Category: Travel and Tourism
I'm curious as to what everyone prefers in an airport ground service.
For me it's important that they are flexable in the sense of providing me a service that I'm comfortable with. This means a service that I feel happy using, IE no wheelchair.
I never use a wheelchair, even if it's almost forced upon me because of 2 reasons.
firstly, I feel degraded and demoralised, like these people aren't even open to the fact that I can walk for myself.
Secondly, I hate to think what all the sighted people are thinking of the blind girl being pushed in the chair, I'd much prefer them to see me being independantly walking with the guide and carrying my own luggage. I never let the airport staff take it if I can avoid it.
oh yeah, and a 3rd reason, I walk much quicker than anyone can push me in a damn chair!
It's important that they will take me to things like buses, taxies or train stations.
The best ground service I've ever experienced was in Norway's Oslo gardamun airport, where they have a separate service that deals with this, and the airlines just pay a fee I think. The woman who took me was open to anything I wanted with regards to actually getting me to the gate and she even took me to the suvineer shop on the way when I asked her.
Overall I think this sort of service works best, as it's not people who have other jobs to do who are assisting you.
the best service i ever got was at london's gatwick airport.
when you land, the cabin crew on the plain message through to the ground crew that someone is waiting for them on the runway. so, they bring up this little car (well, actually i'm not sure what you'd call it). it beeps a lot (kind of like a heart monitor or something) to let people know that i'm coming.
so anyway, they take me up to the bagage reclaim area, stick the bags next to me in the transport, and then take me to the exit.
the worst ground service i've ever had is in france. the people there were totally not ready for what was to come.
My experiences have mostly been good. The only thing I've had a problem with is people not showing up at the door of the plane to take me either to another connection, or to baggage claim. This is probably the worst time not to show up, because I've almost missed connections before, but other than that, most of the people who have helped me have known what to do, or at least, they ask me when they don't, instead of assuming...
Never had the old wheel chair thrust at me. I had great survice when I landed in Denver a few years ago. I was treated like a human who was capable of walking.
Denver has great service, I find. I've flown through there a few times. They never assumed I needed a wheelchair. Now, at other airports....well, I find ways around it. Lol.
I'm with Loui on this. I absolutely refuse to sit in the wheelchair, no matter how insistent they get, for the same reasons as she already listed. Thankfully, airlines aren't nearly so bad about that as they used to be. Not so long ago, I got that almost every time I flew anywhere, but haven't in the last couple years. Maybe they're finally learning?
I like ground service people who can speak English, but unfortunately, I find them far and few between. The best service I've ever had was in Midway airport in Chicago. Denver does have pretty good service, too, but they have a problem with that whole English speaking airport employee thing.
I also dislike people who pretty much ask you for a tip. I tend not to tip them if they ask for it, and do tip them if they've been helpful and don't ask. I know, I'm contrary. I try to be nice to workers like that, so long as they are courteous with me. They don't have the easiest job in the world.
I tried to tip someone once, and they refused to accept it. It was one of those people that stand at the gate when you get off the plane, waiting to answer people's questions about various parts of the airport. She noticed that nobody was coming to help me to my next connection, which was a very short one, so she took me there herself.
Well that is what we call going abuv and beyond the call of duty.
Yes, and that is why I tried to give her a tip, because she didn't say....It's not my job, like many others do, and it wasn't, so....yeah.