wheelchairs and airplanes

[Guest guest]

When I flew to Santa to train with my service dog, they lost my

wheelchair!

The campus had an extra and I was able to walk with a cane, but if I hadn't

been able to walk I would never have made it out of the airport!

It was found and taxied over the next day!

B*B

Silver

_http://customclergy.com_ (http://customclergy.com/)

_http://tarotreadings.net_ (http://tarotreadings.net/)

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

When I flew to the SF Conference 2 yrs ago, I had a particularly scary

experience on the plane with my wheelchair (not as scary as the time I

had w/ the shuttle as some may remember, but I won't go there). The

problem was that the baggage handlers had no means of getting the

chair up onto the conveyor other than lifting it. Now, my chair is

450 lbs and costs about the same amount as a new economy sized sedan

and so you can imagine how my heart was in my mouth as I looked out

the window at these guys trying to lift it 3 or 4 feet into the air

and on to the conveyor.

I am toying with the idea of buying a lighter and less expensive

scooter of some type to take instead, but don't think it will really

meet my needs nearly as well (for example, I am easily able to

transfer from my wheelchair onto a toilet in a public rest room

handicapped stall and I think that would be much more difficult with a

scooter). So, before I go out and buy a scooter that I don't

necessarily want or need, I am wondering if there is anyone else out

there that uses a large electronic chair and has any suggestions about

how I can get it to Milwaukee. Is there any particular airline that

would be better equipped to handle it? What kinds of methods have

worked in the past for getting a 450lb chair on a plane?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Be Well,

Joe