Eldership Mission Spain 2025 - A Study of Wheelchair Services

There were many questions if Wife's foot would be healed enough for us take this trip. Ultimately, we decided to go even though she will have limited mobility because we couldn't stand the thought of another travel season coming and going with stuck at home. But we knew that the amount of walking required with all the plane changes our trip required was out of the question. Therefore, Wife made the unpleasant decision to make use of wheelchair service throughout the trip. Unwittingly, this gave us an opportunity to experience the wheelchair service in four different cities on two continents.

Reserving through the Airlines

We were flying on two separate airlines, United and Turkish. Although both had online ability to request assistance, only United's worked. I had to call Turkish to get the reservation made. However, credit to Turkish, they sent a confirmation by email so you had a record of the request.

Although you make your request through the airline, the actual service is provided by the airport. Wife had opted for the lower level of service as she is capable of walking for a certain distances and can make it down the jet bridge herself. First up...

Albuquerque

Our home airport did a good job. Our wheelchair assistant met us minutes after we'd checked in. Albuquerque is a pretty small airport so she had no problem getting us through security and to our gate in plenty of time. 

Chicago O'Hare

Here again the whole experience went quite well. We were met as soon as Wife was out of the plane by our wheelchair assistant. He efficiently got us to baggage claim and as an added bonus, the service includes getting us to the one hotel that is on the airport property itself. He brought us right to the hotel check-in. Nice. 

Departing the next day, this time checking in at Turkish Airlines at the far out Terminal 5. Once again we were met right away after checking in and whisked through security. (Side note: both in Albuquerque and in Chicago, I had issues getting through security. in the past it's been Wife. Just my turn.) We were early so went to the business class lounge for a couple of hours. It was a short walk to our gate so we didn't have the wheelchair come back.

Istanbul

 This was a wheelchair experience of a completely different nature. We were met at the gate by an assistant in a mechanized wheelchair. He took us rapidly to a holding area where we waited a short while until we were put on nine passenger cart. Then we were whisked away to another holding area. At each hand-off, they took pictures of our boarding passes and us. At each pick-up they confirmed our information again. 

We were only in the waiting area a short while. Because of our long layover, we were going to the Lounge. Another of the mechanized wheelchair transports (think of them as souped up Segways) came. In this case they insisted I take one as well as there was no way I could keep up with the on foot. So we are tear assing through the crowded terminal like some kind of Formula Wheelchair Racers. They take us, IN THE WHEELCHAIR CONTRAPTIONS up elevators and literally into the Lounge. And they tell us we will be picked up exactly at this same location at the time the plane will be boarding.

This seems odd to us. Why wait that late. But sure enough at EXACTLY the time the boarding was scheduled to begin, they show up. It is another hellbent race through the terminal and they take us right into the gate area where no one has boarded yet. 

The whole system was pretty impressive.

Madrid

Here everything fell apart. It was like the polar opposite of Istanbul. We didn't park at a gate so again Wife endured the truck that comes to the plane, lifts up so you can get on, then lowers and take you to the terminal. Here we are put in another holding area. Only here the system is people going around writing things on paper. And those doing the assisting are gradually walking in to take people away. They asked if Wife could do some short walking. She said yes. They proceeded to have her go through the whole passport control and get luggage without ever putting her in a wheelchair though she did get all our luggage and moved that. 

One additional note, we were renting a car. I was concerned about Wife making the long walk to the car. Our rental agent, came out with us. Put us in a close in area. Went and got the car herself and brought it to us so Wife wouldn't have to walk so much!