I really got an education about ADA. I have had to take an ADA course
every 2 years since 1996 for my license but actually living it is a
whole different thing. I had Judy in a wheelchair at all of the
airports mostly for speed but also because she can't walk long
distances. We were carrying an O2 concentrator and a back pack with
two spare batteries other medical equipment, meds, emergency clothes
etc in addition to her giant purse and my computer. It actually all
fit quite nicely on a Delta wheel chair but it was pretty heavy. A lot
of the ramps I was on exceeded the ADA allowable slope. The worst was
the jetway from the DTW departure gate into a small regional jet. That
one was exciting. I also found us in several places that did not have
the legal wheel chair turning radius. The layout of an airport wheel
chair is bigger than the standard ones anyway. We got no real help on
the way up and it was real ugly from baggage claim to the rental car.
I was dragging 2 big rollers, one on top of the other, pushing the
wheel chair and Judy was dragging a roller. We were a sight I imagine.
I wrote up a nasty survey to Delta, pointing out the ADA violations
may be actionable. It must have got someone's attention because on the
way home Delta had a wheel chair and attendant everywhere we were near
a Delta counter. (curb side to ticket counter and gate to plane).
Coming up the ramp from the regional jet to the gate at DTW was fun.
They sent a little 135 pound latino guy who was really struggling. I
offered to push it up the hill but he said he had to do it. (Bear in
mind, on the way there, nobody was around to help at all) Once we left
Delta land we were on our own tho. Without the checked bags it wasn't
horrible. I was still pushing three hundred + pounds. The empty chair
probably weighs 80 (all steel frame) and we had about 40 pounds of
carry on.
I just kept thinking, one of those ADA lawyers who makes a living
suing people could have had a good time following us. That is probably
why Delta responded so fast to a survey I expected would be ignored. I
will say they did a great job getting us into a first class seat out
of DTW that morning, even if the "help desk" was useless the night
before. We did end up in Tampa and not Ft Myers tho. It was worth the
$300 Uber to get home. A rental would have ended up costing more and I
would still have a problem returning the car when I got here. My bags
were at RSW and Delta delivered them to the house.