL to WDW...well, Cali to Fla. It was a nonstop flight. Beforehand I needed my Dr. to fill out paperwork stating that I was not on oxygen but did need the vent ( I am totally vent dependent) which had to be faxed to their service dept. I also travelled with a copy ( good thing...the pilot asked to see it). We called Delta who assigned us a bulkhead seat. Unfortunately, vents are not allowed in front of a bulkhead seat due to FAA regulations so when we got there they moved someone from row two to that seat and gave me an empty seat beside mine for the vent to sit with it's battery during the flight. Funny thing....before they made the announcement about cell phones, battery items being turned off during the flight the stewardess came over to tell me that "didn't mean me". LOL. The flight was smooth although I was sore when we got there as my neck gives me grief. I had to be hauled in with the aisle chair, had a spare vent/battery on a rolling cart that they pulled in front of me, and basically I felt like a side of beef. Meanwhile they stored my chair with the other vent still attached down with baggage. I was nervous about my equipment but there was no damage whatsoever. I did disconnect myself from the feeding pump and left it on my chair also. Feel free to ask any specific questions or send me a PM. Next time I fly I'll also have my service dog...that should be a real adventure!---kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

Kathy, you are obviously a woman who is not afraid of a challenge.

I'm curious if the armrests were able to be folded up (flat up into the seatback) to make a clear passage into the row of seats that you ended up in?
I think that the armrests don't fold up in all rows (at least not all rows used to - they may have changed).

 

[cathie]

Hi Kathy, Thank you for sharing your experience. Steve (my friend in the power wheelchair..he has muscular dystrophy) has a few questions about boarding etc, & if all airlines are willing to accomodate someone in a power chair. We would like to fly out of Manchester, NH on Southwest but I'm not sure if their planes are big enough. I thnik Delta flies out of Manchester. Did they make you pay for an extra seat to hold your vent..Steve is 6'2" & needs as much room as possible. Thanks for any info! Cathie

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a thread at the top of the board that has a air travel hotline number that you should bring with you.
I know people have had problems with the small planes - some of them don't have good ways to get someone onto the plane if they are not ambulatory.
All the airlines are required by law to accomidate wheelchairs/power wheelchairs. If you go to the website of the airline you plan to travel on, they should have a page of disability information. Some have a link that is easy to find; some you have to search for a bit.

 

[dclfun]

I don't know the configurations of all planes, but the aisle was pretty narrow. They put me in the aisle chair and had to strap my arms across my chest so they wouldn't flop around. It took two attendants to place me in the seat- they were the nice leather seats so easy to slide across and the armrests were up. For boarding I was able to drive my power chair up to the entrance of the plane. It's an adult narrow Permobil Chairman 2K but is very long with the vent on the back. We made sure the spare vent battery had a full charge and strapped it on top of the spare vent with a fresh set of circuits, so all I had to do was be switched from one vent to the other. I did have an ambu bag along "just in case" but my battery typically lasts 15+ hours. They were very careful with my chair and with my body. I'm just concerned now about flying with Skye. Since FAA won't allow me in the bulkhead seat I'm not sure how she'll fit....I'm thinking of the row of seats in the middle of the plane for her to sit in front of me and then placing my vent on the seat next to me again. I wasn't charged for the extra seat- it was an airline regulation that necessitated my use of it, not my request. We were returning from a stay at Disneyland following the 14 night cruise on the Magic. I had purchased Disney air and Disney insurance just in case I was given any hassles by the airline, so I didn't get to choose the airline but I was quite pleased with the accomodations and caring that Delta gave me. ---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the details.

 

[dclfun]

You're welcome Sue. I was hoping other people would also post to help Cathie since I only had the one experience with Delta. I'd also be interested to know how other airlines deal with this issue as more and more disabled people on vents are enjoying travel or thinking about it. The key thing was having the form filled out in advance and faxed in to Delta's office by my physician. If that hadn't been done the pilot could've denied my boarding. ---Kathy

 

[ducklite]

Just as an FYI, the dog will not get any special accomodation, and needs to sit at your feet. It can't hang into the aisle or infrnge on another passengers space.

A friend of mine had this scenario happen on a packed plane, he was in an aisle seat and the dog (a doberman) couldn't fit at his feet, so he had to take a later flight with open seats.

