How Exactly Do I Board A Plane

I have been to 26 countries in the past 8 years and people sometimes ask me how I board a plane and if I get to sit in my wheelchair for the flight.   Unless you are my travel companion or seen the process of getting a wheelchair user on board,  it is quite an interesting procedure.

strapped in an uncomfortable aisle chair

First off, when booking a flight online,  I always make sure I check the box in the form that says that I am  in a wheelchair and will be needing some assistance to board the plane.  Sometimes i would even call the airline to let them know directly if the form is not specific enough.  Most times the application forms are good so I just remind the staff when checking in for my flight at the airport.

another aisle chair

At the airport when checking in, I always let the staff know that I will be needing as aisle chair and one staff member to help me board the plane.  I also make sure that I am sitting next to my travel buddy and request we have our own aisle if the flight is not sold out.  We then check our luggage and make sure my commode bathroom chair gets safely checked in with the oversize luggage.

at Quebec City airport with this aisle chair

So at the gate when it is time to board, wheelchair users are always the first ones to board.  We wheel down right to the airplane door in my own wheelchair and have the aisle chair positioned right beside my wheelchair.  My travel buddy then grabs under my shoulders while a staff member grabs my legs.  They lift me and transfer me into the aisle chair and I am totally strapped in this uncomfortable transfer chair.  The reason we have to use the aisle chair is because the aisles of the plane are too narrow to fit a regular wheelchair.  The aisle chair is very narrow and I am glad I am a skinnier person.  I have no idea how a bigger person would fit in an aisle chair.

taking a “pressure relief” break during a long layover

So being strapped in the aisle chair, I am then wheeled backwards into the plane aisle.  I am backwards because I can transfer to an airplane seat better, because the aisle chair has no room to pivot around.  Usually, wheelchair users are seated at the front of their class section or near the washrooms.  I always request near the front of my section so the aisle chair doesn’t have to be maneuvered in the plane as much.  Plus I use an empty water bottle with discreet bag for my leg bag, so I don’t need to be close to the bathroom.  The aisle chair is then positioned beside my row and I get my roho cushion put on the seat I will be sitting in.

business class seats that convert to a bed

Again, my buddy will lift under my armpit while a staff member lifts my legs at the same time.  I transfer to the closest seat one by one until I am at the seat that is mine.  I am then buckled in for the rest of the flight trying to position change as much as I can during the duration of the flight.  Once at destination, wheelchair users are disembarked last after everyone leaves using the same procedure.  If there is a connecting flight, the whole procedure of using the aisle chair is repeated.

always worth the hassle of the aisle chair once we are on our way to our destination

So it is a bit of an ordeal trying to board a plane using an aisle chair; being the first to board and last to leave but it is totally worth it.  Once I am off the plane I am just happy to be at my destination and won’t have to worry about anything… unless my luggage is damaged or missing… that is another story.