Kulula fun for the day

We haven't posted in a while, and got this in our inbox from dad today and thought it sure would be fun to share.  Anyone have experiences with disabilities on Kulula to share? Doubt it... but thought we'd put it out there. Scroll all the way down for their on-board humor as well.




"Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously. Check out their new paint job!


































Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg . Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want)             passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it !"

On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said,
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it 's something we'd like to have."

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

"Thank you for flying Kulula.  We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

From a Kulula employee:
"Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling.  Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."

"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.                             Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."

And from the pilot during his welcome message:
"Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town :                                The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile,  and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline". He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane.  She said, ~ "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it ?"
The little old lady said,
"Did we land, or were we shot down?"

After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg, the attendant came on with,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement:
"We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.                                                     And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube,  we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."

Heard on a Kulula flight:
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.  If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

Office of the Governor Rick Perry
    Committee on People with Disabilities   
DOT 84-11

Monday, July 11, 2011

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Fined for Violating Rules Protecting Air Travelers with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today assessed a civil penalty against Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities.  The carrier was assessed a $200,000 civil penalty of which up to $75,000 may be used to improve its service to disabled passengers above levels required by DOT rules.

“Passengers with disabilities have rights and they have a right to be treated fairly and with respect by the airlines,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will continue to take enforcement action when our disability rules are violated.”

The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 requires airlines to provide assistance to passengers with disabilities in boarding and deplaning aircraft, including the use of wheelchairs, ramps, mechanical lifts or service personnel where needed. 

During June 2010, the Department’s Aviation Enforcement Office conducted a review and inspection at ASA’s Atlanta offices and airport operations of the carrier’s compliance with Department consumer protection requirements.  The Enforcement Office reviewed, among other things, disability-related complaints received by the carrier from January 2009 through May 2010.  That review revealed a number of violations of the rules requiring assistance to passengers with disabilities who use wheelchairs.

Of the $200,000 penalty, up to $35,000 may be used to relocate passenger lifts that have been acquired by ASA to airports that the carrier serves in order to supplement and improve enplaning and deplaning services.  Up to $40,000 may be used by the carrier to conduct audits and surveys to ensure that its employees are complying with the airline disability rules.

The consent order is available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2011-0003. Link to Press Release;  http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot8411.html

United Airlines, taking baby steps

Thanks to United and Continental Airlines' ongoing merger, the latter has been dedicated to influencing the former to take baby steps in bringing access for all to the forefront of their customer service.

The latest update in this process is United's choice to add Continental's wheelchair information card to their website for customers who use wheelchairs and scooters to download, fill out, and attach to their mobility device to help protect its fragile areas.

http://www.united.com/ual/asset/Wheelchair_form_v3.pdf

Good job team!

Delta slapped with largest DOT382 (access) fine in history

Proving the government means to take DOT382 seriously, a fairly recent amendment to the Air Carrier Access Act (ADA of the skies), Delta was served a $2million fine this week for violations to this act.  View the official Press Release here.

Some of the fine will be allotted back into improvements to Delta's system for travelers with disabilities, such as improvements to jetway- and terminal-level access, enhancing booking specifics, and technology with their local vendors. 

Flying with Wheelchairs: Webinar December 7

Flying with Wheelchairs: Knowing Your Rights & Responsibilities at 32,000 Feet
Date: December 7, 2010, 2:00-3:30pm Eastern

http://www.flyfriendlyskies.com/events.html

 

The Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) will host an informative webinar on the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), specifically as it relates to flying with wheelchairs. The webinar is being held in collaboration with the ADA National Network (formerly DBTACs).

Airline travel technology update

Back in October we were involved in two very informative weeks with the airlines between our advisory board with Continental Airlines and the Universal Access in Airports conference, both in Houston, TX.

As you know, technology advances so fast, it's nearly impossible to keep up with updates. By the time you get used to your new phone, computer, television, iPod, etc., there's a new one on the market with new features that you always wish yours had.

