One of the biggest challenges of travelling as a wheelchair user is navigating airlines, airports, and special assistance. I’ve shared plenty of my airport experiences over the years—most of them not so great, to be honest. But after a pretty smooth, though sometimes challenging journey from Glasgow to Barcelona and back last month, I thought I’d give you the lowdown on the highs and lows we faced on this trip.
Booking our flights
Usually, we fly from Edinburgh Airport, but this time, we departed from Glasgow Airport for the first time in nearly ten years.
We booked our flights with easyJet, my preferred airline because I’ve generally had good experiences with them. After booking online, I called the easyJet special assistance line to request assistance and provide details about my powerchair.
Read this post on my experience with Edinburgh Airport Special Assistance
Glasgow Airport – Departure flight and Special Assistance
When we got to Glasgow Airport, we checked in for our flight, and the easyJet staff was excellent. They handled all the paperwork and made sure to tag my wheelchair without any fuss. Usually, we have to remind the check-in agents about tagging my chair, so this was a relief.
After that, we swung by the special assistance desk to confirm our arrangements. We didn’t need help getting through security or navigating the airport, so we agreed to meet the staff at the boarding gate.
When it was time to board, the team was right there waiting for us, and from my initial interaction with the two special assistance guys, I instantly felt confident they would provide good service.
They helped me into the ambulift vehicle and carefully transferred me onto the aisle chair, making sure I was secure. They were really attentive, ensuring my feet didn’t slip off the aisle chair as we rolled out of the ambulift and onto the plane, and they took their time with everything.
I look slightly shocked in the photo below, but I can assure you I wasn’t scared at all. Maybe it was a surprise to get such great service from special assistance, haha.
Our seats were in row 1, which was great since it meant extra legroom and made getting on the plane easier for me.
The special assistance guys did an amazing job lifting me into the middle seat—definitely one of the smoothest transfers I’ve had. They made sure I was comfy before they headed off.
I’ve got a whole post about how I transfer from my wheelchair to the aisle chair and then to the plane seat using the ableSling transfer sling.
Allan took care of my chair by folding down the backrest and taking off the footplates and controller to keep them safe during the flight. We always bring the footplates, joystick knob, and anything else that could break or get lost with us onto the plane.
My wheelchair was then taken away by the special assistance team and passed over to the ground crew who then put it into the cargo hold.
Barcelona Airport – Arrival and Special Assistance
The special assistance at Barcelona Airport were also fantastic when we arrived. They quickly brought the ambulift to the plane and were super friendly, reassuring me that my wheelchair was there and in one piece.
Transferring from my seat to the aisle chair and then back into my wheelchair went really smoothly, taking less than five minutes, which was pretty impressive.
But while we were waiting in the ambulift, an elderly couple was getting on the plane we just got off. Instead of letting us go first, the staff made us wait for them, which held things up since the plane needed to be cleaned and checked. The cabin crew seemed surprised and a bit disappointed to see us still there—they thought we’d already left.
Eventually, we made it into the airport, grabbed our suitcase, and met our taxi driver, who took us to our apartment at MICs Sant Jordi.
Overall, the trip from Glasgow to Barcelona went really well. Both special assistance teams were efficient and friendly.
Barcelona Airport – Departure flight and Special Assistance
After a sunny week away, it was time to head home, and we were a bit anxious about our flight, hoping everything would go smoothly again.
If you’re looking for some inspo and tips for a wheelchair accessible trip to Barcelona, take a look at my Barcelona posts here.
The easyJet agent was lovely and took care of our check-in and my wheelchair without a hitch. They told us we didn’t need to stop by the special assistance desk, so we headed straight to security and then looked for some food.
When we got to the boarding gate, the special assistance agents were there waiting for us. They escorted us outside to the ambulift. While we were waiting on the lift, the ground crew asked how we would disconnect the power to my wheelchair. We explained that we had an airsafe key, which inhibits power and immobilises my wheelchair.
