Part 1 from our trip to The Emirates - Airport Assistance

[Grandad]

Airport assistance
We last flew when we went to Croatia in 2016. On return to Gatwick on that occasion it was a long hike to passport control and baggage reclaim and I did find it very difficult. My mobility has further deteriorated in the two years since so I booked airport assitance when booking the holiday via British Airways.
We didn't know what to expect but as it turned out, our hopes were more than surpassed. Both Heathrow and Dubai International are now huge airports. The procedure at both is very similar when departing and arriving.
At Heathrow check-in it comes up that assistance has been requested. There are a few seats near the desks where you wait for a wheelchair. You are then wheeled to passport control and security and pass through priority lanes.
You are then taken to a small lounge with a receptionist. The receptionist takes your boarding pass and when your flight gate comes up on screen the receptionist calls a buggy to take you to the gate.
Then comes the bit that I was not aware of. The buggy goes to a large lift and descends from ground level to minus 4. At that level there is a labarynth of tunnels that go to all the gate clusters. We needed B6 and a lift raised us near to that gate. We waited in a special area and were wheeled onto the aircraft ahead of everyone else. My wife was pleased to say that she was the first to board.
At Dubai it was a reverse procedure except that, instead of a buggy I was first wheeled on to a monorail driverless train, then via immigration to baggage reclaim. All fast track. My able young pusher then took us to the outside where my name was prominent on a white board and we were taken to a very smart Lexus car which conveyed us the 45 minute ride to our hotel.
The homeward airport assistance was a reversal of the above.
The most enjoyable bit was being fast tracked to the front of any queue and at passport control on return to Heathrow we didn't even have to get off the buggy. The immigration officer came to us.
So if you have any mobility problems (and even if not) use the airport assistance service. It is first class.

[LovelyLadyLux]

WOW - Sounds terrific and now I can feel lots of my own leg & hip issues coming on .....

[Mad Dilys]

Usually Grandad, I'd say about 75% of the time. Delays in assistance arriving are not unusual, in fact the last time I came back to Gatwick I had t wait nearly an hour on the plane, because there wasn't an available assistance vehicle. The pilot and crew were not happy as they aren't allowed to leave the aircraft until all passengers have left.

However there is no doubt that delay is worth it for the time you save inside the actual airport buildings. Maybe I'm lucky, but I've always had excellent care attendants at all the airports I've used.

I have been having airport assistance from a variety of places over the last 10 years or so. Cardiff and Bristol here, Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports in the east of the UK. Also Barcelona, Majorca and Ibiza in Spain and Cairo, Luxor and Jeddah further east.

It is fairy common for people who don't need assistance to ask for it - especially couples as you are allowed to have a companion with you, and three or four including children is not uncommon - then they get through the formalities extra quickly.

[Kiya]

Yikes! I hope its not only for people with disabilities .

When booking flights for Faro I also booked for Fast tracking , in my case thinking just to avoid the long queues .

Don't get me wrong if it was for disabilities only I wouldn't mind .