Disability technology is no different, but it's extremely exciting for this group of travelers because it is bringing independence to their travel experience. This list provides just a few of the recent adaptations in travel tech of late, it's hard to stay up to date on this topic, but we'll try!


* Check-in Kiosks: You've likely used these, as they're increasingly a part of the airline check-in process and are more and more replacing the human side of check-in. But perhaps you've noticed they're all the same height, they don't speak to blind customers, and they have other features that need to be updated for access.  The airlines have taken this into account and worked with IBM on creating kiosks that are more universally designed for all disability needs.  They are being programmed to have an audio walk-through for blind users, and you'll start seeing some that are lowered in height as well.

* Mobile Apps: Neilsen News estimate that 1 in 2 Americans will have smartphones by Christmas of 2011, and the airlines are getting ahead of the curve.  Many airlines now have launched mobile versions of their websites with highlight on the travel features of their main site, but a few have gone one step further to create iPhone and Android-based applications that include additional features such as check-in, updated flight and gate information, standby lists, seat maps, airport maps, and services as well (currency converter, directTV, president club locations, etc).  The most unique and forward-thinking feature is the mobile boarding pass.  View Continental's mobile page here, or purchase their iPhone app here. They will be coming out with the Android version soon.

* WiFi: As frequent travelers have begun to notice, some (not many yet) airlines are starting to offer WiFi (online connectivity) on their aircrafts while in flight.  What has been significantly absent from the airlines always has been the closed- or open-captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing customers.  Airlines offer alternative language subtitles from French to Vietnemese, but never have offered English subtitles, which would have sufficed as a first-step for this clientele.  However with WiFi being the wave of the future, and captioning applications available online for live-streaming websites such as Netflix, the airlines are starting to look at this as an option for captioning in the very near future.  Unfortunately, currently the WiFi of choice for airlines is Gogo Explorer from Softpedia, which does not work well with blind readers (below) as of yet.

* Blind Readers: For travelers with sight disabilities, their "blind-readers," such as JAWS (Job Access with Speech by Freedom Scientific), are their access to the world wide web. These readers have advanced extremely far in the last few years, and have been recently integrated with touch screens, which many thought might never happen. Apple's iPhone for instance now has an standard application "Outspoken" that is included on all new phones now since the last two releases of the phone. These are hugely helpful in navigation as well as in reading websites and the wide variety of uses for the iPhone.

* Click and Go Wayfinding: In addition to the blind readers above, there are new navigation applications that are making not only street and directional navigation possible, but interior navigation as well, such as within malls, airports, public buildings, and even office buildings. Modeled after the directions feature of Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and MapQuest that sighted users often use for driving directions, Click and Go has added features that meet the specific needs of the blind and deafblind, and are now able to provide non-sighted travelers with customized "mobility-friendly" walking directions.

* Go'Shna: Goshna is the Indian word for announcement and is a working project at the University of Florida’s Mobile and Pervasive Computing Research Laboratory, created by Cheenu Madan, a masters student with hearing loss at the U. of FL. Go'Shna is a mobile translator for airport announcement services, and provides a text version of the public announcements in airports on the user's mobile phone, which can be downloaded for free from either iPhone's store or Android's marketplace. After the easy two steps of subscribing, users get a text message or email for each overhead announcement in the airport terminal, based on preferences the user chooses. The Go'Shna app gives independence to the traveler with hearing loss – no need to ask for assistance or to be rooted to one spot looking to see if people are moving towards your boarding gate.  Currently this app is still being rolled out, but if you'd like to know more, Cheenu's email is provided in his name link above, or contact Dr. Sumi Helal, director of the Mobile and Pervasive Lab at UF.

What happens when airlines violate the Air Carrier Access Act (the ADA of the skies)

In May of 2009, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA, 1986) was amended expanding upon the rights for travelers with disabilities under what is labeled DOT 14 CFR part 382 (382).

382 came in with dozens of new rules and a hefty fine system for violating them. Just one violation of 382 can bring down a $27,500 fine (yes that # is right) on the airline, and the violations usually occur in multiple areas so the fine amount is never that low.

