Wheelchair Assistance - The Hard Way! MEL 31 Dec 2013

[Kieran2274]

Oh dear Flying Qantas this morning (for a change) J MEL-OOL (via SYD) and suffice to say my wheelchair assistance did not run smoothly at all. Usually no dramas at all when on VA tin - short visit to check-in desk then wheeled straight from there to lounge (if ample time) and then to aircraft door.

Sadly, even though flying J, I spent 15 minutes standing in Priority Queue J/CL/P1/etc (while dragon at entrance to queue made sure I was eligible to access, telling her I had wheelchair assistance booked prompted no assistance). Oddly the non-status queues moved much faster, with people walking in from check-in desk exit area to open agents before waiting priority queue pax). Even more strange, when I finally got to an agent (my leg killing me by now), she gave me my boarding cards but directed me to walk to almost the other end of the T1 area (on the other side of the security screening point) to go sit in a 'waiting area'. After 15 mins waiting here with no-one coming, and desperate for toilet, gave up and dragged my bad leg through security up to the QP to beg assistance.

Now my flight is called and still waiting for wheelchair.

Is it just a really bad day, or is this normal for Qantas now?

 

[aupirate]

Hi Kieran
I can't answer your question, but I hope things improve for the remainder of your trip. Best wishes for the new year.

 

[opusman]

I had exactly the same experience at MEL when putting my elderly grandmother on a plane last year. No sign of the booked wheelchair, had to walk the length of the building to get to the "waiting area", and then a 15 minute wait while they finally got their finger out and found a wheelchair.

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Had an excellent experience last month with my elderly father in MEL with wheelchair assistance courtesy of QF. Could not rate them highly enough. Also had assistance at the gate in DXB and then again in LHR, however LHR was quite delayed but there was a first host there (David?) who sorted that out all quick smart and apologised profusely.

 

[Kieran2274]

Hi Kieran. I can't answer your question, but I hope things improve for the remainder of your trip. Best wishes for the new year.

Thanks aupirate, same to you. As it's been a long while since I've flown QF, I'm just not sure if my experience this morning is atypical or typical (hopefully atypical!)

 

[wmetz]

Maybe the airlines should also introduce a $5 co payment fee to make sure only the very needy get a wheelchair ride at the airports.

 

[Kieran2274]

I had exactly the same experience at MEL when putting my elderly grandmother on a plane last year. No sign of the booked wheelchair, had to walk the length of the building to get to the "waiting area", and then a 15 minute wait while they finally got their finger out and found a wheelchair.

It does seem highly illogical to put the wheelchair waiting area so far away from the check-in desks Opusman. If you need a wheelchair assist, you're hardly likely to cope with such distance in any timely manner.

 

[Kieran2274]

Maybe the airlines should also introduce a $5 co payment fee to make sure only the very needy get a wheelchair ride at the airports.

I think you'll find only those who really have little choice but to request assistance ever do. For starters, wheelchair assist means you:
* must arrive at the airport earlier than the standard cut-off time (generally at least 1 hour before departure)
* must be put onboard on the aircraft before general boarding and generally have to be placed at the gate well before boarding commences, having little autonomy over your movements at the airport as a result (you can't just go off to visit the bookshop or cafe etc); and
* are the absolute last pax to leave the aircraft (sometimes 10-20 minutes after the first person gets off).

In short, you're much like checked baggage.

As to a co-payment, it is unlawful to negatively discriminate against disabled people [Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992 (Cth)] with respect to the provision of goods and services, hence why such a fee has never been charged.

Disabled people should be able to travel for work and leisure too, it's hard enough as it is without artificial barriers being added to the challenge.

 

[Kieran2274]

For those interested, I'm pleased to report that my last wheelchair assist of the day (which was from the a/c door, after all other pax had left) did run smoothly. I get the impression it's wheelchair assists from check-in that are problematic on Qantas (I had flown Qantas extensively before my spinal injury, but when I returned to flying early this year - some two years after surgery and rehab - I've mostly been doing flights with Virgin).

 

[Reggie]

I think wheelchair assistance is an important requirement, however like all things offered to those requiring it (or those earning it with status) there is more and more abuse.

i have seen pax who require wheelchair assistance onto the plane as they could barely walk, but after been told to wait til other pax have exited on landing for assistance, jump up when seat belt sign turns off, then walk off plane past the wheelchairs waiting at door or at end of airbridge. I have seen this a few times in the US and once in Australia.

a very unfortunate situation for those in true need.

 

[Simo]

IMHO I would PM Redroo and explain it all.

 

[Kieran2274]

I have seen pax who require wheelchair assistance onto the plane as they could barely walk, but after been told to wait til other pax have exited on landing for assistance, jump up when seat belt sign turns off, then walk off plane past the wheelchairs waiting at door or at end of airbridge. I have seen this a few times in the US and once in Australia. A very unfortunate situation for those in true need.

Couldn't agree more Reggie, especially as some airlines limit the amount of wheelchair assist pax per flight (usually two or more). The behaviour you outlined is clearly unacceptable and an outright evil thing to do (no different to those using disabled parking spots despite having no need - other than laziness - and no permit!) given you may have just stopped a real disabled person from flying that flight.

You'd hope such people would be blacklisted from receiving a wheelchair assist in the future. I suspect such idiots realise anyway there is nothing 'special' about wheelchair assists - I for one miss the freedom to move about unfettered (I really liked being able to browse the bookshop before boarding, so I always had something to read during TO/LD), and being the last to board before doors close (making the most of the lounge, using the far more comfortable ground toilets without rush prior to boarding, etc) and be among the first to leave the aircraft (since I have mostly travelled J, LIFO is not a problem). Given you spend a lot of time just waiting to go somewhere when in the wheelchair, it's not for the impatient to say the least.

 

[Kieran2274]

IMHO I would PM Redroo and explain it all.

As I've only just had a couple of flights with Qantas since my spinal injury, I'm not sure if this was just a bad one-off day or a sign of a systemic problem (it's why I wanted to seek out other disabled QFFers with recent experience, to determine if I should be worried). I have a few more flights with Qantas over the next couple of months (having already met Partner Gold barrier on Velocity Platinum, I figured I try out Qantas again to add to my Lifetime total - I'm almost LTS so seems a more productive use to earn SCs on Qantas for a bit).

If same problems crop up over the next couple of weeks, I will.

 

[Kieran2274]

Had a nice chat to one of the ground staff last night (as I was on one of the last flights out of SYD domestic, the terminal was pretty empty, so they had the opportunity) and they raised some issues with the new way wheelchair assists are handled. Been a couple of people who have not been picked up for their flights :shock:. Mostly it works, but obviously some teething problems persist. Personally I think putting the pick-up point some distance away from check-in compounds some problems, because check-in staff cannot keep an eye on who is still in the waiting area, and mobility impaired people don't have any Qantas staff in the immediate vicinity to flag if their flight is called and they are still in the waiting area.

Some bugs will be ironed out I'm sure, given time, but for domestic flights it may be wiser to travel in your own chair - even though this has its own problems (limits on how many can be checked at the a/c door, so your flight choices might be narrowed). Of note, it seems the problems are on just the departures to a/c leg (a/c to arrivals tends to run smoother).