Wheel chairs are for handicapped people, right ? That has always been my thoughts. I’m not handicapped. I may be old, but not infirm. I have resisted requesting a wheel chair for those exact reasons.
I had considered requesting one on my return leg from Europe to Mexico City as the connection was tight and I was changing terminals in an airport I was not familiar with. My rational was that the time constraint was a valid reason for using a device reserved for handicapped folks. But as things happen sometimes we change our mind set.
The first leg of my trip to Greece was Zihuatanejo to Tijuana then taking the bridge to San Diego. This bridge is a misnomer as it isn’t a real bridge just a series of buildings and hallways which empties out in the good ole USA.
As I exited the plane a man with a wheelchair motioned me to get in and so I did thinking that was easier than trying to explain in a foreign language that I hadn’t ordered one. He wisked me away through hallways and elevators arriving at baggage claim just as bags were arriving. He collected my two bags, attached them to the wheelchair and away we went cutting through all the normal traffic thru customs and immigration and it seemed like seconds later I arrived at exit door to the United States. No sweat! Literally!
Thus started my requests for wheel chairs at every plane change. What a breeze it is getting through foreign airports where signage can be confusing. Your driver will stop for restroom visits. And what a pleasure it is to use the restroom with out lugging 2 suitcases into a stall barely large enough for 1 person.
My close return connection was so close especially with a late landing that I arrived to check in my luggage just as they closed the doors and of course I had to be rebooked for the next day. So my driver immediately took me to where I could register for a hotel with transportation to and from the airport and I didn’t have to worry or figure out anything.
The wheelchairs made the trip less tiring saving me a ton of walking going from one end of the airport to the other. The chair drivers know where all the elevators and short cuts are. They get you to the short or no line through immigration and customs.
Now I’m a believer and a fan of traveling the airports by wheelchair. So my personal recommendation is, if you have mobility issues, or are just plain old like me, request a wheel chair and enjoy the ride and always tip them well. Signing off KO
Zihuatanejo 