Before the new amendments were adopted, many airlines were fined, especially in the year 2003, when the DOT found that America West Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Southwest Airlines violated the ACAA by failing to provide a stowage space for standard-size folding wheelchairs inside the cabins of their aircraft.

But since last year's 382, airlines have been fined in increasing amounts, and yet many airlines still fail to improve upon their training of handling customers with disabilities and their equipment, nor have they beefed up awareness of these new rules and rights for their employees. Without the proper training, the employee ignorance is somewhat excusable, so the responsibility fall on the airline executives and trainers, not the employees themselves. Some of these airlines have been correcting their training, such as Continental, Southwest, and American, but most have not yet.

In January of 2010, TAM Linhas Aereas was fined first and least, at $5000, for incorrectly filing annual reports detailing disability-related complalints that the foreign complaints from passengers during 2007-08. 

Along the same lines, in May of 2010, The DOT assessed a civil penalty against Continental Airlines for filing incomplete reports with the Department tabulating complaints that passengers with disabilities registered with the carrier. Continental was ordered to cease and desist from further violations and assessed a civil penalty of $100,000.

In August 2010 AirTran was one of the largest fines to date, totaling $500,000. The DOT found several violations against the requirements for boarding assistance. In addition, the carrier’s complaint files showed that it frequently did not provide an adequate written response to complaints from passengers. DOT said up to $200,000 of the airline's fine "may be used to improve its service to disabled passengers beyond what is required by law" including using up to $140,000 to "employ an automated wheelchair tracking system at AirTran's major hub airports within one year that will generate real-time reports of the carrier's wheelchair assistance performance."

Additional airlines are being reviewed for recent violations and readers will likely see increasingly more fines in 2011 due to the still existing lack of understanding and awareness of 382.  If passenger awareness grows faster than employee awareness, the sliding scale will be out of balance for quite some time.   

Know which airlines make mistakes, and which airlines take care of their customers. Protect your rights AND your equipment by patronizing those who care to go above and beyond the ACAA. View past legal cases against the airlines here.

President Obama Signs Twenty-First Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act

reprint from the http://www.disability.gov/ blog, October 8

Today President Obama signed into law the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010. This law will ensure that Americans with disabilities can more fully participate in society and enjoy all that new technologies have to offer--especially Internet-based and mobile services.

The new law will make it easier for people who are deaf, blind or have low vision to access the Internet, smart phones, television programming and other communications and video technologies. The law will also make sure that emergency information is accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision. In addition, $10 million per year will be allocated from the Interstate Relay Service Fund for equipment used by individuals who are deaf-blind. For more information read What S.3304 Does For Us from the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology.

Visit Disability.gov for more information about accessible technology.

Continental Airlines Customers with Disabilities Advisory Board says goodbye to an era

Houston, TX
October 6-7, 2010
Continental Airlines officially merged with United Airlines on October 1, 2010

It has been our highest honor to sit on the Continental Airlines Customers with Disabilities Advisory Board (CACDAB) since 2008. When approached three years ago by Customer First and Regulatory Programs Manager Bill Burnell and his team, we leapt at the opportunity to help make a difference for one of our favorite travel providers. This company has always had the contagious postitive attitude towards PWD and act as family taking care of you on the road. The company's long-term dedication to going above and beyond the regulations for handling customers with disabilities is applaudable. Therefore to be one of their advisors on the topic is the hugest honor one could have.

We were invited to visit Northwest's board in early 2008 in Detroit just before their merger with Delta, and subsequent dissolvement, and as Burnell always says, we learned what not to do. From there Continental gathered an all-star team of representatives from the travelers with disabilities community, representing as many disabilities as possible including many levels of physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. Each meeting the Continental crowd would grow larger and larger, with multiple employees from dozens of departments coming to listen, give input, and learn at these extremely productive and educational meetings.


This Wednesday, during the board's fifth and final pow-wow under the Continental name, the crowd grew to about 80 eager bodies including the board, Burnell's super team, a first-time appearance from the Pilot's Department and smaller regional airports, and three United Managers. The morning opened with a surprisingly heart-warming speech about marriage from Vice President of Airport Operations and Planning, Cindy Szadokierski, of "the New United," former French teacher who got the "jet fuel in [her] blood" used phrases like "team effort," "leaving the past stigma behind," and closed with Craig's favorite line of the two days, "at the next meeting."

