Traveling with Abililty
By Carol Ferguson and Ina Pinkney
We are two polio survivors who love to travel.
We live in different cities and have had different airline experiences. Carol travels frequently from Philadelphia to Ina’s beloved city of Chicago.
That’s where our experiences have had the opportunity to overlap and our friendship has been able to grow.
We both have easy to maneuver power “wheels” and like taking them to the bottom of the jetway, close to the airplane door. We both arrive at the gate early and introduce ourselves to the airline personnel so they know ahead of time that there is someone with a mobility device boarding the plane.
We have both had difficult situations, and have both recently seen a difference in the way airlines are trying to deal with the complex issues that can come with disabled passengers.
Carol’s Story:
Early on, I learned how easy it was to have a (relatively) lightweight scooter. I would ride it down the jetway to the door of the plane, where the baggage handlers would carry it down the steps and stow it with the strollers. I would book a seat as close to the front as I could, making it a short walk into the plane. It came up easily upon landing, placed just a few feet away from the door and off I would go up the ramp.
I often travel alone and never had any issues related to my limitations. For the most part, people were kind and friendly. It took only one trip to change my view of how easy this all was. Six years ago, upon arrival in Chicago, I moved forward to the front row to wait for my scooter to come up. All the strollers were there, but no scooter. Everyone on the plane deboarded and ½ the crew left. No one offered to help. Finally, the pilot went to find it. He came back telling me it was at the top of the jetway and all I had to do was walk up there to get it. I looked at him and told him (as politely as I could) “If I could walk up to the top of the jetway, I wouldn’t need the scooter.” Clearly embarrassed, he went up to find an attendant. He came back and told me my scooter was at the top and he was getting me help. Ten minutes later, the attendant arrived with a manual wheelchair to take me up. No one would be bringing it down. Up we went while I searched for my wallet to find a tip for the attendant. There was my scooter, sitting in clear view, right at the top – they must have walked by it half a dozen times, yet never thought to bring it down. The plane had landed 30 minutes before and I still hadn’t left the arrival gate. Meanwhile, my son was maneuvering my 30 minute delay outside – as he knew I had landed, was right on time to pick me up and ended up circling O’Hare airport 5 times. For those who know, that’s not an easy task. The flight home was easy, but I was far more cautious.
On the return home from our next trip, as soon as they brought up my scooter, I knew something was wrong. The pieces didn’t fit together right and it barely ran. By the time my husband and I got to the baggage claim, I knew there was a problem. We waited more than an hour in line at the airline’s claim desk. Photos were taken and we filed a damage report. With my husband’s help (and great pushing ability) we made it to the car. Fast forward three months. Forms had been filed, and US Air was going to replace my scooter. Their claims manager couldn’t have been nicer supporting my finding a replacement as mine was discontinued. Technology had changed and there were now smaller, portable power chairs designed for easy travel. The Air Hawk was recommended. Only 41 pounds, it has airline approved lithium batteries and it’s FAST (one of my favorite features). All was well.
My first flight with my new wheels (this time traveling alone using Frontier Airlines) was once again a huge disappointment. When we landed in Philadelphia, it was pouring down rain. They brought it up and it was completely soaked (the seat cushion needed to be squeezed out). No one offered to help and no one had towels. I was three feet from the airplane door. When I asked to go into the bathroom for paper towels, I was told quite curtly that once I had left the plane I could not reenter. The crew had left and the baggage crew had gone on to other areas. The pilot, clearly annoyed came back, got me a few paper towels and left me there. Fortunately, it was spring and my lightweight coat helped keep me from getting soaked. When I got to the top of the jetway and into the gate area the attendant was unwilling to assist in any way. It was a cold, wet journey through the airport where I could get into our warm, dry car towards home.
With COVID easing, I wanted to go back to see my children in Chicago. In 2023, having read so much bad news regarding disability travel, combined with my own experience, my approach with American Airlines was very different. I was very careful to make sure my mobility device and the correct battery type were listed on the reservation. I knew lithium batteries could be an issue, so I had a copy of the specifications easily available. The night before I flew, American Airlines called me. She was thoughtful and polite. She asked all about my power chair (Model, battery type, etc). She explained that the batteries in my Air Hawk were on their approved list and that they would be assigning me an American Airlines Mobility Device Identification Number that would now be automatically connected with my Frequent Flyer number. The baggage carriers would know that my chair was light weight.
Oscar Rodriguez and unnamed gate agent. Photo: Carol Ferguson
The next day, everything at the gate was 10 times easier (both in Philadelphia and upon arrival in Chicago). Three days later, when I arrived at the gate in Chicago for my return home, it was the same. A gentleman named Oscar Rodriguez came up to me and introduced himself as the Manager and told me that he wanted to make sure all my questions and concerns were addressed. Both Oscar and the gentleman at the desk couldn’t have been nicer – the entire trip was pleasant and uneventful.
My precious wheels arrived at the airplane door, unscathed.
Ina’s Story:
I have a bright red, 4-Wheel Solax Transformer scooter that weighs 54 lbs (with the battery). I love that it opens and closes with the remote on my keychain. Closed up, it fits in the trunk of cars/taxis with ease and has a pull up handle bar that allows it to be tilted and rolled like a suitcase. It’s about 8 years old.
I was flying to Minneapolis, so I called United Airlines and explained to the representative that I would be using a scooter for the first time and gave her all the information about weight and type of battery. She was clearly interested and easy to talk to and gave me some new pieces of information. Our conversation was an easy one and I became a sponge that was happy to soak up what she had to tell me.
