How To Fly With a Wheelchair ♿✈️
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- čas přidán 12. 08. 2019
- Are you nervous about flying for the first time in your wheelchair? In this video I give all the tips and tricks I learned while flying with my manual wheelchair for the first time!
Check out my other CZcams Channel:
/ 101rabbits
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SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: @Haleyslifethroughalens
Of all the "flying with a wheelchair" videos I've watched on CZcams (and I've watched a lot of them), you're the only person I've seen who's an ambulatory wheelchair user who also states exactly what you do to get on and off the plane (of all the ones I've watched, everyone else is either paralyzed or doesn't even mention what they do to get on and off) - I feel like I've finally found someone like me!
I fly independently in a wheelchair at least once a year, so I've picked up a few tips here and there that I thought I'd share for anyone and everyone's benefit:
-When flying with your own wheelchair, take photos of it before you board the first plane each travel day (and prior to subsequent boardings if any damage occurs). That way, in the unlikely event that it does get damaged somehow, there is hard proof of what it looked like before and after.
(Looks like you’re planning on avoiding this one in the future by bringing your SmartDrive, but for those who don’t/can’t)
-If you will need assistance getting through the airport, allow plenty of time before/between/after flights - I once had to wait almost half an hour after I deplaned for someone to come push me to my next gate because the communication b/w the supervisor and the pushers was really delayed, to the point that if my layover had been any shorter, I would have missed my second flight. (Hopefully I won't have to worry about this happening again b/c I'm currently in the process of getting a custom manual and am hoping to get SmartDrive with it due to POTS and a long-standing shoulder injury.)
*_UPDATE:_* If you'll need assistance in your next airport, as soon as you board, ask the flight attendant to call ahead to the next airport to let them know you need someone to meet you at the gate. The last trip where I needed assistance, I did that, and I never had to wait more than 2 minutes max, but usually not at all.
SnowySpiritRuby I’m glad someone could benefit from my video!!! And yes I also had very long layovers to make sure everything went smoothly. But unfortunately my 2 hour flight turned into over a 5 hour flight due to weather and having to land at a different airport. So my 3 hour layover turned into a 30min layover haha! Not fun!
@@HaleysLifeThroughALens I once had to land at a different airport in order for the plane to get refueled because we circled our destination airport for 45 minutes and weren't able to land (I forget if it was weather or there just wasn't an opening in the runway - I think it was weather, as Denver can be rather temperamental due to the mountains), and I ended up spending the night in my layover city because I missed my flight and had to reschedule it for the next day.
Thank you! Planning on going to a convention next year and I have a wheelchair and a service dog to being with me. I somewhat know how to fly with my dog but have no clue how to fly with a wheelchair, and this video was extremely helpful. 😁
Additional "Flying in a wheelchair" videos I would recommend - the ones by:
-Wheels2Walking
-Chronically Jaquie
-ServiceDog Vlog
-Wheelchair Traveling
-MeantToBeLindseyB
-GoNumotion
How did it go?
Love ya girly💓💓 you are such an inspiration! Love you and your bunnies so so much!
Another tip that might help someone if you know about your flight ahead of time. You can basically request extensive background checks a few months in advance of the flight. You would get a little card to keep in your wallet. I think it does cost a fair but, but if you show that card you basically get a much lighter version of security because they can pull you up and it proves that there's nothing bad in your background. This would be good for say a vacation planned in advance or if you travel a lot for work, and I could see it being especially helpful if you have certain needs and requirements that make it difficult to get through an airline even with assistance.
If the airports you usually fly in and out of are big enough to have dedicated PreCheck lanes (there's a list on the TSA website of all the airports that have PreCheck lanes, because not all airports do, and sometimes even if they do, they aren't always open, meaning you would end up with normal security in those instances), then yes, it definitely might be worth it. I've thought about getting PreCheck (it's $85 for 5 years), too, but for me, the airports near where I live don't have dedicated PreCheck lanes or even dedicated wheelchair lanes (most of them are so small that they actually only have a single security lane, or only one open if they have more than one, and the planes that fly in and out of them are regional jets, so there's never a long line for security anyway), so I would end up with regular security at those airports anyway; the only other airport I frequent has both, and I'm able to get up and walk through a metal detector, so I'm debating whether it would be faster to go through the wheelchair line (which is usually fairly short) or go for PreCheck (the line for which usually moves pretty quickly) - I'm thinking at that particular airport it's going to be 6 of one, half a dozen of the other, so I haven't sprung for PreCheck yet. I can see it being a huge benefit for some people, but it can sometimes be a toss-up depending on where you live and where you usually fly to.
UPDATE (2 months later) - I found out just 7 weeks ago that, apparently, even though the airport near me doesn't have a dedicated PreCheck lane, they still honor PreCheck (not all airports without one will), so I very well might go for it - I won't have to take things out of my bags and won't have to take anything off, so it will make it go a lot faster.
Love you and your bunnies and your channels so much
Loving this channel! Shows us such a different part of your life than 101rabbits.
How is it owning pets as a temporary wheelchair user? Will you continue to own rabbits throughout your life or had adding the wheelchair made you reconsider?
Thank you! Honestly it is a lot harder owning rabbits after becoming sick, but I still could not imagine my life without rabbits. I definitely would never probably get more than 2 at a time again tho since they’re so much work. I think if my symptoms got worse I would have to reconsider things but for now, I am very stable/improving in some areas so I hope that won’t happen!
Haley's Life Through A Lens
Would love to see a video with your experience owning trios. Are they more difficult than duos?
