Long Overdue

[playacaribe2]

For those who fly fairly regularly to/from the DR.........this is long overdue,

Regulation of unnecessary use of wheelchairs in airport

<p>Santo Domingo, DR The company Aeropuertos Dominicanos XXI (Aerodom) and the airlines that operate flights in the airport terminal put into effect an instructive with the objective of regulating and orienting passengers who use wheelchairs because of the rebuke of their excessive use. The...

dominicantoday.com

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[irishpaddy]

it was like a flight to Lourdes ......they all get the wheelchair in JFK .....get early boarding with their families and on arrival they are suddenly cured .

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

For those who fly fairly regularly to/from the DR.........this is long overdue,

Hardly ‼️
I read the entire article and it is one of the most idiotic policies regarding service to individuals with reduce mobility that I have every seen.
I could break down the article into each part that is completely ridiculous.
But the part that stands out is this:

"Only the airline will be authorized to request the service from the service provider; that is to say, only the airline can call the company offering the service to request the wheelchairs from the passenger claiming the service."

⬆️Only someone who has never actually navigated SDQ while assisting a reduced mobility person could have written this.⬆️

 

[william webster]

There is no doubt that some passengers are deserving of assistance..... no question

But my experience is that the RD flights have an inordinate number of wheelchairs.

I recall a JetBlue flight from JFk....many wheelchairs

As we were waiting, the wife wanted a coffee...
Hubby jumped up and walked quite a distance to buy it & returned carrying 2 cups.... no problem

If you watch..... there are waaay less chairs on arrival....

Too bad about the scammers b/c it hurts those who truly need it

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

Let's hope you never need a wheel chair.

 

[playacaribe2]

There is no doubt that some passengers are deserving of assistance..... no question

But my experience is that the RD flights have an inordinate number of wheelchairs.

I recall a JetBlue flight from JFk....many wheelchairs

As we were waiting, the wife wanted a coffee...
Hubby jumped up and walked quite a distance to buy it & returned carrying 2 cups.... no problem

If you watch..... there are waaay less chairs on arrival....

Too bad about the scammers b/c it hurts those who truly need it

When you fly enough back/forth, you do not need a written article to tell you what your eyes so plainly see.

The record on one flight BOS/SDQ was 27 wheel chairs........................and they did not need 27 when the plane landed.

The airlines heretofore knew about it, but just shrugged their shoulders

Abused and long overdue.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

When you fly enough back/forth, you do not need a written article to tell you what your eyes so plainly see.

The record on one flight BOS/SDQ was 27 wheel chairs........................and they did not need 27 when the plane landed.

The airlines heretofore knew about it, but just shrugged their shoulders

Abused and long overdue.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

Yes, but the abuse should be handled.
Not with a sweeping set of ideas that actually harm people with reduced mobility.

"Only the airline will be authorized to request the service from the service provider; that is to say, only the airline can call the company offering the service to request the wheelchairs from the passenger claiming the service."

⬆️Only someone who has never actually navigated SDQ while assisting a reduced mobility person could have written this.⬆️

As a person who has assisted "a reduced mobility person" on more than one occasion navigate SDQ I don't need to read an article to know that these rules "throw out the baby with the bathwater".

What I do not know is how to explain that to the privileged among us who do not understand the actually challenges that reduced mobility passengers face.

Let's hope the hater and the doubters never actually need a wheelchair during their lifetimes to navigate SDQ or any other airport in 🇩🇴

 

[william webster]

Let's hope you never need a wheel chair.

Your comprehension gets addled sometimes in your effort to be right....and control the dialogue

I deliberately expressed my sympathy for those in true need......

Give us a break...huh ?

 

[La Profe_1]

There is no doubt that some passengers are deserving of assistance..... no question

But my experience is that the RD flights have an inordinate number of wheelchairs.

I recall a JetBlue flight from JFk....many wheelchairs

As we were waiting, the wife wanted a coffee...
Hubby jumped up and walked quite a distance to buy it & returned carrying 2 cups.... no problem

If you watch..... there are waaay less chairs on arrival....

Too bad about the scammers b/c it hurts those who truly need it

I am, after a rather horrific auto accident in Puerto Plata, one of those who truly need a wheelchair when I travel.

I'm capable of getting around in my apartment, of a twenty minute shop in the grocery store, of entering and leaving my second floor apartment in Puerto Plata once a day (go downstairs, do whatever is necessary and go back upstairs, not to leave again until the next day) and walking twenty feet to my office each day.

The distances in airports are beyond my ability to negotiate on a leg that was supposed to have been amputated in 2008.

I really hope that this "good news" does not make getting the assistance that I need when I travel more difficult to obtain.

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

Your comprehension gets addled sometimes in your effort to be right....and control the dialogue

I deliberately expressed my sympathy for those in true need......

Give us a break...huh ?

You have shared you opinion
And I have shared mine
Thank you for sharing.
It is how I learn.

But my point remains that rules as written hurt the passengers that have reduced mobility that are truly in need.
I have no desire to be right.
I am sharing my experiences.
I am sorry that you cannot see that I am writing from that perspective.

 

[playacaribe2]

I am, after a rather horrific auto accident in Puerto Plata, one of those who truly need a wheelchair when I travel.

I'm capable of getting around in my apartment, of a twenty minute shop in the grocery store, of entering and leaving my second floor apartment in Puerto Plata once a day (go downstairs, do whatever is necessary and go back upstairs, not to leave again until the next day) and walking twenty feet to my office each day.

