When flying, how do you get to get picked up in to ride the little carts to go to next flight?

[mickeys friend]

Those little carts that are driven everywhere in the airports,how do you get to be able to ride one to next flight? I am unable to walk far or fast and it would make me feel better if I knew how and where to get to ride it. Also do you tip them?

 

[Woodview]

When you make your flight reservation there is usually a section saying " special assistance "

Check this out ..... OR Talk to your Travel Agent ... OR Phone Airline Customer Service.

........ IT SHOULD be a FREE Service ....... ( Tipping is an American Idea )

On Arrival at Airport & then at " Check in " They Should have your name Noted If Not ASK AGAIN .

You will be Pushed / Driven through security & onwards to Boarding Gate & hopefully

getting early boarding onto aircraft . ( Wheelchair to Aircraft Door )

On Arrival at destination YOU MIGHT be Last Off plane BUT TRANSPORTATION Should

be waiting for you to take you to Baggage Claim.

NOTE NOTE Do you have your own Folding Wheelchair ? Can you BUY ONE ?

DO you have someone travelling with you .... who would be willing to PUSH Wheelchair ?

IF YES then you bring your Own at NO COST

..........................

It is DISHONEST to use a Wheelchair Parking Space ...... UNLESS YOU ARE ENTITLED to have a Permit

 

[kaytieeldr]

........ IT SHOULD be a FREE Service ....... ( Tipping is an American Idea )

Because this service will likely be provided in (The United States of) America, and because it's more likely that an airport employee will physically transport the passenger in a wheelchair - which, unlike the electric carts mentioned, are available at ALL airports - tipping is reasonable and customary.

It is DISHONEST to use a Wheelchair Parking Space ...... UNLESS YOU ARE ENTITLED to have a Permit

No, it's illegal. But neither the OP not any other airline passenger will be parking in a terminal, this statement is a complete non sequiter.

 

[wilkeliza]

The carts that drive in some airports are usually handled through skycap. Not sure how to request them though. Our regular airport doesn't have them in the Terminal I fly in and out of they just have an airline employee push the wheelchair for you.

 

[BadPinkTink]

me and my friends at JFK airport got one, but only as we were the last to check in and the gate was closing. We got stuck in traffic and just made it to the check in gate in time. The check in arranged it for us and we would not have made the flight in time without it. We didnt tip, nor if if it happened again would I tip. Its a service provided by the airport so I just dont get this tipping business.

 

[DopeyDame]

You request special assistance through your airline. Do it in advance (you can ask the day of, but it's easier if it's already marked)
Whether that special assistance will be the little buggy or a person with a wheel chair is completely dependent on the airport, the airline, and the available resources at the exact moment you're there.

 

[NotUrsula]

Electric passenger transport carts are not provided by the airports. They are provided by the airlines that lease the gates in that terminal, and they are meant for that carrier's passengers only. Also, they don't move passengers between concourses; you have to get off and transfer to another cart if you need to move between concourses. Normally you cannot reserve cart service the way that you can reserve a wheelchair, so you need more time between flights for the gate agent to inform the cart driver of a waiting pickup, and the time to wait until the cart gets to your gate, and the pauses while it stops to load and unload other passengers.

Do note that many airlines are doing away with the carts and going completely over to manual wheelchairs. The carts have two issues that are a liability -- people wander in front of them and get hit, and their passage through crowded concourses has a tendency to slow down walking traffic as well. There also are often issues with passengers not being able to easily climb up onto the seats, which are a bit high. The most recent discontinuation was in Charlotte, where American Airlines got rid of them this month and switched over to manual-wheelchair-transport only. (This change also saves the airline on employee pay. Cart drivers are normally employed and paid hourly by the airlines, but wheelchairs are usually pushed by SkyCaps, who usually are not paid by the airline; it's a tips-only position at most airports. That's not to say that SkyCaps are poor; most of them make a very solid living if they work curbside, but the point is that the airline doesn't have to pay them or provide benefits to them.)

Here is a nice little recent article that gives tips on airport navigation for disabled passengers, and links to each airline's policies: https://www.tripsavvy.com/how-to-request-wheelchair-at-airport-53205

 

[Simba's Mom]

I always wondered about this also. For several years, I was kind of "in transition"-I could still walk, but just very slowly. So I didn't feel right asking for a wheelchair, but wanted to take a cart, especially at Houston Intercontinental, where every flight from where I live changes at (yes, unless you travel over 200 miles from where I live, ALL flights change in Houston). Anyways, I never quite figured it out unless I requested "special assistance" and just hoped for a cart rather than a wheelchair. Now, walking is virtually impossible, so wheelchairs are OK.

