I’m hoping someone here can point me in the right direction or give me some advice.
I have a friend, mid-60s, who has multiple health problems that have left him very frail. He is considering going to Johns Hopkins where there is a program that deals with one of his medical issues. He lives in Texas.
Given the ordeal that flying has become (even for able-bodied people), he doesn’t think he has the stamina to make the trip on a commercial flight from a regular crowded airport. I’ve heard of people (especially children) being flown privately under such conditions. I’m not talking about for free; OTOH, he doesn’t have the resources to charter a flight all to himself. Are there pilots who do this sort of flying?
He walks with crutches, but for long treks through airports, he would need a wheelchair.
Can anyone give me some ideas, tips, advice?
If it turns out a private option is not available, what support/assistance is available from commercial airlines for someone who is pretty seriously disabled? I don’t have any experience in this area. Thx.
Technically, it is illegal for a private pilot to accept compensation to fly a passenger somewhere.
They need to be a registered charter, air taxi, charity operation, or some other organized group, with the appropriate documents filed & approved. So you can’t just offer to pay a friend who is a private pilot with their own airplane to do this – they can get in lots of trouble, like getting their pilot’s license pulled. You need to go to an already organized operation, like some of those already mentioned here.
How frail is he? If he can walk on his own for a few steps, that should be enough.
Wheelchair service is easily available at every airport I’ve ever seen, with an attendant to push you wherever you need to be.
And after the flight : When you land, there will be another wheelchair with attendant waiting for you at the door of the plane, literally only one or two steps away.
In the United States airlines are required to provide wheelchair assistance at no additional cost to the passenger. They are required to provide an escort with that wheelchair from the check in counter, through security, to the gate, and right onto the airplane (as needed). At connecting airports from one plane to another. And at the arrival airport it works in reverse, right through baggage claim.
If the airline believes that the passenger cannot fly without an escort but the traveler believes he can then the airline may require an escort on the plane but the airline may not charge the passenger for the seat for the escort.
The Air Carrier Access Act (pdf link) goes into some detail about the requirements. A summary is available at this page from the DOT.
Google Air Ambulance–there are several companies who take insurance. He will have some out of pocket, depending on his insurance policy. There are also many long distance ground ambulance services that offer ground transportation cross country.
And as mentioned, he can fly commercial and use the wheel chair option…but of course he’ll still have to deal with security and all the other airport headaches. No security or waiting in lines for air ambulance since they fly out of small private airports.
I’m not getting the logic here. If he can walk with crutches then surely he can manage a flight in first / business class if a wheelchair to the gate is provided? Most small private planes are less comfortable than first / business class on commercial flights.
If you’ve never tried to fly with someone who had mobility issues, you may think that the ‘accommodations’ that the airlines are supposed to provide are a good thing. And they may be, in some cases, particularly for folks who are used to being in wheelchairs. However, for many airlines, and certainly (IME) for individuals who do not routinely use wheelchairs, they’re spotty at best, and non-existent at worst. When we had to fly with my former husband, 70% of the time there was no one to meet us where they promised, and in several instances we missed our connecting flights because the airlines couldn’t get it together enough to get the wheelchair where it needed to be (we didn’t even need an escort, though it’s nice).
If he goes via regular airline, I’d highly recommend him having his own escorts and looking into which airlines are best about accommodating mobility issues.
There’s a charter company called JetSuite, and they have a program called “Suite Deals”. When they are ferrying an aircraft empty they sell that flight very cheaply (for a jet, I think around $500). But you can only book it within 24 hours, and you never know when they’ll have an empty flight from your area. But if you’re located someplace where they often visit, maybe you could make it happen.
I think the issue is the time involved. He is probably likely to get worn out very easily. With commercial flights you have long waits for security clearances, long waits when doing transfers, significantly longer time flying to the hub and back to the destination (direct flight would much shorter)…
He would definitely use the airport wheelchair option. It’s more of a stamina issue. The most stressful part of flying these days happens before you get on the plane.
On Friday I brought him home from a week’s stay in the hospital. The 30-ft walk from my car to his apartment door took about 5 minutes.
Reading the private plane sites, I am wondering if he can cram himself into a small plane. Not sure.
This is correct. The principal issue is pain. The inflammatory muscle disease he has means that he is in constant pain…as if all of your muscles and tissues are infused with acid. On top of it, he’s very weak. The disease he has is degenerative. Thirty years ago, when flying meant arriving at the airport, a wait at the gate, and then boarding the plane, someone in his condition would have managed. Today, with the extremely long waits, even in a wheelchair… the process tests the stamina of someone in ordinary good health.
He probably could make the commercial flight if he’s really committed to accessing this treatment. I’m researching ways of making the trip easier/faster/less stressful. It could be that a commercial flight will turn out to be the best way to go.
Does anyone have anecdotes re traveling with a physically fragile disabled person, or an extremely elderly, frail parent?
Angel Flight pilots donate the use of their own planes. Some of them fly a Cherokee Six, Cessna 206, or Beechcraft B36. The nice thing about these airplanes is that they have widepassengerdoors. Granted it’s not as easy to get into and out of them as it is to be rolled down a jetway, but these six-seaters have plenty of room for a patient and a caregiver. Every so often I get photos from Angel Flight on my FB feed, and some pilots have larger airplanes with airstairs to get in, and some even have small jets. Remember that pilots donate their time and machine, so many of them tend to be able to afford larger aircraft. (Of course smaller aircraft are also used, but many flights involve children who are easier to board onto small plane.)
I’m not sure where in Texas this man lives, but it’s a 1,200 mile flight from Dallas to Baltimore. (Coincidentally, that’s the distance from Los Angeles to Bellingham, WA – a trip I’ve made by car many times.) A small six-seat plane will cruise around 160 mph to 200 mph or so, so it would be a long trip. A small jet could make the trip in three or four hours. So it sounds like even with the airport hassles, it might be better to take a commercial flight – unless you can get a ride on a corporate jet from a company that participates in such a program.
Keep in mind with Angelflight there will be no medical assistance on board. I heard one of the volunteer pilots speak once and they said due to liability issues, they cannot have a nurse or doctor flying with the patient. The pilot said he loved doing this and took flights every chance he could.
