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I reserved a wheelchair for my mother in law and I've been told since she's using it she'll go right through security and so will her party. Is this true? Has anyone ever used a wheelchair for a companion on a flight?
Wheelchair passengers usually use the same line as first class passengers, flight crews, and airport employees when going thru screening. All people traveling with the wheelchair passenger will also be allowed. The person pushing the wheelchair will take care of all of you and assist getting all of you to the gate. Once at the boarding gate the gate agent will take over from the person that got you to the gate.
Wheelchair passengers usually use the same line as first class passengers, flight crews, and airport employees when going thru screening. All people traveling with the wheelchair passenger will also be allowed. The person pushing the wheelchair will take care of all of you and assist getting all of you to the gate. Once at the boarding gate the gate agent will take over from the person that got you to the gate.
Thanks, Alaskan Mutt. Do you know if the wheelchair-bound person will be patted down or will TSA just use a wand? She has a heart condition and hasn't traveled in five years so she's going to be nervous to begin with. My other thought was how much time going through security would take. Is it still necessary to arrive at the airport two hours before the flight departs?
If she can walk she might want to get out of the chair and walk thru the metal detector. Just make sure she is not wearing anything that would set off the alarm. If she would rather stay in the chair then she has a few options. Here is a link to the section of the TSA website outlining the options. Hopefully it works. If for some reason there is a problem getting thru the check point you can always request it be resolved in a private location. That makes it easier for your MIL. One other suggestion. Before you even get to the airport, approach the whole screening process as an adventure. Think of some silly scenarios of what might happen and have a good laugh over it. Then if problems do pop up at the check point maybe your MIL will see it as another silly scenario and be amused rather than distraught.
Forgot to add...I would still arrive 2 hours early. Sometimes when checking in it takes a while for the wheelchair to show up. And if everything happens to be right on time with no problems, then you have time to grab a snack before getting on the a/c. Also...most pre-boarding of flights start 35 minutes before departure.
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