As board members, we applaud the United team for sitting in open minded during this final and therefore sometimes emotional meeting, as the new step sisters and brothers to this family who has laughed and cried together for two years now. Their input was invaluable, and their note taking did not go by unnoticed. Hopefully this board can only continue to grow in the most beneficial ways as possible during this merger.


What the next year will look like:

You will start to see the airplanes and uniforms merging, with Continental's logo remaining on the tail and the United name down the body of the aircrafts (above). Pins combining both were handed out to employees.
Mileage points rewards programs will merge.
In the spring of 2011 on "Customer Day One" the policies will merge and customers will "feel a more streamlined experience."
Next, the FAA certificate as one formal airline will be awarded.
United is still "committed to Continental's slogan of "Offering the highest standard of clean, safe, reliable (and accessible) transportation."
The New United will become the largest, most powerful, and hopefully the most accessible airline in the world.


What has happened since March 2010:
Continental Update

• Stopped offering medical oxygen for rent and have approved 13 kinds of Personal Oxygen Containers (POC) for passengers to bring onboard. Also hosted POC Awareness Day.
• Ventilators now approved above 10,000 feet and when applicable can use onboard power to charge.
• The "Disability Quarterly" with articles from board members and passengers with personal stories receives hundreds of emails in response per issue.
• Continuing to educate and and merge policies with International Partners.
• Animal Relief Areas (guide dog potties) now listed on airport maps.
• Many airport ground crews received mobility equipment handling workshops to reduce annual damage expense.
• CACDAB's partners TSA, STAXI, and wheelchair providers have also made several changes to how they operate based on the CDAB's suggestions and experience.

It will take some time for this merger to shake out into a product that we all love and company we all patronize, but we are optimistic, and we hope you will be too.

Thanks to Continental for introducing us to an amazing team of dedicated employees and board members.


More on CACDAB and airline travel
CACDAB4
May 2009, TWD's updated rights
CACDAB2

Universal Access In Airports Conference 2010

From October 19-20, 2010 the Open Doors Organization, IATA, and The Houston Downtown Crowne Plaza are sponsoring the 2010 Universal Access in Airports Conference, an annual event that provides "a unique opportunity for dialogue among the various stakeholders in the aviation industry." This 2-day conference will offer industry leaders a highly informative and educational forum to exchange ideas that address issues relating to accessibility to, in and around airports.

This conference is designed to address issues relating to accessibility in, around and to airports. We have created a forum for you to share and learn about best practices, ADA guidelines, and application of new technology.

Access Anything is proud to be a part of this event in leading a discussion panel on Service Animals in the Airport, assisting both airport managers and airline personnel in making a smooth travel experience for those that travel with working dogs and others.

Other Highlights of this Conference:

• Explore effective training methods and tools available for airport and airline personnel and service providers as it relates to customer service and assistance for travelers with disabilities.
• Discover new advancement in technology, accessible facility and website design and guidelines.
• Learn effective ways to minimize gaps in service from baggage claim to ground transportation.
• Hear testimonies and experiences of travel from people with disabilities.
• Examine ways to incorporate process and policy for Emergency Preparedness. Working with all stakeholders of accessible air travel to achieve a plan that puts everyone on the same page.

Registration
Register at the Houston Crowne Plaza
Sponsorship Opportunities
For additional information contact Eric Lipp (773)388-8839 or email ericlipp@opendoorsnfp.org

Presented by

"Fly the Accessible Skies" with Continental. Why? Because they care about PWD.

Continental's mission is to "ensure to offer the highest standard of clean, safe, reliable, and accessible, transportation to their customers." Until recently, that fourth standard was a bit of a mirage, but this past Tuesday however, it seemed to become more of a reality, as Staff Vice-President of Field Services Stephanie Buchanan included the entire mission statement, fourth standard included, in her opening welcome to the astonishment and awe of the company's entire Customers with Disabilities Advisory Board (CDAB).

