Wheelchair Assistance when you don't need Wheelchair!

[JohnK]

I know I will get flamed for this but I am still going to post.

I had a flight today SYD-MEL where I was able to eventually preselect 23B a couple of days ago as it was a very full flight and not easy to move out of 25J.

I go to use OLCI today and find myself in 34A. What? Yes I know it is exit row but that is not my chosen seat. And no, who ever moved me there was not doing me a favour. And this is the second time in past 3 flights this has happened. It should almost never happen. Well not on QF anyway as Virgin is quite famous for stuffing this up.

Anyway got to airport and went to check-in and just wanted an acceptable explanation. I was told I was moved as they put someone there requiring wheelchair assistance. OK. I can almost accept that.

I was one of the last to board and in 23B was an elderly lady with a vacant 23A. Fantastic luck to her I thought but she was definitely not wheelchair bound so someone just requiring assistance. Again I thought OK and she extremely lucky to have a spare seat on a full flight.

When I was getting off the aircraft there was no one in 23B and no one waiting in business class. This person has walked off. Can you tell by now I am fuming? :evil:

Go out of aerobridge and mentioned this to FA who could not care any less about my concern. Gate agent asked me to go with him and he would assist.

Told him story and apparently there is still note in the passengers record she requires wheelchair assistance but no one in MEL was ever notified. She walked off the aircraft. Apparently she was connecting from LA in SYD and I think, actually gate agent mentioned this was quite common, it was just a stunt to get preferential treatment with international->domestic connection and to get a better seat then her assigned 59E. (Please do not lose me here but there are other explanations but in my eyes she is one of the lowest forms of life).

I know I have bad luck but this should not keep happening to me all the time. Why do I have to suffer for all the no hopers in life?

Anyway gate agent asked if I had any further flights and I said I had a MEL-SYD tomorrow. Pressed a few buttons and out came a boarding pass for 1F. Yes I am extremely happy but this should not have happened in the first place. I should have mentioned my next flight was HKG-SYD on the A380 next year.

Please do not flame as this is not my fault and cough should not have to happen all the time.

And just in case you wanted to know I flew BNE-SYD back in September 2010 1 day after getting out of hospital after 11 days of severe issues after chicken pox infection. When I got to BNE airport on my own I could not walk. I was still struggling to stay upright. Anyway had wheelchair assistance both on and off aircraft and managed to crawl back to row 25 and then off again on 737. I did not ask to be moved to front and displace someone.

I will be sending QF this feedback on the experience.

 

[Blinky]

I'm certainly not going to flame you. I see many people abusing the wheelchair service. It seems to be the same people who go to ER rather than pay to see a doctor. One day I'll use my age and "crook knee" to get wheeled on.

Nah, probably not.

 

[cmon0005]

A couple of months ago, I had selected 4D on SYD-OOL QF flight, I did online checkin only to find I was now in 5D. Called QF and they spoke to their 'Operations' team who informed me I was moved due to a wheelchair passenger.
Got on the aircraft to find a fully-abled 40~ year old DYKWIA type in jeans and wearing a Porsche shirt with a 2 wheeled bag and a suit jack bag, no wheelchair, Plat bagtag.

I have no problem with genuine wheelchair pax and will gladly move for them.

 

[drron]

I am certainly not going to flame you.I noted this when flying AA BGI-MIA-DFW.Only 1 wheelchair out to plane at BGI.We were in F and heard the purser saying when we got to the gate at MIA 16 wheelchairs needed.WTF!
Turns out if you get a wheelchair off an international flight you go to a separate Immigration desk,lift down to baggage,through priority customs and if connecting taken to baggage drop and you dont have to lift a finger.
We were first off,no waiting at immigration-2 in queue in front of us but the wheelchair pax beat us to the baggage carousel.
So all but one had walked across the tarmac at BGI and climbed the stairs with no assistance.

 

[Happy Trails]

I hadn't heard of this practice but it seems to be well established in the US:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/n...rs-to-avoid-airport-lines.html?pagewanted=all

“We’d say there was a miracle because they all needed a wheelchair getting on, but not getting off,” said Kelly Skyles, a flight attendant and the national safety and security coordinator for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents American Airlines attendants. “Not only do we serve them beverages and ensure their safety — now we’re healing the sick.”

 

[samh004]

You'd hope FA's could note pax misuse of the service and do something about it.

I've once been bumped by a WC pax, but not till I got on board on the old Virgin Blue, ended up sitting in PE.

 

[TheInsider]

You should see SQ and MH arrivals and departures into Australia. 98% of them are from the same country. It's an absolute joke and an insult to the people who actually require them, not poor excuses like old age (50 yrs old) or cannot speak english.

Air NZ is notorious for departing a flight with zero wheelchairs and then having 2-6 on each arrival into Australia.

