The other day, while running in Crandon Park, I came across my friend Lilian, whose elderly mom is in pretty good health.
Every year she and her mother go to Santa Fe, NM for mother-daughter time. This means she, like me, needs to utilize the wheelchair services provided at airports. We are both experts on the do’s and don’ts and have compared notes. So, although I’m writing the column, Lilian is a great source. She is living it.
Eulan Company, the wheelchair provider at Miami International Airport, has no competition. This means they don’t have to try — and it shows.
When Dad first needed a wheelchair, I used to drop him off at Door No. 3, walk him in and sit him down in the wheelchair area. ‘d make sure his name was in the book with his flight time. Then I would leave. Big mistake — basically, wheelchair dependent travelers are at the mercy of strangers. It is as if they are cows in a pen being led to slaughter. Okay, I exaggerate, but only a little.
Too many times a person is forgotten and are raced to the gate in a cart. Think of how stressed you are when you might miss your flight and double that feeling for someone who has no control and elderly.
That is not all, the Eulan workforce, i.e. the wheelchair drivers, are paid minimum wage and expect tips. They don’t care about your family member, they want to transport as many people in the shortest amount of time and make money. I remember one particular scene I created when the wheelchair driver left my father alone to retrieve other passengers from other terminals (not gates) to place them all in one cart. This means Dad is sitting in a chair for 20 to 30 minutes. Luckily, I was with him and that didn’t’ happen. But it does happen and it happens more than it should.
What to do with wheelchair elderly:
• Ensure that you have $5, $10, $20 bills in your pocket/wallet;
• Get a pass from the airline to escort your loved on to his or her gate;
• If you’re a member of the American Express Centurion Lounge or an airline club, have the wheelchair take your loved one there by wheelchair then arrange for a guest services cart to take him or her to the gate at an appropriate time — these clubs specialize in customer service. Whoever the driver is, give him $10.
If you are not a member of a club, then escort the wheelchair and the attendant to the gate and tip the attendant well. (I do it on length of transport; the more distant the gate the larger the tip.) Give your family member the $5 bill and tell the attendant that it is for him after he takes the family member to the door of the airplane. This is a little extra security. It might not always work but it usually does.
For connecting flights in other airports stay with your family member. They will take them off the plane and leave them in the wait area to go get more folks off the plane. That’s when you pull out the $5 and tell them you have a connecting flight and need them now — ask them to call a peer to retrieve the other passengers. When you arrive at the gate — another tip.
Yes, it costs money but its the best way to work within the system and have peace of mind. Remember, this could be you.
Frances Reaves, Esq., a graduate of the University of Miami Law School, spent 10 years as a litigator/lobbyist. Today, she Is an accomplished business woman who, when her parents could no longer take care of themselves, learned the ins and outs of senior care (or the lack thereof). She founded Parent Your Parents to assist seniors and their children through the myriad pitfalls and options of “senior care” in the 21st Century. If you have any questions or comments contact Frances at hfrancesr@parentyourparents.com.
