Flying internationally with ECV

[china mom]

I tried searching with no luck so I apologize if this has already been discussed. I am hoping to find someone who has experienced this.

I am planning on taking a European Disney Cruise this summer which means flying to and from the US with my ECV. I do this domestically al the time but have no idea about international.

Is there an international law (like the ACA) that covers fling with an ECV?

Can/will airlines charge additional fees?

Is there anything I should know?

TIA

 

[Starwind]

Some good references for you:

"About the Air Carrier Access Act"
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilities

QUOTE:
The Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. § 41705) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has a rule defining the rights of passengers and the obligations of airlines under this law. This rule applies to all flights of U.S. airlines, and to flights to or from the United States by foreign airlines.
END QUOTE

"Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights"
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/disabilitybillofrights

These are starting points.

When I travel I carry electronic copies of these documents and others with me, as well as copies of the regulations themselves, and have a couple key ones/sections printed out. I also make a PDF of the relevant section(s) of the websites of the airline(s) I will be traveling on and carry that with me. There have been times when I have had to refer to these documents and show them to airline personnel at the airport...

Where things will get more complicated for you is if your itinerary takes you from the US to another country and then you connect to another flight, as that connecting flight won't be bound by US regulations.

This webpage explains the rights disabled travelers have within the EU: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/transport-disability/reduced-mobility/index_en.htm

The airline you will be traveling on will have information on their website that will likely answer your questions.

Also, of course there are additional factors like size and type of aircraft which play a role.

 

[china mom]

@Starwind. Thank you so much. We don't know which airline yet but it will be to and from the US so this information is very helpful.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Which cruise / departure port are you thinking about doing?

While on the ship, Disney will be accommodating you will need an accessabile room as the normal rooms wont be wide enough.

Its all the other logistics you need to think about.

You have the first part , the airline.

But then you will need to think about transport from the airport to where you are staying.
The hotel where you are staying before and after the cruise
Transport from your hotel to the cruise terminal.
Excursions either DIY or with DCL
After the cruise transport and hotel.

 

[lanejudy]

you will need an accessabile room as the normal rooms wont be wide enough.

A standard stateroom door is only 23” wide, so true most ECVs do not fit. But DCL does provide parking areas for ECVs if needed. How well that works can depend on one’s ability to do any walking as the parking area may not be particularly close to your stateroom so a member of your party might need to help move it back and forth.

 

[china mom]

Which cruise / departure port are you thinking about doing?

Most likely Barelona-Southhampton in the Dream

While on the ship, Disney will be accommodating you will need an accessabile room as the normal rooms wont be wide enough.

Apparently, the handicapped stateroom is not an option with the way I am booking (highly discounted through employer) But, I am aware that the cruise line has a scooter closet/parking area or I can break it down and carry the parts in if we have to.

Its all the other logistics you need to think about.

You have the first part , the airline.

But then you will need to think about transport from the airport to where you are staying.
The hotel where you are staying before and after the cruise
Transport from your hotel to the cruise terminal.
Excursions either DIY or with DCL
After the cruise transport and hotel.

Yes, I am 100% worried about all those things. My prior experience with Europe was as a young healthy walking person. I know this will be a struggle. I am hoping for the best.

 

[lanejudy]

DCL does occasionally assign HA rooms through for those booked GTY (and I assume your booking is similar in that DCL assigns the stateroom) so it won't hurt to make a request, knowing it's not guaranteed to be HA.

 

[china mom]

@lanejudy what I was told yesterday by the travel agency that takes care of this employee perk is hat I can pick my stateroom but not an HA one. I will try again as maybe this particular agent has it wrong.

 

[lanejudy]

That would seem discriminatory; unless they are limiting you to a specific category that doesn't have any HA rooms. The Dream is over in Europe this summer and has HA rooms in the 3 broader categories -- interior, oceanview and verandah, as well as concierge which I assume is not part of your options.

