I have travelled a lot by plane throughout my life, whether it be for disabled sports or vacation. This means that my grandmother and I spend a lot of our time in different airports across the country.
Before I began my own blogging journey in 2020, I would always go on Instagram and YouTube, searching for tips and tricks to make it easier when navigating the airport with a manual wheelchair and medical equipment, and loved what I saw! Airports can seem very intimidating for someone with a disability: Lots of people, the very cramped, sometimes tight security lines, and not to mention, the pat-downs we are required to have in order to clear TSA and go to our gate.After learning the ins and outs of so many airports and airlines over the years, this blog post is centered around my experience flying as a wheelchair user, in case others would benefit from reading these tips as well.
I have been a manual wheelchair user for as long as I can remember and have been on hundreds of flights over the years, one service that I just found out about that has made my flying experience so much smoother is a service called TSACARES. Unfortunately, my grandmother and I have only used this company once so far, which was last year on our way home from Minneapolis. It was incredibly helpful! It is a helpline for individuals with disabilities to call 72 hours before their flight if they need assistance getting through security and/or to their gate. I am not going to do a deep dive into TSACARES on this blog post, however, it took away the added stress of going through security with a wheelchair. I cannot recommend them enough, and will be adding my review soon!
This is a tip I learned a few years ago thanks to constant flights to hockey tournaments and although it’s not directly related to wheelchair travel alone, it is a tip that has been incredibly helpful to me. Throughout the years of traveling, Southwest Airlines has been the airline that my grandmother and I have flown the most. When flying with them, two bags fly free. However, did you know this?
Medical equipment flies for free too! Whether it be a hockey bag, or another form of medical equipment that does not need to be carried on. Also, this is at no extra charge for the individual checking their luggage!
This one really isn’t a tip per se. It’s more like general knowledge for those who either don’t fly frequently, or for those who have never flown before! Whether you’re flying with a companion, caretaker, or solo, if you are unable to transfer to any other seat other than the front row, definitely let the workers know that you would like pre-board. This means that you and one other person will board before family boarding, priority, or the regular boarding groups. I am very thankful that Southwest has been so accommodating with my pre-boarding experience!
These are tips I wish someone had told us before my grandmother and I started traveling as much as we do because, not only are they extremely helpful tips for those with disabilities who are planning on traveling soon, but they are also extremely informative and