Category: Travel Tips

It’s funny how people are so attached to their carry-on bags when they get onto a plane. If they are threatened with, “If that doesn’t fit, then we’re going to have to check it!” they will squeeze and smash their bag into that overhead compartment like they were trying to get their fat kid out of a burning building through the tiniest window.

Every time I fly, my “legs” get checked as baggage and go in the cargo area. I can’t get up from my seat to go to the bathroom, I can’t move about the plane to stretch. I am stuck there for the entire duration of the flight with my most important baggage, my wheelchair, riding down below. I have no idea if it has been taken care of. I have no idea if it will arrive in one piece. Hell, I don’t even know for sure it has been loaded on the plane most of the time. All I know is that if I have to deal with checking my wheelchair, then regular passengers can deal with checking their over-sized carry-on bags.

Now I realize this is a matter of perspective. But I am glad I have the perspective to look at flying as this complete and utter non-important event that only lasts a few hours. Have you ever been at the gate counter when someone panics because they might have to sit a row behind their husband or child or friend for two or three hours? From the way people get angry and loud, you’d think that one of them was going to be put to death.

One time I was flying back from Denver and a small piece of the plastic over my wheel broke off. It really wasn’t a big deal but the gate agent convinced me to stop at the baggage office and file a claim. I got down to the office and there was a short line. Immediately in front of me was a woman pulling a black rolling suitcase. She got to the counter and said, “I’d like to file a claim. My bag is damaged.” The bag looked fine to me and the woman behind the counter needed to come around and be shown the damage, which was a small white scuff about an inch long on the corner of the bag.

The airline employee said that this was not enough damage to file a claim and the woman protested loudly that something inside her bag might be damaged. They went back and forth until the airline employee said, “Okay, then open up your suitcase and if something is damaged, we’ll discuss it.” The woman refused and left, probably because she knew that there was no way her grandma panties and whatever other clothes she had in there could have been damaged.

I rolled up there next and said, “Okay, now I have some actual damage to talk about” and the airline employee rolled her eyes and laughed. We both knew who the crazy one was.

So could you imagine if EVERYONE had to have their “legs” checked as baggage when they flew? If nobody could get up and go to the bathroom, or walk around, or stretch? People would not be happy. Things like luggage scuffs or broken handles would seem minor in comparison. Unfortunately not everyone will gain this perspective. I’m glad I have, however, because it makes flying seem much less stressful and less integral in making or breaking my vacation.

It has been a week of travel as I migrated to Wisconsin for the summer. I stopped in Las Vegas on the way up and stayed at the Excalibur for the whopping rate of $25.60 a night if you don’t count gambling losses. Of course it goes without saying that like most Vegas hotels, that the rooms are far away from the casino. This particular setup had a long, steep, carpeted ramp to go up/down no matter which tower you were staying in. If you’re in a manual chair be prepared for a push. The room was nicely decorated but there were a few things that made no sense to me from a usability standpoint.

First, the desk in the room was too low to get my legs under while sitting in my chair. Had the surface not been quite so thick, it could have been possible. It was also positioned such that it stuck out into the middle of the room and I’d have to “parallel park” my chair if I wanted to bother using it. Of course that would also mean pulling out the chairs that were there to start with. The internet cable was also nowhere to be found and I had to dig it out of the mess of cords by the television. Since I couldn’t really sit at the desk I had the Ethernet cable strung across the room so I could use my laptop on my lap.

Second, the heater/AC unit was buried in this case so you literally had to stick you hand in and feel around to reach the controls. I also had to use my phone light to see in there, even during the daytime! It looked as though at one time there was a thermostat on the wall but all that remained was a piece of the green silicon motherboard.

Next, and this is a common feature of many hotel rooms, the night stand got in the way when I wanted to transfer into bed. I hate backing up and running into a pesky night stand when I’m trying to position my chair such that I can get into bed. To avoid this I ended up pushing the bed diagonally away from the night stand. Of course this means there’s a space between the head of the bed and the wall and inevitably it means my pillow is going to fall down there, which it did.

Last but not least is the bathroom. It was spacious, but had two rugs in it which my chair promptly ate when I turned around. After getting rid of those I went to take a shower. It was a big roll-in shower but had a tiny seat (18 inches max). Of course the seat was across the long shower from the soap dish so I had to balance my shampoo and soap on the arm railing. Both fell and hit the floor. And the shower head, which was already detached, sat on the other grab bar. Since the hook for the shower head was too high to reach, I had to deal with holding the shower head which sucks if you have bad arms like me. The other thing about the bathroom is that the toilet seat was not flat. It was curved inward so in order to slide off the toilet you have to go up and over. This makes transferring much more difficult than it should be. Another minor observation is that the bowl of the sink was set back about a foot or more from the edge of the counter top. So in order to spit into if I had to scoot up to the edge of my chair and stretch. Small detail, but super silly!

Overall I would consider staying at this hotel again despite the issues, but only if it was a night or two and only if it cost $25 a night again. I can put up with certain things for small amounts of time if they are cheap. This definitely wasn’t the worst “accessible” room I’ve stayed in, but could use some minor improvements.

Recently, I flew from Honolulu to Milwaukee via Chicago on American Airlines and had a great experience.

Even though I had purchased a ticket at 10AM for a flight at 4PM the same day, the passenger services department gave me a call to ask me what my needs were for the flight. Because I had specified I used a wheelchair and would need assistance, they wanted to clarify a few things and see if I needed anything else. I don’t recall another airline doing this, but hopefully they are starting to.

Once I got to the airport things went very smoothly. I got there 2 hours early and I recommend getting there at least 2 hours in advance if you are using a wheelchair. It’s much easier for them to assist you when there’s not a long line of passengers waiting to make their flights. The counter agent was able to help me move my seat assignment and put a name tag on my wheelchair. She double-checked on my needs and sent me on my way to the gate.

I got the new pat-down at security, which was quite thorough, if you know what I mean. But since I only had a small carry-on without a computer, the security line and inspection was much easier than when I have a big old backpack and laptop that needs to be removed.

Once at the gate, I made the gate agent aware of my presence and got a claim tag for my wheelchair. She reconfirmed that I needed to be lifted from my wheelchair to the aisle chair, then from the aisle chair to my seat. Because I had specified that I would need at least 2 people to do this, that’s exactly what was sent to help me out. Occasionally an airline or passenger service company will only send one person down and it’s impossible to facilitate a transfer with only one person. But from my boarding in Honolulu to my transfer in Chicago to my arrival in Milwaukee, all the lifts and transfers went perfectly.

Of all the airports I have ever flown through, I think the boarding service at Chicago is by far the best. Milwaukee is very good too. FYI, I never know what I am going to get in Honolulu and flying Delta through Atlanta is usually a toss-up that ends up on the wrong side of the coin.

In any case, I arrived in one piece, as did my wheelchair. Everyone was nice throughout the trip. I do think it pays to have a positive attitude yourself and be gracious and pleasant to the flight attendants at all times, too, especially since they might get stuck on the plane waiting for you to be de-planed. This time, however, there was very little wait upon arrival and we all left quickly and on time.