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Welcome to UK Wheelchairs - the home of value and quality

Festive flights and wheelchairs

With the festive season coming up many of us will be making trips to see family and friends across the UK and further afield overseas. If you are a wheelchair user and are traveling this Christmas then now is a good time to start to plan your journey and inform the airline of your plans to travel with your wheelchair or powerchair.

Not all of us need extra help to get to and from flights but sometimes it is comforting to request the assistance in case you need it on the day. For others less fortunate a trip or fall before the flight might mean that you require wheelchair assistance but have not been able to give the airport and airline sufficient notice about your need for wheelchair assistance.

With airports getting bigger the distance for the entrance to the terminal and the departure gate can sometimes be hundreds of meters which mean that wheelchair users are more likely to require help to get to their gate on time. This is particularly the case when gate openings are announced late due to delays with the airline. Once at the gate further assistance will be needed to get you to your seat and the wheelchair stowed in a suitable way.

If you need to arrange connecting flights then the challenge is greater when you are a wheelchair user. If you have arranged assistance then your wheelchair should be ready for you when your flight lands. Each time you need to check in please give yourself adequate time as you may need to wait for the wheelchair attendant to arrive to help you particularly during peak travel times like Christmas.

If you do require a wheelchair attendant it is helpful if you let them know what you can and cannot do before you get to the security screening area. If you can stand and walk it will be a different process than if you need to go thru security seated in your wheelchair as pat down screening can take a while longer.

Are you taking your own wheelchair ?

Assuming you are traveling with your own wheelchair then having a disassembly plan is important. Some of us rarely take their wheelchairs apart so waiting until you are under pressure to do it swiftly might not be the best plan.

Once you reach your destination airport in theory your wheelchair attendant should be ready and waiting to assist. Generally, he or she will offer to take you to the baggage claim area in the airport. If you need to stop and use the facility then this is a good opportunity depending on the duration of your remaining travel plans.

If you are using the train or other public service travel then we will be posting on this soon.

We wish you well with any travels this Christmas and hope that you and your wheelchair, manual or electric reach your destination in a timely and comfortable manner !