American Airlines failed to provide wheelchair

*Salute!*

=)

Do not put the responsibility for the wheelchair on the complainant!
American Airlines dropped the ball. Incompetence is everywhere and,
unfortunately, people do not seem to care with regard to providing
simple accommodations for the disabled.

In my experience, the disabled should be allowed to board flights
early. In the future, until everything is taken care of, airline
employees should be bothered about taking care of business until the
job is done. I'm talking about bugging airline employees as they walk
by. They'll help just so that they are no longer bothered.

I am not sure I understand why you would not just bring your own
wheelchair. Surely you would not get hasseled by security or
something.

Is there some weird rule that you are not allowed to bring your own?
If so, I would consider flying with a different airline next time.
Otherwise just bring your own and avoid all this clearly frustrating
mess and having to deal with incompetant employees

American Airlines really doesn't seem to care.

I have seen this happen to several people, and the airline's response
always is the equivalent to a shrug of a shoulder and an insincere
apology.

Why would you fly without your own wheelchair? Won't you need it once
you arrive at your destination, to be out and about? I mean, you will
need a wheelchair at both ends -- home and destination. Why not take
your own? I mean, people who use motorized wheelchairs and who have
next to zero mobility, surely they travel with their own power
wheelchairs.

Or do people in those kinds of wheelchairs not travel? Can those
bigger chairs even fit on planes?

=(

you deserve better than that after serving the country.

i hope they give you a response - and get their act together in
situations like that.

I'm so sorry that you had to go through this.
This happened to my grandmother, also a veteran, on a Delta flight to
Atlanta last year. She requested a wheelchair, and got by just fine
until she came home from Atlanta. The plane, for whatever reason,
couldn't actually pull up to the terminal and they had to exit down
the stairs and walk into the airport from outside the plane. Lucky for
her she's able to walk short distances and the flight attendants
helped her down the stairs. I can't imagine what it would have been
like for anyone not able to walk.

You are absolutely correct in your last sentence, but I would expand
that to all airlines.

What irks me is when I see people that are visually not disabled
requesting wheelchairs.

They get a close seat on the plane, they get on the plane first, and
wheeled off.

They when they get wheeled out, they pop right up out of their chair.


I saw that on my last cruise. They left from the same airport as me,
so I saw it.

Then I saw them on the cruiseship.they can sure walk around on a ship,
stand and walk down a buffet line, but take the wheelchair liberties
when its convenient.

Its irks me when people that served our country cannot get the proper
respect.

Thank you for your service to our country


Good Day

OK, seeing them walk around the cruise ship would be annoying. But
not everyone who uses a wheelchair is visually disabled. Some people
have heart conditions that make walking any distance a problem. They
can do short walks and don't have foot/leg/hip problems.

...fuggedaboutit. I have MS. You can't see it, but I can sure feel
it. I look OK and can get around most of the time, but can't walk
long distances any more. There are some idiots who take advantage of
the system like any other, but if you had to live in my body for a
week you'd never make another comment about no visual disabilities
again.

not all disabilities are visible. To look at me you would not think I
was disabled but I am. I can walk but I am in almost constant pain
and long distances and stairs bother me even more. By the end of our
last cruise, I needed my cane everyday because of all the walking I
did.

Because I'm stubborn I try not to let my disability hold me back which
is why I don't take a wheelchair with me when I travel. If I was
flying home after this last cruise I may have called for a wheelchair
at the airport, especially if it was a large airport like MSP or JFK.

I've had 7 surgeries on my legs including 3 joint replacements. I'm
scheduled for my 8th on Jan 12th to replace my left knee. If I feel I
need a wheelchair, I'm going to request one no matter if I look
disabled or not.

Is the definition of this that you are missing limbs, blind?

My mom wasn't visually impaired, to me, but she was definitely
impaired. They trusted us when we asked for assistance. She could
have been faking a bad limp.

Sometimes people take advantage of a system, and that is a shame. I
don't see anything like that in this letter.

I am very grateful to everyone who served and serves our country, but
each and every person deserves respect, especially the disabled.

Not everyone who is legally disabled has a disability you can easily
see.

for example wheelchairs...

Some people are able to walk short distances unaided. Some people can
walk perfectly - until their disability flares up and interferes with
their mobility.


when it comes to deciding who can and can't use wheelchair services...
i figure if the customer has made arrangements with the company (be it
a cruise line or an airline) then that's all that matters to me.

I'm really sorry this happened to you. It is really frustrating when
you see a problem coming, try to prevent it, and the inaction of
others results in the anticipated outcome.

When I took my mother to Scotland and England, I was so impressed with
the assistance we received, EVERYWHERE. We rode in the Queen's
elevator at some venue, so she wouldn't have to use the stairs. That
was a hoot. They were so gracious and kind, from the airports to
everywhere we visited.

When the story about the Lockerbie bombing convict being released by
Scotland on humanitarian grounds hit the press, it reminded me of the
treatment we received, and gave me a different view of the situation.

I hope AA takes your letter to heart and reexamines its procedures.
They should.