Travel for Seniors/Disabled

Just got back from another trip. This was one was on a charter plane to Jamaica. Did you know that the seats on these charter planes are only 17 inches across? Well I need 19 inches and my travel companion needs 23 inches. You know where we are getting the extra needed space from don't you? We are having to borrow it from the seats beside us since we spill over into their space. One airline I have heard is now charging extra if this happens and have you pay for an additional seat each. If two larger than Airline designated averaged sized people require a few extra inches why not provide larger seats where you pay an extra charge for the extra inches needed? This is safer since the seat belt and life jacket  could also then be sized appropriately. A few airlines have decided to provide larger seats for the extra charge.

Another issue I have is when people who travel with a child under the age of two are not charged for the extra seat. During take off and landing these children are to be held by their parents if not in a safety seat (car or one made specially for planes) or are in the parent's lap for this period. As a courtesy most airlines will allow for an extra seat for this child at no extra charge unless the seat is used for take off and landing as  well. This courtesy should be extended to all needing the additional space not just those with small children. When my daughter travels with me and my granddaughter an extra seat is purchased for EV even though it was not required. Now that she is two years old the extra seat charge is necessary.

Gary and I usually travel in the first row of seats allowing for extra leg room, easier access for entering and exiting the plane and the proximity to the washroom. These seats have solid sides keeping the arm rests in a permanent position so your bottoms are not spilling out into the sides adjacent to them but your backs certainly are. Most of us are getting wider. People who build theatres are realizing this and are making the seats wider in order to keep our patronage. Mind you building space for people to sit on the ground is probably cheaper than building a plane to accommodate us in the air.

Airplane travel costs have gone up and the airlines are trying to keep costs down. They can not control the cost of fuel and labour but they can certainly try to fit as many of us as they can into the tin cans we fly in the air with as possible. They have calculated our leg room and width probably to what the health charts say should be the average sized person but are we really that size any more? According to some articles I have read over predictions of 75% of people living in North America will be considered overweight by 2020 but yet the airlines are still trying to fit us into these tiny seats built to fit our ancestors who lived through the depression and rarely had enough to eat. How many pictures do you see of your grandparents depicting them as overweight? Are the airlines compensating for our increased weight by reducing the amount of weight we are allowed to take in our luggage? In recent years the number of pieces of luggage and the weight of the luggage has been reduced. Is this to accommodate for our increase in weight? Do the airlines not understand if we have increased in size than so will the size of our clothes adding even more weight to our luggage and not less?

We are also living much longer and are retiring earlier allowing us to travel more. This accounts for the many senior travelers I encounter in my travels. By most standards I am now a senior. I have been retired for a few years now and travel about one quarter of my year. My mobility has decreased but my desire to see new places and experience new things has not diminished and I am not alone. The airlines, bus services and train services must all learn to accommodate us better. More assistance for us is needed. We need more golf carts in the air plane terminals as the distance to travel between terminals is just too great for anyone with mobility needs. Some of the airports in the USA have caught on and have regular stops for you to sit at to wait for one of these vehicles to take you from A to B in the airport. One airport I was in had several terminals which were linked by a train. Others have buses.Charge for whatever service you provide but provide it. We are an aging customer group with issues that need addressing. Address them and allow us to travel in comfort in a safe environment. We can afford to pay. Right now for the most part Toronto Airport has a wheelchair service you can ask for and the employees are paid by the GTTA and a golf cart service in another part of the airport. This is insufficient. Most of these employees are just sitting around because the requests have been lost or they have only access to one part of the terminal or they must wait for a group of individuals needing the same service before they will assist you. This service is not user friendly as it ignores the customer's schedule. I am not sure what they are paid and am sure it is probably not much more than minimum wage so I tip them. I have noticed this is not a normal practice. I tip everywhere and everyone for good service. I am just greatful the service is still available. We are working towards a service free society. Many stores and gas stations use only the self service model not allowing for those with any impairments help. We will have to remain housebound in the future. We can afford to pay for these services so let us have them please.

Have you noticed washrooms if not provided separately for the disabled are the last stalls in the long line of toilets lined up against the wall in public washrooms. This means if you are using a walker, cane or wheelchair you must first go past everyone else in line and travel the furthest to have access to a washroom which will allow you to look after your needs.

On-line booking for travel allows most of the time for you to tick off you are a senior for a discount but rarely will you see a box asking for wheelchair assistance at the airport or in the hotels or for disabled rooms. You must actually call each provider and request this assistance. This is a pain and why put someone to all this trouble when the solution can be as easy as putting in a few extra boxes to tick off. The disabled and aged have money they want to spend too and more time to spend it so let them.

I will speak about other modes of travel again in the future as I have in past posts.

Until next time.

 

 

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