My family and I like to travel but obviously it’s not always easy to do when you have medical conditions. One of the hardest ways to travel for me is flying. Just the thought of it can exhaust me! All the walking through crowds of people in the airport, checking luggage, going through Customs… Then of course there is just the thought of being so high in the sky and not having any control over what is going on (I am not a fan of heights or of not being in control of situations). Needless to say my anxiety skyrockets way in advance of even getting to the airport.
This year we planned a trip to Greece. In order to get there we had to fly out of Newark Airport and into Athens, Greece. Since it was such a long flight (roughly nine to ten hours) and there is a big time difference between the two countries, my husband booked us a redeye flight. I was nervous about how I would do having to navigate the airport and be on such a long flight until my physical therapist suggested contacting TSA Cares for assistance. Unaware of what TSA Cares was, I looked up their website (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/tsa-cares) to see what they do. Apparently they have modified procedures to help people with disabilities, medical conditions and other special needs navigate the process of going through screening, customs and arriving to your departure location intact and unscathed.
It was a relatively easy process. I went to their website and found their “Request for TSA Cares Assistance” page https://www.tsa.gov/contact-center/form/cares and filled out the form. Once they received my request, I was emailed with instructions on what to do once I got to the airport. All I had to do was call the phone number given to me once I was inside the front doors of the airport. I was connected to someone who would be escorting us through the airport and to our plane. He even stayed on the phone with me until he found us in person. He offered to get me a wheelchair which I declined since I was feeling okay but I did use my cane for safety reasons. We were then personally lead through all of the checkpoints and customs without having to wait on any lines. I was brought to the check-in desk at the gate and introduced to the flight attendant who then let me know that my family and I would be in the first group of people to board the plane so that we could safely find our seats without worrying about being rushed or knocked into.
From the time we arrived at the airport until we arrived at the gate (which included going through security and customs) took us a total of literally 15 minutes! When it came time to board the plane, we were called to the gate first with one other family and boarded the plane with ease and without stress (well not including my stress from a fear of flying). I loved the fact that they let my family (me, my husband and teenage daughter) all board together especially since my balance can still be troubling at time and I depend on them to help me.
Returning to the States was a bit different since we were coming from Greece and they have a different way of doing things. Although I was very tired and dependent on my cane, I felt like I could walk on my own but the person who was assisting me insisted that I be in a wheelchair. He sped us through the airport (to my daughter’s disappointment because she wanted to check out the stores along the way) to the gate in no time, again putting us at the front of the line for security and customs checks. The only time my family and I were separated was when it was time to board the plane. In Greece you board the plane from the tarmac outside so my husband and daughter were some of the first people to go up the stairs to the plane while I was put into a truck with another person in a wheelchair that lifted us to the catering entrance of the plane and loaded us that way. I was quite embarrassed at the “first-class” service as I thought it was a bit excessive but in reality, the stairs would have been extremely difficult for me and this was a much safer option.
We were then happily surprised when we landed in Newark and were departing the plane. As soon as we walked off the plane, someone from security saw I was using a cane and immediately pulled my family out of line and escorted us through customs and to the baggage claim. We went through so quickly that we were the first ones waiting for our luggage!
This was such a great experience for my family and we will continue to use their services for future travel.
