Well, no. They aren’t. The airline is doing everything it reasonably can to make sure that you have bathroom access in-flight. Is it ideal? No. Your situation is unpleasant. I have no doubt it’s unpleasant in a number of other ways as well, for which you have my sympathy. And if airline staff were ever to mock or deliberately embarass you while assisting you into the restroom, I’d be the first one to say you should raise hell about it.
But come on - we’re talking about air travel here. As the other posters have ably explained, the engineering, logistical and financial tolerances are extremely tight. The current aisle-chair design gives you restroom access without the hazard of a large battery in the cabin, and gets you to the restroom safely. That’s a reasonable accomodation. Not a perfect one - but you have no right to a perfect one, because we as a society have decided that we will not require companies to “spare no expense” to accomodate each and every patron.
Again, I understand that this is a problem faced by many people, and some may be more humiliated than others by the hassle of air travel.
However, people do not have an inalienable right to convenience. In typical airline fashion, you are being accommodated, but not in the way that you would most prefer. Extremely tall people are also accommodated, but they have the inconvenience of having very, very little legroom. Very large people are accommodated, but sometimes they have to pay for another seat if they are too big to fit in one.
The airlines have the responsibility to get you to the bathroom in a reasonable manner. That does not mean that they have the obligation to get you to the bathroom in the manner that you would most prefer, or one that doesn’t cause you self-esteem issues. So long as airlines are making a reasonable effort (and as I said before, I think they can probably do a little better job), matters of how you view your self-esteem are more of your problem than theirs. There’s no way to transfer a responsibility to the airlines to make you happy.
It appears to me that the airlines have already made a “reasonable accommodation” for your disability. The problem that you seem to think that you have a right to have solved is that you don’t like their accommodation. I don’t think your peculiar sense of humiliation at this accommodation is covered by the ADA or the ACAA…
There’s not a whole lot of human dignity being honored by the airline industry anymore, whether your legs work or not.
That said, “grown man stubbornly insists on scooting down the aisle on his butt” looks a whole lot less dignified than “grown man needs a push in his wheelchair.”
Why not request to be seated right next to the lavatory? Then when you had to go, the attendants could just physically lift you in and out of the john without having to use the aisle chair, and many fewer people would be aware of your difficulties.
I am 53 years old, do not use a wheelchair, and have flown 2 or 3 times a year since I was 18 or so. I’ve never been in an airplanes’ restroom. Have most people?(serious question)
I kayak as often as I can, often with a sixpack on board. I carry a Little John device in my kayak all the time.
jamiemcgarry, you say you’re not an airline engineer and it’s not up to you to solve the problem.
But let’s try a little mental exercise here.
Let’s imagine that money is no object and we could suspend the laws of physics a little. What would your perfect system look like. If you had your druthers, what would be the most autonomous, dignified way for you to get to the restroom?
Or, you could modify your philosophy of life to make the ordeal you go through traveling on an airline acceptable.
Or, you could never fly again, I mean, what’s so important that flying is the only way to go. And if flying is the only way to go, then see the second option.
Another option. You could buy your own jet airplane, I think Gulf Steam is a manufacturer of private jets and I believe Gulf Stream will even help you design the interior just the way you like it.
Another option. Well, many others have already suggested products that you could purchase that would alliviate a trip to the restroom.
More options. I don’t know all the options available to you, there might be other options that I’m not seeing.
When things like this in life happen, you have a choice, you can come on a forum and complain to a bunch of people who can’t do anythig to enact a change or you can actually DO something about it.
Since I am sure most people would agree with you in principle, I hope you take the time to do more than just complain about it here. You have congressman to write, you could form local organizations, you could write to, airplane manufacturers, and even the airlines themselves. While it’s true they only buy the planes, they do have a choice. And don’t forget the press, and shows like Dr Oz, Dr Phil, or other such venues. Remember the idea isn’t to win, but to get your message out to people who can actually affect a change.
The thing to remember is the ADA guarantees accessibility but it doesn’t guarantee dignity. That is something you will have to fight for. This isn’t to say using the SD isn’t a place to start, as this forum gets spidered by Google and it will help others find your complaint. But it’s not enough, if you’re truly fed up.
For instance, the ADA doesn’t mean you can take a power wheelchair on a plane, if it won’t fit. It means they will transfer you to a wheelchair that will fit and carry your power chair in cargo. ADA provides REASONABLE accommodation, not total accommodation.
Remember the ADA applies to private businesses with less than 15 employees so very a tiny airlines which do short hops, may not apply the ADA
Remember black people considered it an indignity that they had to sit in the back of the bus. Gay people considered it an indignity they couldn’t get married and now black people can sit where they want and at least in some states, gays can marry.
Jamie, I am sympathetic to your situation. But you do not have the right to demand that everyone else bow to your whims because you’re disabled.
The airlines are legally required to provide you with a reasonable accommodation for accessing the restroom in flight. They have done so. But in doing so, they must take various factors into account. Your approval of every aspect of the process is not the only factor involved.
Flying sucks for everybody. Being disabled does not entitle you to demand that it not suck for you, as well.
Also, I’m sure the “strapping into the aisle chair” that you detest so much is a necessary safety procedure. I get the sense that, if the airline had an aisle chair without any straps and the plane hit a spot of turbulence, hurling you across the cabin and injuring you, you would be just as vocal in suing them for not providing the proper safety equipment that your disability requires.
Your posts on here make you sound like the Al Sharpton of disabled people.
Good God no. I’m referring to MAG’s (Maximum Absorbency Garment) or the civilian equivalent, Depends. I think this would be an excellent solution since it’s already a product used my millions of adults.
Nobody likes to use the bathrooms on an airplane. When I fly I try to time my personal needs to avoid it if at all possible.
Why are you so sure of that? I am sure that most people would agree that reasonable accommodations should be made. The OP seems to want to a lot more than that.
It’s not just about you and what you want. A disabled person wallowing about on the floor is a safety hazard and serious inconvenience for everybody else on the plane. If there’s an emergency, how long is it going to take you to drag yourself back to your seat? If you become incapacitated (if something were to fall out of one of the bins and land on you, for example) - are the flight attendants supposed to be able to lift you back into your seat? If you had a motorized aisle seat and fell out of if because you weren’t wearing your seat belt - would you be able to lift yourself if you hurt your arms falling?
You want to be autonomous? Well part of that is understanding that sometimes you need to cooperate with other people if you want to get anywhere. Another part of being autonomous is being responsible for yourself: making sure you don’t block the aisle, making sure you’re not placing an extra burden on the flight attendants, making sure that you’re following safety standards.
Sometimes being an autonomous adult means sucking it up so that you make life easier (and safer) for other people.
I carry a