 

[Woodview]

Because this service will likely be provided in (The United States of) America, and because it's more likely that an airport employee will physically transport the passenger in a wheelchair - which, unlike the electric carts mentioned, are available at ALL airports - tipping is reasonable and customary.

No, it's illegal. But neither the OP not any other airline passenger will be parking in a terminal, this statement is a complete non sequiter.

To kaytieeldr

I was giving information & supplying further information by stating that it is dishonest to use a car parking

space that is reserved for disabled tagged cars. without you having a permit.

Read my above post again . I made no mention of parking in airport

 

[mickeys friend]

Thanks for the help. We are changing planes in Charlotte and flying American,so I see where they have stopped using the carts from one of the replies above. I would hate to have someone push me in a wheelchair and also we will more than likely land on the end of the airport that's as far as it can get to reach our other flight. I one flight doesn't have a very long layover and that's the one I am worried about. We have traveled before and looked like the family from "Home Alone" running in the airport to get to the next flight before they close the doors. Of course that was years ago when I could run,now walking is a problem. I was wondering can someone from the airlines radio the next flight letting them know that I am on my way? Usually they have someone when you get off the plane that I think is suppost to do that but have never used it. Has anyone done anything like this?

 

[goofy4tink]

To kaytieeldr

I was giving information & supplying further information by stating that it is dishonest to use a car parking

space that is reserved for disabled tagged cars. without you having a permit.

Read my above post again . I made no mention of parking in airport

I'm not sure how this is relevant to this discussion. No one it talking about driving a car...anywhere! The OP wants to try to use one of the golf carts you see running around the airport concourses. No mention is made of wheelchair usage either, you were the one to suggest it. So, not sure where the whole 'it's dishonest to use a wheelchair parking space' issue is applicable.

 

[seashoreCM]

... I would hate to have someone push me in a wheelchair and also we will more than likely land on the end of the airport that's as far as it can get to reach our other flight. ...

Remember, if you do not have a wheelchair then you must walk 100% of the time.

Someone mentioned bringing your own folding wheelchair. When you size up all of the walking you would do in and just outside the theme parks this idea might seem quite desirable and feasible.

 

[NotUrsula]

Thanks for the help. We are changing planes in Charlotte and flying American,so I see where they have stopped using the carts from one of the replies above. I would hate to have someone push me in a wheelchair and also we will more than likely land on the end of the airport that's as far as it can get to reach our other flight. I one flight doesn't have a very long layover and that's the one I am worried about. We have traveled before and looked like the family from "Home Alone" running in the airport to get to the next flight before they close the doors. Of course that was years ago when I could run,now walking is a problem. I was wondering can someone from the airlines radio the next flight letting them know that I am on my way? Usually they have someone when you get off the plane that I think is suppost to do that but have never used it. Has anyone done anything like this?

They would prefer you to use a wheelchair transport if there is ANY possibility that you otherwise might not make the connection, because they will not delay departure for one passenger. (Some recent estimates show that holding a plane at the gate overtime has an average cost of $2.6K per minute.) Minimize your carry-ons and call the airline NOW (and again 24 hours out to confirm) to request a wheelchair transfer at CLT. Also, you might want to ask if there is any way that they can seat you forward of the wings if you don't already have seats there; that will mean getting off sooner.

My mother used a wheelchair for 11 years, so I'm familiar with traveling with them. IME, The issue with airport wheelchair transfers is that they are in high demand and somewhat short supply, so the airlines usually will not guarantee that your wheelchair transport will be waiting at your arrival gate when you deplane. I've seen gate agents frantically working their radios for upward of 30 minutes trying to find out what happened to the wheelchair that was supposed to be meeting a connecting passenger.

Renting a travel wheelchair from a company in your home town might be a good option for your trip if walking is an issue for you. You also might look into buying one off Craigslist. (The problem with travel wheelchairs is that they cannot be self-propelled like a conventional wheelchair; you always need someone available to push it. However, regular rental wheelchairs are solid steel and incredibly heavy; normally upward of 60 lbs. without a passenger. A lightweight self-push model is the very best option, but they are crazy expensive unless you can manage to find a used one from an estate.)

