Skip to main content

The Day of Flying

On the day of flying always arrive as early as possible. Even if you are embarking on a long-haul flight, and the prospect of spending even more time at the airport may be unappealing, having the extra time to organize everything is essential.

Flying with Disability strongly recommends that you use gel or foam filled batteries to power your chair. Normal acid filled batteries can be used to fly, though security staff will be required to remove them, whereupon they will be specially packed for the duration of the flight.

Manual fold up wheelchairs can actually be stowed in the on board coat closet, though there will only be room for one wheelchair. Airlines work on a first-come, first served basis for the storage of wheelchairs on board If you cannot secure this space, the airline will store your chair with the main luggage. This will not affect your luggage allowance.

If you have a connecting flight, take into account that you are likely to be the last to leave the plane, and any tight connecting flights may be hard to manoeuvre as you will have to wait to collect your wheelchair between flights.

Flying with Disability advises that you allow at least one hour to reach a connecting flight. Discuss this with your flight operator to ensure that travel connections run smoothly. They will be able to provide in-depth information about the layout and size of the airport, and those provisions required for wheelchairs.

If you do have a tight connection, inform the airline so that they can arrange to get your wheelchair and luggage ready for collection as soon as you disembark and check it in to the connecting flight.

It is often a good idea, to warn one of the flight attendants near the end of your journey to radio ahead for a wheelchair to be ready at the tarmac for when you arrive. This can help save time.

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

How to make a balloon fly

How does a hot-air balloon work (in theory)? In a word: buoyancy . Hot-air balloons float in the sky for pretty much the same reason that boats float on the sea. A boat floats because it's supported by the water beneath it: the weight of the boat (pulling downward) is exactly counterbalanced by the pressure of the water beneath it (pushing upward). A boat doesn't float perfectly on the water surface but sinks partly into the water according to how heavy it is. The bigger the boat, the bigger the area of water beneath it, the greater the force of the water pressure pushing upward on it, and the more weight it can carry. Here's another way to look at it: generally speaking, an object will float if it's less dense than water (in other words, lighter than an equal volume of water) and sink if it's more dense (heavier than an equal volume of water). Imagine a block of lead the size of your arm dropped into a bathtub filled with water. An "armful of lea...
Read more

What is the Difference Between a Jet & a Plane?

One of the most common types of airplanes in use today is the jet, which has largely replaced traditional aircraft powered by propellers. Although propeller planes are still used in some instances, jets dominate commercial and private air travel due to their greater speed, ability to fly at higher altitudes and mechanical reliability. General Airplane History While efforts toward powered flight date back to the earliest inventors, the first successful flight of a fixed-wing aircraft was performed famously by the Wright brothers in 1903. Their plane, known as the Wright Flyer I, was made of wood and used a gasoline engine to spin a pair of wooden propellers. Over the next several years, the Wright brothers continued to refine the design that would provide the basis for aircraft over the coming decades. World War I provided a major incentive for the design and construction of better airplanes. Planes were originally used purely for surveying the enemy's positions. This l...
Read more

Low Cost Airlines in the USA

1. Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co. is a major U.S. airline and the world's largest low-cost carrier, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The airline was established in 1967 and adopted its current name in 1971. The airline has nearly 46,000 employees as of December 2014 and operates more than 3,400 flights per day. As of June 5, 2011, it carries the most domestic passengers of any U.S. airline. As of November 2014, Southwest Airlines has scheduled service to 93 destinations in 41 states, Puerto Rico and abroad. Southwest Airlines has used only Boeing 737s, except for a few years in the 1970s and 1980s, when it leased a few Boeing 727s. As of August 2012, Southwest is the largest operator of the 737  ...more on Wikipedia 2  JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, with its main base at John F. Kennedy Intern...
Read more