Twice a year, Continental Airlines hosts two days of meetings to discuss some very important issues in the disability community. As always, what is discussed for future progress is strictly confidential, but what is updated as past progress is not. We are proud to say that Continental is highly dedicated to the issues of the disability community, and to maintaining this board- a feat in itself in the current economy. But if it saves the company just one astronomical DOT382 fine per year, it outweighs two annual meetings by far.

This was the CDAB's 4th meeting since its inception in fall of 2008, and the progress in those two years has been astounding. Board member Dee Hepperly of Ohio, hearing impaired, said it best when she stated that what started out as emotional and defensive interactions between the board and 30 employees, in ignorance truly of the other sides' experiences, has now become more of a family get together with understanding, patience and progress for handling people with disabilities (PWD).

Continental doesn't just want to comply with the new DOT382 regulations, they want to be the best at handling customers with disabilities. We have seen a great shift in the attitude of their employees, the awareness has spread like wildfire, and as Board Coordinator Bill Burnell, Manager of Customer First and Regulatory Programs stated, "The results from this group have been extremely positive," and the other airlines, both domestic and intertnational, are taking notice.

This was our highest attendance for these meetings yet, with over 50 Continental Employees in attendance on the first day of meetings.

Some of the highlights include:
1. Where once you weren't allowed to even turn on your Personal Oxygen Concentrators (POCs) onboard the aircraft while in flight, Continental Airlines and Advanced Aeromedical have worked together with the manufacturers to approved 11 new devices for flight. Passengers need to clear their equipment at least 48 hours before each trip still with the "Oxygen Desk," (800-228-2744, open 24/7) but this is significant progress for this particular group of PWD. The Oxygen Desk has now been renamed the "Special Requests Department."

2. Verification of emotional support animals now also need to be approved by the Special Requests Department, also a big step in eliminating illegally traveling "service animals," and an even bigger step for acceptance of truly qualified emotional support animals, validating their need and legality. Support animals must give advance notice as well, with enough time for the employees to approve the Dr's licencing and the passengers' need of the animal.

3. Attentiveness to the needs of the Deaf and Blind communities is on the forefront of this progress as well. From added training on the needs of these customers to increasing work and progress on technology advances for communications with these passengers, we look forward to giving some amazing updates in the coming year.

4. One particular specific request made it to the forefront this year: everyone on the advisory board agreed that a "Lead Flight Attendant" pin, signifying the "boss" or manager on the plane for any particular leg, would help people with special needs speak with the right person. Often times our hearing impaired board members felt ignored by the flight staff, and were frustrated by having to tell each individual attendant that they had some special needs or requests. By designating the lead flight attendant with a pin or button, the board and Continental staff agreed that this would assist with the responsibility and follow through of handling these customers with special needs. In just one year it has made a huge difference, and the three members with hearing disabilities already report a heightened awareness and positive response during their recent flights with the company.

5. Continental's Wheelchair Stowage Placard (page 1, page 2) is being rolled out on a wider basis now and more and more gate agents are familiar with tagging your wheelchair with this informational piece. For the safety of your devices we recommend labeling it with this or a similar info sheet designating the brakes and general operation of your mobility device.

6. Continental and the Open Doors Organization out of Chicago, Il, have begun working together to train the ground operation crews at various domestic airports. This has been so successful that American Airlines has taken notice and wants to do the same. The trainings include a full day of awarenss training on handling mobility devices. The airlines spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year replacing damaged devices, and the ground crews have been extremely and positively receptive to these trainings, having never had anything like it before. To be able to "tamper" with some example devices to learn how to maneuver, lift, and stow these devices (sometimes up to 100s of pounds) safely and securely for both the device and the staff is integral to the protection of the device, which can cost up to $50,000 each. This is ground-breaking training! (Excuse the pun!)


