A Letter to United Airlines

[hartmans]

[If this comes across as negative towards people who do need a wheelchair, that's not my intent at all. My point is that there are a lot of fairly negative things about not being treated as ably as you are.]
Hi. I'm totally blind. When I first started using the United website several years ago, the special assistance tab on the website had an option for visually impaired passengers who need assistance but not a wheelchair. I appreciated that: it's very frustrating to be forced to sit in a wheelchair and treated as less capable than you are. The sort of humiliating treatment that you get is typified by an experience in Paris on a non-United flight. The purser noticed that I was standing once the wheelchair arrived, came over and said that I seemed to be walking well for someone who required a wheelchair. On my last two reservations, this option has disappeared. I may select a wheelchair or no assistance at all. I'd like to understand why this has changed, and express strong disappointment at the decision.

Comments

[jered]

Have you contacted customer service? I'm a 1K member; would you like me to inquire to the premier line on your behalf?

[hartmans]

The part without the bracketed initial part was what I sent using the customer relations web form. I'm only premier exec, but that should be enough to at least get them to explain what's going on. I'll keep you informed.

[chardin.livejournal.com]

As the son of a paraplegic, I can absolve you of any concerns about insulting people who need wheelchairs. I've never met anyone so impaired who wouldn't have preferred to be able to walk.

Hell, when I leave a hospital, I get upset about the wheelchair thing. If nothing else, it might deprive someone of that chair who actually needs it.