How to get best out of a flight if disabled

: Lufthansa via Flickr

LUFTHANSA GOES THAT BIT EXTRA

Most airlines say they offer help to those with disabilities – so what’s it like if you want to book a flight?

Recently we flew to Germany, and contacted Lufthansa.

They say “Lufthansa can assist passengers with mobility problems by providing a wheelchair or accepting the passenger’s own wheelchair for free. There are also carts provided at airports should transfer from gate to gate be needed”.

What they don’t say (too modest?) is that when we requested help, it came with a charming smile, allied to incredible German efficiency.

Start by phoning General Reservations 0871 945 9747 and say that you are requesting

Help with a cart to transport you to/from the aircraft
Requesting a wheelchair
Requesting a special diet.

The staff talked us through what we wanted, gave us assurances that what we wanted would be provided, and references – just to confirm everything had been ordered. Needless to say, we didn’t even look round; at every stage of the journey there was someone looking out for us, and making sure we were looked after.

For special diets, on longer journeys they can offer around 20 – 30 different ones. How their chefs keep track of them all I don’t know!

We were told that if we had complex needs, if passengers had serious health problems (e.g. needing oxygen during flights, etc), please would we refer to the Medical Desk in Germany: +49 – 5 61 – 99 33 70 20 – where there is no problem with English speaking staff.

We had a trouble-free flight to Frankfurt, then just went down in a lift to catch our train from the station underneath the airport on the way to Klinic Bad Sulza.

Lufthansa also operates direct flights between London and Milan, with the flight duration of 2 hours. They also fly from several regional UK airports direct to Dusseldorf, Munich or Frankfurt.

www.lufthansa.com

For information re travel with disabilities: http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/uk/info_and_services/travel_preparation?nodeid=1770719&l=en&cid=1000243