I want to reiterate how proud we are to be a part of this inspiring and influential group. Every board member brings a wealth of experience and similar pride to these meetings, but just as importantly, so do the Continental employees, who are such a dedicated and caring bunch that its a blatent surprise they're still in this industry. It just goes to show that customer care trickles down from the top.

We look forward to giving more updates on this board, and hope to eventually provide some quantifiable, measurable financials and metrics to support the overall successes of this progressive group.

While Craig and I have spent years flying together, we've never had reliable politeness and knowledgable staff that we can depend upon until we started flying Continental. I'm not biased, it's the simple truth. Only one other airline in the world has a disability advisory board, and many don't even do disability awareness trainings, ground operation trainings, or regular inter-company write ups about issues, rules, rights, and awareness about the disability community and these passengers needs. While there are some airlines we won't fly anymore because of the reliability of their mistakes and dagame to our equipment, there are also a few airlines with staff that are helpful, friendly, and even occasionally knowledgeble about the needs of customers with disabilities, but never has it been so reliable as with Continental.

I truly believe this stems from the awareness that spreads from these meetings, and am thankful that Continental cares enough about all passengers to have them. Flying anything else for us is simply a gamble we are no longer willing to take for the sake of saving $20 or $50 in airline tickets. We hope you take our advice to heart and test out the Accessible Skies of Continental Airlines.

Training Airlines on Handling Wheelchairs

I spent the first three days of this week in Houston, Texas training Continental Airlines' ground crew how to handle assistive devices, such as wheelchairs and scooters, and came away with a new appreciation for what that team does.

This training was organized by Eric Lipp of the Open Doors Organization (www.opendoorsnfp.org), with the help of Michael Bliwas and The Mobility Shop (https://themobilityshop.com/), and we all agreed that this was a successful first stop on what we hope will be a large, comprehensive tour to train airline ground crews around the globe.

The purpose of these trainings is not only to teach crews how to properly lift and stow assistive devices, but how to take care of them, disassemble them, and return them to customers in one piece. Airlines currently spend way too much of their budget replacing and repairing broken assistive equipment and with today’s economy, we hope we are teaching employees how to save their company money and avoid fines "from the ground up!"

As always we were very impressed with Continental's employees; they came with a sincere eagerness to learn, tamper with, and fully explore the subject. We look forward to working with other airlines and are excited for Continental to once again lead the way in the topic of handling customers with disabilities.

Unfortunately due to technical difficulties with our video camera we don't have an example of this training, but we hope to get some useful tools up soon!

Go Anywhere, Do Anything! -Craig

Southwest Airlines, Attitude is Everything!

It's a rarity to find helpful, energetic, and positive employees in the airline industry in this day and age, but I can say with assurance that every Southwest employee we met during our recent travels to from Denver to Chicago Midway to Albany, NY was all of the above. We always try to cheer them up with Life is Good stickers when we travel, but this group needed little encouragement.

And it wasn't just the employees that made this company desirable for travelers with disabilities. Although the frame of our Ti-Lite didn't fit in the closet (center folding chairs would), the wheels fit in the overhead, we always got on first (no matter how many elderly were waiting in airport chairs) to get the bulkhead seat, the bulkhead seat arm rests raised (unheard of! although granted this left us without food trays), and without a first class section, Craig could wheel right up to the front row without the "Hannibal Lector" aisle chair. Additionally, unlike every other airline, every aircraft was the Boeing 737-200 so we knew what to expect every time.

A few little details were consistent every time as well- there was never a drink cart to watch your elbows for; attendants asked your order personally and carried trays of drinks back at a time. The start up safety instructions were always a little different and unique, as each lead attendant added their personal style to the announcements, making them more tolerable and interesting to listen to. And their staple "No Fees," marketing rules... We were never charged for bags, and sister Laura coming in from DC actually skipped her first flight to drive with Craig's other sister but took her return flight home. Absolutely unheard of on other airlines; if you miss that first leg, you're screwed out of the entire reservation, and lose 25-30% of your paid fare in the exchange, if they even let you exchange.