They seemed sceptical and asked us to demonstrate. So, we plugged the airsafe key into the charging socket on my wheelchair controller and showed them that the joystick wouldn’t move when it was in use.
We’ve used this key for years, so it was surprising to be questioned like this. The ground crew at Barcelona Airport insisted that the power had to be completely disconnected since the lights on the controller were still flashing, even though the wheelchair couldn’t move.
We tried to argue, but eventually asked for the captain to come down and talk to us. When he arrived, he listened to our situation but admitted he had never heard of the airsafe key before. He left to check if it was safe to use.
Before leaving, he told us we wouldn’t be able to fly if the airsafe key wasn’t accepted and if we couldn’t disconnect the power another way because the crew had flagged it as a safety hazard, worried about the batteries possibly catching fire.
In the meantime, the ground crew had to find a screwdriver for Allan to try and open the battery compartment to disconnect the cables if necessary as there is no other way to disconnect the power on my wheelchair. We’re usually hesitant to mess with the cables because of past experiences where staff have disconnected them without telling us, leaving us with a tangled mess when we got to our destination.
We waited by the easyJet plane for about 30 minutes, which meant other passengers started boarding, cutting our chance to preboard. The captain came back and said they couldn’t accept the airsafe key because it doesn’t fully disconnect the power; it just keeps the wheelchair from moving if the joystick gets bumped.
It’s a bit concerning that we’ve flown so many times in the past without an issue using the airsafe key, and suddenly it was a problem in Barcelona.
Even though it was a hassle for us, we’d much rather ensure that neither we nor the other passengers or crew were at risk with my wheelchair having power while it was unattended in the hold.
So, will I use the airsafe key again? No. It’s just not worth the stress of being stopped and questioned about it. They claimed it doesn’t actually disconnect the power from power wheelchairs like it claims, and there’s still a chance the batteries could catch fire.
Eventually, Allan and the ground crew managed to open my wheelchair and disconnect the cables entirely. They were happy, the captain was happy that we could board, and he reassured us that he’d help with my wheelchair once we landed in Glasgow.
The special assistance staff were great again, transferring me into the aisle chair and then making sure I was secure while moving me to my seat on the plane.
Glasgow Airport – Arrival and Special Assistance
After we landed and everyone got off the plane, the captain came over to check on me as he promised. He wanted to make sure I was okay and that there were no issues with my wheelchair.
The special assistance team at Glasgow Airport showed up pretty quickly. They brought an ambulift right to the plane door and told me my wheelchair was ready inside. They helped me transfer to the aisle chair and made sure I was strapped in safely.
When I was in the ambulift, Allan and the pilot took a look at my wheelchair. They were surprised to see that all the cables we had disconnected were wrapped up tight in electrical tape, like ten times each by the Barcelona Airport ground crew after we handed over my wheelchair to them.
It was so tightly done that they couldn’t even find the end to unwrap it. The cabin crew handed them some scissors to cut through the tape, which finally let them free the cables and put everything back together.
We all agreed that wrapping the cables like that was way over the top and just made more work for us when we got to our destination. If the captain hadn’t helped, it would’ve taken Allan forever to sort everything out.
At last, I was back in my wheelchair and thankful for the awesome help from the Glasgow Airport Special Assistance team, easyJet cabin crew and of course, the captain.
Final Thoughts
Our trip from Glasgow to Barcelona and back was an overall positive experience, thanks to the amazing service from the special assistance teams at both airports. They took really good care of my wheelchair and made the transfers easier.
We did hit a few bumps along the way, though. Travelling with a powerchair can be tricky, especially because we can’t remain in it during the flight. Therefore, we need to prepare it to be stored in the hold and hope it won’t get damaged. I can’t wait for the day when we can stay in our wheelchairs during a flight.
In this instance, it was the airsafe key, which caused some confusion at Barcelona Airport. This was frustrating and caused a bit of a delay.
When we got back to Glasgow, the excessive tape on the cables was also frustrating. Still, even with those hiccups, it really showed how important good special assistance services are for making travel smoother.
Let me know about your airport experiences and if you use an airsafe key.
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