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26 May 2022
Are you dreaming of taking a glorious summer getaway away from the hustle and bustle of daily life? If you’re new to using a manual wheelchair or caring for someone who uses one, the thought of flying may feel beyond daunting, but you don’t need to abandon the thought of ever going abroad again.
We spoke to Phil Friend OBE Hon D.Sc, a power chair user himself and one of the UK’s foremost consultants on disability matters, to get his tips and advice on flying as a wheelchair user and how to minimise the risk of things going awry.
It’s a good idea to use a travel operator who specialises in holidays for disabled people to help book your holiday. They’re experts in this field, have knowledge of the destination, and will know a lot of the issues passengers will face.
Prefer to go it alone? Preparation is everything:
It sounds like a simple thing but a comprehensive checklist that you and those you’re travelling with can follow is essential. Make sure you make note of everything you need to do, from what tasks you need to do before you go away right down to what you need to pack and in what bag.
Your checklist could include:
In all the research and planning it can be easy to forget about some of the basics. Don’t forget to double check your passport and make sure that you have enough time on it left to travel. Following Brexit the rules have changed for EU travel and now your passport must have been issued in the last ten years and must have at least three months (ideally six months to avoid issues) left on it from the date you leave your holiday destination. Passport waiting times can be long, so check it early.
It’s also crucial to get travel insurance and make sure it covers all your needs should anything happen while you’re away. Make sure to save any important numbers to your phone or have them written down somewhere safe to bring with you so they’re there in an emergency.
If you’re visiting the EU, you may also want to consider getting a free Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) that could also help with medical costs when abroad.
Now choosing a seat on a plane can be tricky – should you have a window seat or an aisle seat? There are pros and cons to both, so it’s worth careful consideration. Sometimes (depending on the airline) you may be asked to use a particular seat. This won’t be at the very front or near exits due to safety regulations, but you should be able to get the type of seat you want by chatting to the airline or tour operator when booking.
Once you get to the airport, it’s a good idea to head over to passenger assistance as soon as you can as they’ll be the ones to help you through the process of checking in, getting through security, and heading through customs. Passenger assistance are there to look after you until you’re seated on the plane, at which point the airline takes over.
If you’re unable to walk without your wheelchair, the passenger assistance team will transfer you to an aisle chair to get you onto the plane and transfer you into your seat. It’s a good idea to choose a seat close to the front of the plane – this way you won’t have to be pulled the entire length of it to get to your seat.
If you have a pressure cushion that you already use with your wheelchair, don’t be afraid to take it with you to use on the plane – especially if you’re prone to pressure sores or unable to move much on your own. It’s worth checking with the airline you’re flying with just to make sure they’ll allow it, but generally as long as you can still get the seat belt on it should be fine.
When you reach your destination, you may need to be taken from the plane in an ambulift if you can’t manage coming down the stairs. These are vehicles with a small, enclosed platform on the back that pull up to the plane to help take you down to the runway. These are safe but if you don’t like heights can be a little unnerving.
Some airports only have a small number of these ambulifts available and so you may need to wait for it to arrive. Don’t worry, the plane won’t move off again while you’re still on it!
If your manual wheelchair isn’t a custom-made chair, you might find it less stressful to rent a wheelchair to use while on holiday instead of transporting your own chair. Your travel operator should be able to help you with this if it’s something you want to do or you can research hire companies yourself.
Do you have any top tips for flying you’d like to share with us? Get in touch on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and let us know.
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