Traveling with Special Needs Family Members Doesn't Have to be Difficult

Traveling with family members who have special needs can seem a daunting prospect, but it doesn’t have to be if you plan ahead. Today, many airlines offer tremendous service to families that need extra attention when flying. A good example of this is Delta Airlines. A few years ago, Mark Shekerow’s parents, who live in Rhode Island, wanted to spend Christmas with him in Atlanta, but Mark’s mother had recently had knee surgery and was confined to a wheelchair. Delta Airlines made arrangements for a Delta representative to provide Mark’s mother with a wheelchair in Providence to check in and helped escort her to the gate. When Mark’s parents arrived at Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Mark and his wife, Stacey, were there with a wheelchair at the gate to meet them. Delta Airlines had made special accommodations and secured a pass for them to pass through security even though they were not flying that day. This allowed Mark and Stacey

to easily escort them to baggage claim while attending to any personal needs along the way. The trip back home to Rhode Island was just as stress free. At check in at Atlanta, a Delta Airlines rep met them and took them to a special area for wheel chair bound flyers. Mark and Stacy were given special passes so they could pass through the special security area and accompany them to the gate to see them off. The Delta Agent escorted them the entire way, making sure everything was order so that the entire family’s travel experience could be trouble free. If you have had a similar experience with Delta Airlines or one of the other airlines and would like to share it, please email mshekerow@caregiver.buzz and tell us all about it.