I don't think that the ground staff and FA's realise that by 'selling' wheelchair services to people, it costs the airline quite a bit of cash to the ground handlers, it's been said to be about $65 per chair.

 

[JohnK]

You'd hope FA's could note pax misuse of the service and do something about it.

If the FA's reaction today was indicative of their attitude to the practice then that is not going to happen.

I will be providing feedback with all details including flight and seat numbers.

 

[UP4014]

This s something I haven't noticed before, but as someone with a disabled parent who does require mobility help it annoys me airlines let it happen.

i was someone who once didn't take much note of such things but once I had to start transporting someone around who needs help i did start to notice those who take advantage of disabled parking spots and it galls me people take advantage of the good nature of a airline process designed to help the less fortunate.

matt

 

[TheInsider]

it galls me people take advantage of the good nature of a process designed to help the less fortunate.

An airline arrival which is handled by Menzies in the past few months had 42 wheelcairs on the flight, not one of them had their own chair checked in nor owned their own mobility device.

 

[trooper]

Hard to see what the airlines can do about it...Even less idea of what the FA's are supposed to do....Any suggestion of having to PROVE need would be met with howls of outrage..

Would it be possible to ensure ANY wheelchair booking applied at BOTH ends of a trip? Still hard to see how - short of physical restraint - a pax could be MADE to wait for said wheelchair...

Lose/lose situation for the airline I'd suggest...

 

[JohnK]

Hard to see what the airlines can do about it...Even less idea of what the FA's are supposed to do....Any suggestion of having to PROVE need would be met with howls of outrage..

Easy solution.

It is quite clear the person in 23B today was scamming. It is not just an allegation from me but something that was confirmed by airline employee that wheelchair was not required.

Blackmark her so she could not attempt the same stunt again....

 

[mannej]

I actually think its quite harsh calling someone the lowest form of life for doing something such as this.

 

[Happy Trails]

Easy solution.

It is quite clear the person in 23B today was scamming. It is not just an allegation from me but something that was confirmed by airline employee that wheelchair was not required.

Blackmark her so she could not attempt the same stunt again....

I can't see that happening. There's a world of PR pain awaiting them any time they make a wrong, or even questionable, call.

 

[nlagalle]

I can't see that happening. There's a world of PR pain awaiting them any time they make a wrong, or even questionable, call.

Simple, tell them they must wait for a wheelchair to collect them at the other end, if they leave, then black mark them banning them from selecting a wheelchair

 

[mella2007]

John I feel for you. I genuinely hate seeing people try and take advantage of the system when they clearly do not need assistance. And you see it everyday, from people with disabled stickers for car parking (who don't need it..and I know this from fact) to situations such as this.
I am visually impaired. Not once have I ever put in a special request for "Visual impairment" on Virgin's system (or any airline), as normally I am with someone and don't want a fuss made.
I believe there should be some sort of record for people that do this when not required, or documentation should be supplied...just like women who fly when pregnant.

 

[RWJ777]

I think that it's also necessary to look at it from the airline's perspective. As annoying as it is when you perceive that someone has apparently rorted the system, airlines have immutable obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act to provide access to people who claim mobility access issues. This is made very annoying if people have rather 'goosed' their mobility restriction to access better seats; but it can be really difficult for airlines to differentiate between actuality and claim. Imagine the outcry if they accused someone of not being sufficiently disabled!

 

[drron]

I have seen it on DJ that FAs ask pax who have requested wheelchair to wait until last to get their chair when obviously they had no need of it.

 

[markis10]

<redacted deleted post content>

Its a discussion board for both complaints and compliments, not just a source of tips etc. If a post is not of interest to the members, they generally don't get replies let alone pages of replies!

 

[Verde]

I can't see that happening. There's a world of PR pain awaiting them any time they make a wrong, or even questionable, call.

Remember a while back Jetstar ended up in court because they only provided 2 seats (wheelchair?) for people with a disability. Perhaps regular airlines could do the same.

Hopefully the genuine cases would book their need early and then the fakers would get told there is no capacity, so either they pick another flight or manage without it.

The unfortunate side effect would be that any late bookings by people in genuine need would have little chance of being successful.

Probably a simpler option is to verify they are using a wheelchair when they get to check-in staff and cancel its provision if they are getting about fine (though even that isn't flawless - my own mother is usually fine, but after flying to the USA and then supposedly because of the higher altitude, she needed a wheelchair in Denver airport even though she never normally would). I know I've seen some obviously frail passengers on the planes before (and one or two who should probably have had a wheelchair, because they really struggled without it).

It could be tricky because of anti-discrimination laws, but perhaps a $100 service fee after the first few spots are taken ('over capacity wheelchair fee'?) - that way late bookings in genuine cases can still fly with only a mild penalty while the real fakers will balk and turn it down. I could see it producing ugly PR though, so I can appreciate why they would keep the status quo.