And every time they helped us get the wheels out, offered help to putting the wheelchair back together, and made sure Craig got into his chair ok. Not once did we see employees from AirServe or other on-site assistance company, Southwest employees were keen on doing it themselves; even once the pilot stepped out and asked. Not to point fingers but we've had some nasty unhappy pilots in our day who would not allow our wheels or chair to be in "his closet," not knowing our rights, not offering assistance. A few airlines always give us exceptional service, (Continental and American's are unwavering) but many others often fail to, especially United, US Air, and the regional servers.

When I searched "why are Southwest Airline's employees so happy?" on Google, it pulled up numerous articles on how CEO Gary Kelly makes sure his employees provide "Texas-style warmth and spirit," which must trickle down from the top.

You can bet we'll be flying Southwest again, and recommending it to others who travel with wheelchairs. Attitude is everything!

Air Carrier Act Update: ALERT!

Please join the DBTAC - Southwest ADA Center at ILRU for a webcast on “The Air Carrier Access Act Update and Impending Changes”.

Bill Burnell, Manager of Customer First and Regulatory Programs, Continental Airlines Airport Services Policies and Procedures, will present the webcast on "The Air Carrier Access Act Update and Impending Changes” on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 2:00pm Central.

This session is will provide a brief overview of the new amendments to the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 (ACAA) and it’s implementing regulation, 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382) which will become effective on May 13, 2009. The ACAA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in commercial air transportation along with its implementing regulation, 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382).

Mr. Burnell will discuss how these new amendments apply to both U.S. and foreign carriers, airport accessibility and changes to common services such as flight reservations. He will also address specific changes that may affect passengers who use respiratory assistive devices and passengers who are deaf or hard-of hearing.

Bill Burnell is responsible for ensuring compliance to all regulations involving disability issues set forth by the government at Continental Airlines. Some of the current programs he has implemented include “Project Airport”, an airport tour program that Continental and Memorial Hermann-TIRR initiated at Houston’s Bush-IAH airport, and the “Customers with Disabilities Advisory Board”, a group comprised of several members of the community with disabilities that meets with members of various departments within Continental to offer suggestions and tips on how to better improve disability handling and the product the airline is offering.

To link to this webcast and download accompanying materials visit:
http://ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/calendar.html
Presentation slides are available in text and PDF as alternate formats.

For instructions on how to access a webcast visit:
http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/instructions.html

Please visit this site ahead of time to test and ensure your computer is configured and updated to participate in the webcast.

For technical assistance, please check out our FAQs (frequently asked questions) at:
http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/FAQ.html

Or contact a webcast team member at swdbtac@ilru.org or 713.520.0232 (v/tty).
This webcast is supported through the DBTAC - Southwest ADA Center, a project of ILRU. Southwest ADA Center (www.SouthwestADA.org) is one of ten Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to provide training, technical assistance and materials dissemination on the ADA and other disability-related laws. NIDRR is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

The opinions and views expressed are those of the presenters and no endorsement by the funding agency should be inferred.

We hope to see you on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009!

Access Anything Schedule of Events, Spring 2008

Our travel season has begun, and we're excited to share some events and websites with you where we'll be speaking, sharing our wares, and both meeting new faces and seeing old ones in this wonderfully tight-knit community of disability-focused businesses and travel experts!

Sign up for our monthly newsletter to be updated regularly on our events, travel tips, destination highlights and more!

March: Abilities Expo NY, April: Airline Advisory Board, Spinal Cord Research Fundraiser, Scenic Byways Convention; May: Abilities Expo CA; June: Travel Conference PA; July: WCD PA

March 27-31 Abilities Expo, Edison, NJ
Dubbed the largest expo in the country for anything-disability related, the New Jersey installment of this Abilities series of expos sees nearly 12,000 visitors and has hundreds of booths spread out over a dozen aisles of fun. Last year at this event we were inundated with questions, and at each of Craig's talks the room was filled to capacity and overflowing into the hallway. Needless to say we're very excited to be attending this expo once again.

