Corey and Christi Lee

First Post-Injury Flight Vacation

This past May I and my wife went on our first vacation via aircraft together. Friends of ours were set to be married the week of the 9th in Georgia. My emotions were mixed. On one hand the prospect of flying terrified me, I had heard the horror stories of broken wheelchairs and sitting in airport terminals for hours trying to resolve the problem. And sitting stationary isn’t conducive to a high quad like myself. On the other hand were finally able to have a break from the kids and the hustle and bustle of the daily activities of life.

The night before we followed protocol and contacted the airline to ensure our travel arrangements were in order. We spent nearly an hour and a half explaining my condition. I became increasingly frustrated because our travel agency had already conveyed this crucial information. As you can imagine skepticism and fear arose. If there was miscommunication before we got to the airport, what would the flight be like. We departed from Bradley Intl that Monday. To get on the plane I was boarded first. Several guys from baggage lifted me into an aisle chair, as my wife removed different accessories to minimize any possible damage that could occur. After being transferred to our first class seats (I recommend if feasible for the extra leg room) we were finally off to our destination.

Prior to traveling especially when you’re well being is dependent upon the competency of others, it is best to keep several things in mind. Make sure the staff has a clear understanding of your needs. Accessibility is needed for those who are able bodied, but even more for those of us who aren’t.

Aside from touching down and the staff needing to rustle up men to transfer me, there was little damage to my chair. An infrared wire had been torn, and accidentally we forgot a piece for the headrests. We were given tape and managed to do a temporary repair until our tech shipped one overnight.

The tilt mechanism didn’t work. That’s vital to the integrity of my body. We made a complaint and we were told a repairman would be out the following day. Fortunately once we got to the hotel, we discovered the connection was only lose and the tilt functioned normally afterwards. The repair man came out the next day as the airline had promised and he installed the part that needed to be shipped for the head rest.

If I could make a recommendation it would be this, airlines need to have Hoyer lift available to transfer people who aren’t able to transfer themselves. This would alleviate anyone from dropping a person. I also would say that more aircraft need to be built that are large enough to allow disabled passengers to remain in their wheelchairs. Overall I would say our first travel experience went well. We definitely look forward to traveling more, needless to say do your homework before hand.