She explained that every year the people on the accessibility desk have to take a test. This test is from United Airlines, the Dept of Transportation and from their disability group. They take these tests multiple times per year to be sure they're up-to-date on all of the latest information about disabled travelers. She explained that they estimate that there could be as many as 1.8 billion people in the world with the potential to travel, who have all kinds of disabilities. She was informative and interesting. I gave her all the information she requested about my scooter and my needs. She was delighted that I had the information to give her. I said, "What happens now?" She replied, "Nothing, it will all be in your reservation."
After hearing Carol’s story about the American Airlines Mobility Device Identification Number, I asked if they had a way to put this information into my account ID or would I have to repeat this process every time I travel. She explained that unfortunately, United Airlines did not have a means of putting it into my permanent frequent flyer information yet. I knew I would need to have the information on hand to give them every time I made a reservation.
I love using TSA PASSENGER CARES. After I have my airport and flight number information, I go online to that site and enter the necessary information. I receive a confirmation email with a telephone number to call when approaching the airport. The first time I used it, off I went to the airport. As required, I had called the TSA passenger Cares number in the email. No sooner did I scoot in when I was greeted by a young man who said, "Are you Ina?" I replied, "Yes I am. Who are you?" "I'm Kevin“ he said. Happy to see him, I replied "Kevin, you're my man." He smiled and told me "Yes, I am !” As he whisked me off to a security check, they opened up a closed lane for me since it was so crowded! I was happy to discover every agent was thoughtful and kind and I never had to get out of the scooter. Once through, Kevin verified that I was comfortable knowing how to get to my gate before he said goodbye. I had never felt this ‘travel freedom’ before.
Previously, when I had used the airline wheelchair and attendant, they took me to the gate and left me there (with no way to get to a bathroom or get a drink of water). When boarding is announced, they get a notification and are supposed to come back and wheel me down the jetway. More than once, when I had to change planes or gates, there wasn't much time and nobody came back for me. Once a gate agent was so stressed on my behalf that she locked the desk and pushed me to the connecting gate, knowing that if I missed that flight, I would be stranded! I always took it in stride and didn’t realize just how stressful it was.
When I used my scooter on that first trip, when a gate change was announced, all I did was turn my scooter on, make a U-turn and go to the new gate. No sooner did I arrive there, then they announced another gate change and once again, off I went, arriving right on time - stress free!
I told the gate agent that this was my first time using my own wheels. She saw some of the information about my scooter in their system and patiently took down the rest. We had a nice conversation and I asked her if they could give me a two-minute lead time before they let the remaining pre-boarding passengers on. I explained that I would be taking my scooter down to the bottom of the jetway, needed to get out of it, take out the battery and close it up. She said, "Absolutely."
In the waiting area, I noticed a man in a suit who was walking up and down the concourses taking notes. When I saw him headed toward me, I saw a United ID tag and asked him about his job. He replied, "Everybody calls me Dutch. I walk up and down these concourses and I look for people who look like they're having a problem." I was so anxious to tell him how happy I was because I had my scooter and those things that had been a problem for me previously were no longer an issue. He asked if this was a “first” for me. I told him that it was, and I explained about the airline wheelchair and how sometimes there isn't a person to get me from gate to gate. I knew he was listening when he replied, "That's very interesting.“
While having a meaningful conversation with an engaged airline employee, I decided to take the opportunity at hand. I suggested to him that now that I had put all the information about my scooter and special needs in my reservation, that United Airlines needed to find a way to give me the same thing American Airlines has, which is a Mobility Device Identification Number. I explained what the original reservations agent told me when she said that, “Sometimes other airlines are a little bit ahead of us.” He said, "What a great idea". Dutch asked if he could see what I had written in my phone regarding the details of my scooter and he started to write it all down. He said, "That is amazing. That's a great thing, and I'm going to put that in my notes as well." I laughed and said "Dutch, I’m so glad we met. Thank you so much.”
It worked out great. I got the heads-up and scooted down. I had practiced how to get it to the right amount of closure, get the battery out, put it in my bag, use my cane, and get in and sit down. The flight attendant saw me and I asked if she could please let me know when my scooter was back up. I was in Row 9. By the time I was able to walk forward and sit down in the front row to wait for it, she said it was already up! I got my cane, went the few feet out the door, dropped my battery in, turned it on and scooted out of there. As I write this, months later, I can still feel the sense of magic! It was amazing.
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We were both willing to “do our homework” and advocate for ourselves ahead of time. Once in person with airline employees, we did our best to communicate our needs in a thoughtful, kind, and positive way. When we advocated for ourselves, we knew we were doing our best to advocate for others. Our shared experiences came together. We were both glad to be able to let someone know in person, how much it meant to us that someone cared about those of us who have limitations. We both let these caring airline employees, who are really looking to see if anybody's having a difficult time and needs assistance, know just how grateful we are for what they do.
Who knew that traveling between each other’s homes would bring two survivors together in such a meaningful way. Last spring, we were able to have breakfast with Stephanie Graff, a dear friend from Rotary International. We were with Ina, and of course we had breakfast! We had the opportunity to share advocacy ideas and perspectives with a young mother who is as devoted to the eradication of polio and to the importance of pediatric vaccination as we are. Coming together to share ideas for something this meaningful only served to inspire us even more. Learning to navigate a few travel “bumps” was certainly worth it for that wonderful morning.
Carol Ferguson is the Founder of the PA Polio Network (Polio Survivors Serving Others) www.polionetwork.org
Stephanie Graff is the Media Relations Lead for the Public Relations Group at Rotary International.
She authored A New Parent’s story: Why Vaccines Matter
Ina Pinkney (known as The Breakfast Queen) is the Head of the Global Post-Polio Advocacy Group and writes a monthly newsletter. “Breakfast at Ina’s” is available on Amazon.