I'm really happy you've started posting on here again :-)
You have a lovely day x
Thank you :)
Also your top is super cute 😍💞
I'm a first time wheelchair user and I'm going on my first flight with my wheelchair in May, I'm flying Delta, I was able to give my wheelchair information to the delta agent I spoke with right through the phone
One thing that really helps me is the TSA agents have a cane you can use to get to the machine and usually an agent will walk beside me while someone waits on the other side to get me a seat until they finish checking my chair. Every airport I’ve been to has been amazing about this. For your first time it sounds like you did great! It is always stressful traveling with any form of mobility aid.
Jodi Fritz great thing to know! Thanks for sharing!
I can't stand for the scanner (can't stand still in that position for long enough), but I can walk through the metal detector just fine, so I just tell them that I can walk through it so long as there's somewhere for me to sit down as soon as I get through, and everywhere I've gone has been amazing about bringing a chair for me to sit in while they finish.
Caddy luggage holder! Two little plastic bits that sits on the front of your wheelchair frame just above your footrest, and it’s made for easy transportation of a sports bag or carry on bag, and it also works brilliantly for larger shopping baskets or other firm bottom bags. Absolute lifesaver when traveling, especially alone but also in cases where you’re traveling with someone who also has some luggage and that someone may need to push you some too. I had both mine and my mums carry on sized bag on my Caddy luggage holder when we were out of town overnight once last year for a concert and mum needed to push me some due to bad roads where we were. Caddy luggage holders also works well if you have a FreeWheel attachment, it doesn’t get in the way for each other.
And a general rule of thumb when flying with a wheelchair: remove EVERYTHING loose from the wheelchair before it’s taken onto the airplane, so removable side guards, cushion, removable footrests, FreeWheel attachment or Smart Drive etc all goes in with you into the cabin and not with the chair into the luggage areas of the aircraft. They’re not allowed to deny you to bring those items onboard as carry on, but it is of course a good idea to mention beforehand what you intend to bring and need to take with you when you leave your wheelchair to the staff as you board the plane. Like for example if you bring a FreeWheel and Smart Drive, tell them beforehand (and bring the notice from the maker for Smart Drive regarding its battery and flying) as those items are a bit larger and something not everyone has with them. Cushion and side guards are on the other hand somethings very common that all or at least most people have
I'm getting luggage forks on mine for that very reason - can't wait till I don't have to have my suitcase dragging out behind me! I'll probably just use a bungee cord or luggage strap to hold it on so it doesn't fall off if I go over a bump.
The luggage forks really helps so much! And you can use them a lot even when not traveling so it’s really something worth having on a chair. It is a good idea to use bungee strap or some other luggage strap to hold a bag firmly on the forks though if you know you may go over uneven terrain and curbs, or if you know your bag or basket might wobble some and risk falling off
@@ReyOfLight I just got my chair 3 weeks ago, and the luggage forks have come in handy for so many things! I probably won't be flying again until next year (I just went on a trip in August, and the next trip I have planned will be driving for Christmas - I hate flying in the winter because of weather delays and the fact that I would have to use a bigger suitcase, one too big for carry-on, and then I'd have to pay to check it (all the airlines that service my area charge for checked bags); I've flown in winter twice and have no inclination to do it again unless I have no choice), but I'll be using the luggage forks plenty - shopping baskets (or a sturdy cardboard box in one particular store that took all its handbaskets away for some strange reason - it's the only place I shop that did), laundry baskets,... so many things! And with my SmartDrive (I'll be printing the notice about the battery the next time I fly), I'll finally be able to get through the airport entirely on my own (I travel alone and carry-on only) - something I've been looking forward to for over 2 years (ever since I started having to use a chair). Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to fit my armrests, cushion, and SmartDrive (and charger) into a bag - I already usually fly with 3 bags (backpack, suitcase, small bag of medical stuff), and I'm not looking forward to having to deal with 4; I might be able to securely affix the armrests to my chair, though, which would be a big help (I can't go without), and might be able to slip the charger into one of my other bags. When choosing sideguards, we decided which ones to get based on which would be the most durable for flying, so thankfully mine are fold-down, not removeable (if they were removeable, I'd just slip them into the bottom of my cushion cover), so two fewer things to have to deal with. I got a luggage strap, so I'll be using that for securing my suitcase to my chair.
With letting the airline know about the SmartDrive, how long before the flight would you suggest doing it? I read in the SmartDrive literature that it's a good idea to get it cleared with the airline beforehand, but I'm not sure how long precisely "beforehand" is.
Love you so much!! Also can you make a video on how to take care of baby rabbits?
She has on here other channel
Olivia she made it on rabbit101
Haley in 2050: how to fly your wheelchair
Omg I’m wearing the same shirt
Early!
I can't fly because of my disability but my wife goes away for girlie weekends (also known as constant inebriation) to Spain. She’s hemiparuplegic but avoids using wheelchairs or scooters and tends to sit on my knee on my scooter when she struggles. I happily tell everyone we pass we're giving disabilities a bad name, I'm 60 and she’s 44. However Hazel and her fellow inebriates have discovered if she tells the airline she needs help they can board first.
I could easily be arrested for my medication. I’m on 20 different ones in total including fentanyl and 3600mg Gabapentin which are both 'controlled drugs' here in the UK, that is another reason we don’t go abroad. With my nebuliser and a fortnight's worth of medication it easily fills a large rucksack.
Did insurance pay for your SmartDrive?
You look gorgeous babe!
You cannot walk through a metal detector if you have a port.
Why are auto captions disabled?
All videos are unless you turn them on and half of the time you have to fix them because they suck so most creators don't use them and if they do they never fix them because of it being a hassle she most likely didn't have the time to do that or they weren't working properly
Can you comment on my Cleveland show video