So, my mom is traveling back east this week and I’m a little concerned about her ability to navigate though O’hare airport (Chicago) by herself. I see that concierge services are available, some of them are VIP, which we don’t need, but I’ve never used anything like that before. She just needs a meet an greet buddy to help her find her way inside. Any other Dopers used that kind of service?
How old is Mom? Would she be amenable to a wheelchair ride?
I’m not sure about concierge services, but wheelchair services cost nothing but a tip for the wheelchair-pusher and are generally reliable and fast. The airlines won’t ask questions, nor do you have to prove any sort of disability; simply stating that your Mom might have trouble walking from one gate to another is all that’s needed. Just call the airline, explain that your mother is more than able to get on/off the plane without assistance, but would like a push between gates will result in someone meeting her at the gate and getting her to the next gate.
Do, however, stress to her that a tip is the polite thing to do. The airlines are required to provide this service from the FAA, and generally contract it out to third-party providers, who hire people at minimum wage and don’t treat them very well. They live on the tips, not the wage.
Well, she seems confident that she’ll be OK with the airline’s assistance, which is how she did it the last time she flew, about 6 years ago, but I’ve never used that before and I was concerned that it might not be adequate. Plus I don’t know that airport and I don’t know how confusing it is, she’d certainly accept a W/C ride. Thanks for the suggestion, Athena.
O’hare isn’t that confusing an airport but it is large. I ditto the tips for the concierge - at bare minimum a dollar per bag, plus a few bucks extra for friendly service.