April 1-2 Northwest Airlines' annual Accessibility Advisory Board, Detroit, MI
We will be attending this meeting with Continental Airlines this year, and are excited to inform you that we have recently been signed on as members of Continental's Access Advisory Board to help improve access on planes and treatment of equipment and persons with disabilities. We'll update you as often as we can on the improvements to this airline that we choose over all others for a reason!

April 5th, Scott Remington's Fundraiser for Spinal Cord Research, Brant Lake, NY
This annual fundraiser for the Christopher Reeve Foundation is now in its 8th year, and raised over $40,000 last year alone. The Remington's dedication to this important cause is apparent at the size of this fundraiser, which we attended in 2006; the room is full of prizes for auction from homemade dolls and quilts to atvs and chainsaws. This is a truly memorable experience and we're thrilled to be a part of it once again! If you would like to donate to the Chris and Dana Reeve Foundation for spinal cord research, please visit Scott's site above, or contact us directly.

April 10-11, National Scenic Byways Convention, Denver, CO
In 2006 we spent several months during the summer working for Colorado Scenic Byways, assessing five byways in the state for their accessibility, and developing a rating system for them. The time has finally come to present this rating system on a national level and we're very excited to be given this opportunity to do so!

May 30-June 1, Abilities Expo, Anaheim, CA
The second installment of this expo series occurs annually in Anaheim in June, and is second in size to the NJ expo. There are two other Abilities expos, which float in location, throughout the year, and have been in Houston, Northern CA, Wisconsin, to name a few. The June CA show usually sees about 6,000 participants, and although a little slower than it's NJ partner, is still quite an amazing 3-day event for us.

June 20-21, Travel and Tourism Conference: Go For Green!, Pittsburgh, PA
This will be our first year in attendance at this "green" conference, and we'll be speaking on marketing to travelers with disabilities. Sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America and the Society of American Travel Writers Associates Council, this will be a wonderful opportunity for this group to learn more about the overlooked yet growing niche of travelers with disabilities. We are very excited to be presenting to the non-disability-focused part of the industry once again.

July 11-12, World Congress on Disabilities, Philadelphia PA
WCD as it's better known, has been an annual event for several years, and this year is splitting its expo into two segments, Philly in July, and Jacksonville, FL in November. We are working with WCD this year on bringing more adventurous activities to these events, such as a climbing wall, scuba tank, or cycling course. We will also be speaking on marketing to travelers with disabilities, as we did at the WCD Expo in DC this past November. We look forward to working with the staff at WCD to make this event bigger and better!




If you have any questions about events or our schedule, or would like Access Anything to appear at your event, please email us at ask@accessanything.net!

Confuse "Pet" for "Service Dog?"

On our way home from the Abilities Expo in Edison New Jersey, we ran into a bit of a problem with Continental. To their credit, our first problem ever with them, and it was sorted out without an issue.

However, we figured we might as well just share it, so if you come across this issue, you know what to do.

The request: Our service dog is big, and we like the bulkhead for her and for extra room for us.
The problem: The gate agent thinks "No animals in the bulkhead row."
The truth: "No PETS in the bulkhead row."

His justification: All animals must be considered as luggage, and stored out of the way of passing customers for safety. Therefore they must be stowed under the seat in front of them.
Our justification: Mohawkie is not a pet, and we've done this for five years without question.

How do we protect ourselves usually?
1. We bring a copy of the FAA rules with us to back our rights up.
2. We bring a copy of the Service Animal rules from the ADA with us to back our rights up.
3. When in doubt, we ask for the airport disability representative or a TSA representative to protect our rights.

How did we resolve this issue? Upon proving to both the gate agent AND the green flight attendant that although the FAA states "Pet," this does not apply to a service animal because a)many of them are too big to go under the seat in front, and b)the bulkhead is the official disability seating.
We did have to get a TSA agent over to settle our dispute professionally, but we spent the first 10 minutes nicely stating our point so that the issue didn't get inflated with defensiveness and anger so it could be resolved more quickly. When our case wasn't accepted, we had someone else back it up.

Usually Continental employees are more informed than this, so we were surprised, but not disappointed. We managed to educate 5 staff members, and got into our seat on time as usual.

The bottom line: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.