If you are limited to non-HA rooms, if you are able to select a category 8A stateroom there are several that were originally designed as HA but do not carry that designation. Look for one of these -- they tend to be more squarish than the standard stateroom, with lots of space and (I think) the wider door:

Deck 5
5018 (HA-designed; no tub) - no pole/no wall (big open room), no split bath, no privacy curtain, sleeps 4
5020 - "mini-suite" w/wall divider, no split bath, sleeps 3
5022 - "mini-suite" w/wall divider, no split bath, sleeps 3

5518 (HA-designed; no tub) - no pole/no wall (big open room), no split bath, no privacy curtain, sleeps 4
5520 - "mini-suite" w/wall divider, no split bath, sleeps 3
5522 - "mini-suite" w/wall divider, no split bath, sleeps 3

Deck 6
6012 (HA) - no pole, no split bath, no privacy curtain
6014 (HA) - pole in center, no spilt bath
6016 - pole in center, no spilt bath, no privacy curtain, sleeps 4

6510 (HA) - no pole, no split bath, no privacy curtain
6512 (HA) - pole in center, no spilt bath
6514 - pole in center, no spilt bath, no privacy curtain, sleeps 4

 

[china mom]

@lanejudy that is very helpful. Thanks

 

[Starwind]

@Starwind. Thank you so much. We don't know which airline yet but it will be to and from the US so this information is very helpful.

Some additional things to think about....

I will be visiting France later this year. I have to travel with more than a usual amount of medical items -- normally my carryon bag is entirely medical items and my personal item is partly medical items. The security screening processes in other countries are going to make this trip complicated (as will a bunch of other things).

One of the things I did was research my flight options, the airline policies, and country/airport processes.

It is not possible to fly direct from my origin cityA to destination cityB -- you have to connect at least once along the way. After doing my research, I determined that my best option was to fly Air Canada the entire way and to connect here in Canada (where I live), that way the entire trip is on an actual Air Canada plane, subject to Canadian rules (and also EU for the legs flying to/from EU). The Air Canada policies regarding medical issues are better for me than those of the other airlines that were options, plus those other airlines had their connections in other countries (France, USA, Brussels, Frankfurt were among the options, some itineraries would have had 2 or 3 connections !!!). Even if the cost would be higher for AC vs AF, fling AC is the better option for me for this trip.

So some additional things to think about as well beyond just what specific itinerary, what airline...

 

[china mom]

@Starwind fortunately, other then the few (normal for a person my age) pills I take and two injectables, my ECV is my only medical device. DH has a cpap and that's it.

Our complication is that we are flying "space available" so we are reluctant to check bags. We won't know if we will be able to get on a flight until the plane actually boards and we don't want checked bags to go on a better vacation than us .

I am worried about accessibly in Europe. I know that the bigger cities will be more accessible for a scooter but getting around on older streets will be a task. Also, cars over there are much smaller. Man, I miss being able bodied.

 

[mamabunny]

@Starwind fortunately, other then the few (normal for a person my age) pills I take and two injectables, my ECV is my only medical device. DH has a cpap and that's it.

Our complication is that we are flying "space available" so we are reluctant to check bags. We won't know if we will be able to get on a flight until the plane actually boards and we don't want checked bags to go on a better vacation than us .

I am worried about accessibly in Europe. I know that the bigger cities will be more accessible for a scooter but getting around on older streets will be a task. Also, cars over there are much smaller. Man, I miss being able bodied.

Just waving “hello!” to another fellow non-rev traveler! Here’s hoping y’all get called for boarding passes the minute the gate agent starts to work the flight!

 

[ABDUL-RAFIU]

For international laws specifically for ECVs, there's no one-size-fits-all regulation like the ACA, but many countries have their own accessibility laws you might wanna look into. Airlines can sometimes charge extra fees for things like handling your ECV, so it's smart to check with your airline beforehand to avoid surprises.

 

[china mom]

Just waving “hello!” to another fellow non-rev traveler! Here’s hoping y’all get called for boarding passes the minute the gate agent starts to work the flight!

Our airline doesn't fly international so we are doing zed fare. We have only done it one time before (alaska) years ago. I'm looking forward to the adventure but a bit nervous.