Another good cost-effective option is a rolling walker with a seat (sometimes called a rollator); if you can put a large-sized d-ring belt across the bottom as a sling to prop up your feet, someone in your party can push you in it. If you have a Costco membership, they have a very nice one on sale right now for $90.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I was wondering can someone from the airlines radio the next flight letting them know that I am on my way? Usually they have someone when you get off the plane that I think is suppost to do that but have never used it. Has anyone done anything like this?

Yes, they CAN, but will they? That's another story. Years ago, I got sick on the first plane, so they had a cart and brought our family to the second plane. That time, they called ahead because as soon as we got near the second gate, the gate agent yelled "Are you the **** family?" Yet, a few years ago, when DH had to make a connection, he got off the first plane, RAN to the second gate, only to be told "Sorry, the door just closed", and they insisted they didn't know where he was, etc.

 

[Shanti]

If you request wheelchair assistance when making your reservation, there should be a person waiting for you when you disembark the plane. This was the case when I flew with my mother, who I had requested wheelchair assistance for.

 

[kaytieeldr]

To kaytieeldr

I was giving information & supplying further information by stating that it is dishonest to use a car parking

space that is reserved for disabled tagged cars. without you having a permit.

Read my above post again . I made no mention of parking in airport

It is illegal everywhere to park in a handicap-designated space with the appropriate plate or placard. Not dishonest. Illegal.

This thread is about airport transportation, albeit internal.

I excel at reading comprehension.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I would hate to have someone push me in a wheelchair

Do you refuse assistance from anyone else, any time, because it is someone doing something for you? Why decline now, when not accepting help has the potential to delay your trip?

Another good cost-effective option is a rolling walker with a seat (sometimes called a rollator); if you can put a large-sized d-ring belt across the bottom as a sling to prop up your feet, someone in your party can push you in it. If you have a Costco membership, they have a very nice one on sale right now for $90.

Most likely, that and any other ones will have several warning labels attached indicating they should not be moved while occupied.

 

[DopeyDame]

I was wondering can someone from the airlines radio the next flight letting them know that I am on my way? Usually they have someone when you get off the plane that I think is suppost to do that but have never used it. Has anyone done anything like this?

Sure, you can ask someone to radio the next gate. Will they? Probably not. And even if they do, the absolute most you can hope for is that before they close the door they'll look up and down the corridor to see if they see you running towards the gate. They won't hold the plane for you just because you landed already. (In addition to hurting their on-time departure stats, imagine what would happen to the other people who are connecting in the next airport and now have their own tight connections because their flight left late.) If you can't run through the airport for a tight connection, request assistance. It's there for this purpose.

 

[Woodview]

There is No Shame in using a WheelChair either your own & being pushed by a member of your

family OR being pushed by a Person whose job it is . and who knows the way around the airport.

OR Using the Airports wheelchair & being pushed by an Employee .

Benefit Less Stress for you & the connecting Flight Should know you are on the way .

EXTRA BENIFIT If you bring your own .. You should get ( & your party ) early Boarding .

EXTRA EXTRA Benefit If you bring your own

You get special boarding onto Disney Bus , Monorail , & Boats , & All assistance that goes with it .

NO Idea what happens in Any Park ....... we were NOT inside Parks

It worked for me from 17th May to 5 th June 2017

( over 65 years & Knee gave up at end of April...... managed to buy wheelchair ...

Checked with Aer Lingus that I could bring wheelchair on flight from

Dublin , Ireland , to Orlando . This was allowed and Cost nothing extra )

Oh Yes ...... Used Electric Shopping Carts in Publix , Walmart . & other Places

 

[tobikaye]

You get special boarding onto Disney Bus , Monorail , & Boats , & All assistance that goes with it .

NO Idea what happens in Any Park ....... we were NOT inside Parks

That "special" boarding is not always "special" and can be more stressful for some. The buses can mostly only take 2 mobility devices. So, you may need to wait an additional bus or two. We usually only have to wait for one additional bus, but there is the stress of not knowing and having to add additional wait times to get somewhere. The ramps for some of the monorails can be steep and difficult to be pushed up/down.

As for the parks, the majority of the attraction queues are accessible so you basically just go through regular lines. The few attractions with separate load/unload will issue a return ticket if you are using standby.