The distances in airports are beyond my ability to negotiate on a leg that was supposed to have been amputated in 2008.

I really hope that this "good news" does not make getting the assistance that I need when I travel more difficult to obtain.

On the contrary, this should help free up the otherwise limited resources for those who truly need it.

Addressing the issue is long overdue. Use of wheelchairs is not the issue, it is the abuse that has caused the authorities to finally and hopefully take action.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[keepcoming]

I see both sides...as a former airline employee and someone who occasionally needs assistance (bad knee, sometimes good, sometimes not). Years ago, when I was working flights those who needed wheelchairs truly needed them. Later I began to see many who abused this, seeing it as a way to board early, etc... When I fly, I pay attention to those who are in wheelchairs (some of the reasons are not on-topic), and I have also been amazed at their rapid recovery. Now having said this, I have used a wheelchair to get to the gate on bad knee days. Once at the gate I am able to walk to the bathroom, etc.... It is just the long/lengthy walk to the gate that at times is difficult. Though I have never needed to board "early" due to using a wheelchair to get to the gate. I do hope those who truly need this service will be able to access it without a lot of difficulty.

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

At SDQ there is has never been a problem with wheelchair availability when I have been there assisting a passenger with limited mobility who was traveling.
But having to contact an airline employee before receiving assistance is going to make things much more difficult because this assistance is needed at the curb and airline employees are not at the curb.
Those who have or who are actually assisting passengers with limited mobility at SDQ know this from experience like I do.
I cannot speak to what goes on at other airports in the 🇩🇴 .

 

[william webster]

Don't know if you saw this..... but it's a current topic in travel

Embarrassing, Uncomfortable and Risky: What Flying Is Like for Passengers Who Use Wheelchairs (Published 2022)

To better understand the obstacles faced by wheelchair users, The Times sent a reporter and a photographer to document one man’s plane trip. Here’s what they saw.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

Don't know if you saw this..... but it's a current topic in travel

Embarrassing, Uncomfortable and Risky: What Flying Is Like for Passengers Who Use Wheelchairs (Published 2022)

To better understand the obstacles faced by wheelchair users, The Times sent a reporter and a photographer to document one man’s plane trip. Here’s what they saw.

www.nytimes.com

Behind a pay wall.

 

[NALs]

There is no doubt that some passengers are deserving of assistance..... no question

But my experience is that the RD flights have an inordinate number of wheelchairs.

I recall a JetBlue flight from JFk....many wheelchairs

As we were waiting, the wife wanted a coffee...
Hubby jumped up and walked quite a distance to buy it & returned carrying 2 cups.... no problem

If you watch..... there are waaay less chairs on arrival....

Too bad about the scammers b/c it hurts those who truly need it

Sometimes it's scammers, but most times they aren't. Many old people are put on wheelchair to prevent them from tripping, falling and breaking a bone which tends to be more fragile the further up in age. It doesn't mean these old people need a wheelchair due to legs problems.

The same with other type of aid. You might see some people with a cane who appear able to walk without it like a normal person. That's how it looks from the outside looking in. Many times their issues could be mild (they may seem to be walking normally like everyone else, but unlike most people one of their legs feel heavier than the other and that requires further effort to move that leg, given an enough distance they will get tired quicker than most and in the process are prone to trip on something and fall unless they have something steady to hold such as a cane) or they could be in waves if the issue is one of balance (feel fine one moment, struck by dizziness the next moment, feeling fine again, repeat). For some people it could be simply that they can't walk in a straight line, it doesn't mean they can't walk. If that person doesn't want to be wobblying from side to side since it takes extra effort to do that and you still will wobble but less, using a cane eliminates that due to the extra support. Point is if you are normal with no issues, it's impossible to know what others are going through simply because they are using a cane or a wheelchair and suddenly they appear to be alright.

There are cases when people have severe mobility impairments and for those these aids are a must all the time, but for most the impairments are mild. What they aren't are 100% like normal people or more often, how they used to be and this last part is a point of reference that they use for obvious reasons. Someone gets up from a wheelchair and walks to get coffee and walks back to the wheelchair may seem normal to you. For that person to achieve this perception of normalness to you could require more effort than for a truly normal person.

 

[william webster]

In the example I cited..... I saw the man walk for coffees and return carrying 2 cups...... he was NOT impaired from what I saw

I have full sympathy for those in need...... may need it myself one day
Clearly, the airlines sense a problem or we wouldn't be hearing/reading about it

 

[La Profe_1]

But having to contact an airline employee before receiving assistance is going to make things much more difficult because this assistance is needed at the curb and airline employees are not at the curb.

As you are wont to say, "Exactly on point."

 

[william webster]

Perhaps you just add it to your booking.... like seat selection or ordering a meal

Hopefully, it will be easy

 

[La Profe_1]

Perhaps you just add it to your booking.... like seat selection or ordering a meal

Hopefully, it will be easy

That is exactly how I obtain wheelchair assistance. As a matter of fact, that preference is saved in the passenger profiles of the airlines I use regularly.

The real issue is assistance curbside, especially when traveling for longer times and needing baggage. I travel alone 99% of the time, so when I'm at the curb with bags and struggle to walk normally the trip to check in or drop bags is daunting. My home airport in the US usually doesn't have porters available in the middle of the night for passengers on 6 AM flights, so it is a conundrum, to say the least.