The ADA requires carriers to accept service dogs, it does not require special accomodation for them, other than flying in the cabin at no additional charge.

Anne

 

[pugdog]

Cathie,
One thing you need to check out is that not all airlines take all vents. So have your friend check with the airlines before buying tickets to make sure they will take the vent. Not sure why it is this way but it is.
From your local RT

 

[dclfun]

Cathie- not sure what vent Steve has...just as an FYI I have an LP10. ---Kathy

 

[cathie]

Cathie- not sure what vent Steve has...just as an FYI I have an LP10. ---Kathy

Hi Kathy, Steve also has an LP10 vent. He has been given a new smaller vent made by Newport for his new wheelchair, but has had some problems with it. We are going to try calling the airlines that fly out of Manchester to see if there is one that will accomodate Steve with the vent & wheelchair. Another question he had was about transportation from the airport in Orlando. Do they rent accessible vans with lifts in the area? We wiil be leaving his van at the airport up here in NH. Thanks for all the info! Cathie

 

[SueM in MN]

They do rent accessible vans. one company I am familiar with (but not used in Orlando) is called Wheelchair Getaways.
If you/he don't want to rent a van, Mears and Disney have accessible buses. Ask when making the reservation.

 

[pugdog]

We have used Rainbow Wheels before and they were good too. Down side is its over $100 a day for it no matter what company you use.

 

[eternaldisneyfan]

Cathie,

I have severe M.D., trach, GJ tube feeds, and use a wheelchair. My MD (& scoliosis) greatly affects my balance. My wheelchair has very custom seating and headrest. I would be concerned with your friends ability to sit up on a prolonged time outside of his chair. For example, I can't hold my head up outside of my chair so it falls back making it impossible to swallow. In fact, I need complete support outside my chair or I fall over...I can foresee problems getting your friend comfortably positioned...Also, even on my vent, going over 6,000 feet driving over mountains feels like something's sitting on my chest & I got a migraine-oxygen did help the next time we went...

When I last flew, all 3 of our family's wheelchairs were bent or broke in someway. The airline has to place the wheelchair (Invacares-Jazzy's are shorter so might be okay) on its side and shove it (klunk) into the plane...

If you decide to go bring lots of pillows & props...

Christamae

P.S. My Newport vent works great for me & my Dad just got some great info from the techs to make it work even better-perhaps I can help?

 

[dclfun]

Cathie- I also had a different type vent and know a child who had one of the new "flat" types- both of us had problems and went back to the LP10. I hope his RT can figure out which one is best for him. If I were you I'd use Magical Express to get to the resort and if you are planning on leaving WDW property then having the van rental company drop off the van at your resort. Dealing with the van delivery in the hectic airport after he's already endured the flight might be too much. If you let DME know in advance that you need a lift bus plus your flight times, they'll have one waiting for you, plus they take your baggage. I'm sure like myself he also travels with alot of extra "gear". I have cases of tube feeding, an extra pump, extra vent and battery, battery chargers, suction machine, dog food, etc, plus the usual baggage so I feel sorry for bell services. I recently decided to have Care medical send a hospital bed to the Magic- didn't think I could stand an entire week again in that flat bed even though they are nice enough to put extra mattresses on to raise the height. I don't use a hoyer lift for transfers so the bed will also help my caregiver not to hurt her back. Any equipment like that can be sent to any local resort. Good luck and please keep us posted! ---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

Here is contact information for the company that Kathy mentioned:

Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Phone (407) 856-2273 • Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282

He may also want to check if his current medical equipment supplier has a branch in the Orlando area that they are connected with. If they do, it may be easier to deal with them because he already has an account set up with their company.
You do want to find out who could do repairs, etc. if he has any problems (sprinkling pixie dust to avoid that).

 

[cathie]

Everyone has been so helpful! We will try calling airlines this week & I'm sure we'll have lots of questions before we decide to go. Sue, the idea about the bus sounds great & as long as they can handle all of Steve's extra equipment & stuff. We'll probably be going to All Star Sports, that's Steve's favorite. Kathy & Christamae, I'll be in touch with you..I'm sure there's a lot of advance planning to do with the airline. Cathie