Disabled Travel Question

We are headed to SXM for our 20th visit in early December. We have a knee that really needs to be replaced....scheduled for after two weeks in St. Martin.
Question relates to (American Airlines) assistance for the disabled at airports. Does one make wheelchair arrangements ahead of time or can this be done on arrival at the airport. We'll need help in Charlotte and SXM since walking any distance or extended standing is difficult. The stair type boarding ramp at SXM will be doable but slow. Thanks in advance.

When my dad traveled from SXM to the states, we reached out to airline when booking and requested wheelchair assistance. This was on united and a few years ago, but it worked perfectly fine. So I would start with American.

Yes, you can request wheelchair assistance online with AA. DEFINITELY do that ahead of time. Be advised that my personal experience with wheelchair assistance on AA in Miami has been spotty at best. Be prepared for waiting long periods of time. The arrival back into Miami is particularly difficult. The last time we went through there, we walked down the hallway into the terminal and waited for a wheelchair, which took us to a place where we waited for a motorized trolley to take us for a bit. Then we were dumped off that and waited AGAIN for a wheelchair, to go the rest of the way. It was well over an hour from when we deplaned until we got our luggage (which was already waiting for us when we arrived in baggage claim), and the VAST majority of that time was consumed in just GETTING to the line for immigration. We have not dealt with a connection in Miami, but based on our experience, I hope you have a pretty good amount of connection time.

With regard to the stairs in SXM, MOST of the time, the AA flight from Miami to SXM and the return will have a RAMP at the FRONT of the plane, and stairs at the back. If your seats are at the back of the plane, suggest that you wait until almost everyone has deplaned, and deplane out the front of the plane, so that he can use the ramp. There will be a person with a sign with his name, waiting on the tarmac, or close to the bus, if you are taking the bus to the terminal. They will assist him with getting on the bus and getting him through immigration and help him get his checked luggage, if any. When you are leaving, the folks there will try to steer him to the back if his seat is in the back. Just inform the person that your dad needs to use the ramp. Also, check with the gate people in SXM when you are leaving, to see if they will let him pre-board the plane, as they usually allow that. The people in SXM do a wonderful job.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Unfortunately I’ve been needing a wheelchair for the past few years. We fly American and on their website where your reservation is located there is a place to request a wheelchair. I’ve always reserved it ahead of time and I think that’s the way to do it. They’re really good about having a wheelchair available for you when you get to the airport in the US and then when you get to the SXM airport. Please don’t forget to give the folks who push you in the wheelchair a nice tip.

Marie--My experience has kind of been different, in Miami, at any rate. Do you go through Miami?? In June this year, we finally just gave UP waiting for a wheelchair and walked the distance. I wrote to AA to complain about it and we got a few frequent flyer miles as compensation.

The people in SXM do an excellent job. And for sure, please tip, especially in SXM.

Another suggestion -- For a little more than $100 we purchased transport chairs for my folks to take them to St. Maarten the last few years. My dad has very little patience and I was worried he would refuse to wait for a chair to be available. I will say that at the airport if you are in your own chair you receive very special care and attention. The service at both JFK and SXM was above and beyond. The chairs came in handy during our stay as well -- less walking, risk of falling, etc. They fold up nicely if you don't use it until your return flight. Just a thought....

We always request a wheel chair assistance from American or United Airlines and for most part have good experience. They get you through TSA screaming and immigration ahead of lines and help you with your luggage. We do give them a nice tip. Also Airlines will let you pre-board so you get plenty of room for your carry ons. This service well worth your tip money

That’s a shame, Carol. We fly out of Philly and there has always been a wheel chair ready for me with kind young and older people helping me.

Marie--glad they give good service in Philly. Miami is the problem.

Luda and all,

I’m pretty new to this airport wheelchair experience but so far, the only place I’ve ever had an issue was last April arriving in Miami from SXM on AA and ultimately connecting to NY. We waited over a half hour for the chair and then it went downhill much as Carol experienced.

The wheelchair experiences at SXM have been excellent, both arriving and departing, and last night we arrived back at JFK and the service was once again excellent.

There are times you tip because you know you have to as ‘it’s expected of you’ but then there are the times when you genuinely want to tip and tip most generously generously because the experience was so good. This trip, both at SXM and JFK, we were happy to experience the latter and spread a little cheer.

Btw, so glad we did get to say hello and chat if only so briefly. 😊😊

Thanks all for the information and experiences. We will follow-up with AA. The Miami experience is exactly what we hope to avoid. Charlotte has been very user friendly in the past. I once left my Kindle on an AA plane in Charlotte and it was mailed to me in about a week. The airport had at that time a group of volunteers that returned lost articles. Sixteen more days!

We have been using w/c assistance for the past several years. AA has been very good both in PVD and CLT. SXM has been fantastic. Pushers really know the system. I agree with the Miami comments. Their system works but due to the size of the airport it seems chaotic. Since most of the workers are Hispanic, their accents are difficult to understand. They do know what they are doing.

Bluesfan--I would disagree with your comment that the system in Miami works. I really don't care about the workers' accents. I DO care that often they will stand around talking to each other, as compared to doing their jobs..

Also, they used the sloping ramp stairway to exit plane in SXM.

Bluesfan--as I stated in my response, they don't always have a ramp and when they have it, it is ONLY in the front, not at the back.

Miami is absolutely terrible. FLL used to be the way to go but it's huge now also.
And the transport in MIA is horrible. I agree with Carol. They stop and gossip with the other transports.
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Thanks Carol and others for the info about Miami. In the winter there is a direct flight from PHL to SXM so I'm lucky.....but only in the winter. Other times of the year we have to have the connected flight with AA in Miami or Charlotte. I have chosen Charlotte because the last time we landed in Miami, quite a few years ago, it was a never-ending walk to immigration and customs from where we disembarked from the plane. It was one of the last times I could walk relatively easily and even that was a difficult walk. So with this additional information about the wheel chair situation in Miami, I will make sure we don't land there.

It can be a huge walk in CLT also depending on where you come in and go out but my very limited experience has been the wheel chair porters are right there and are very efficient as well. They offered us food stops and bathroom stops if needed and were extremely helpful with luggage and immigration.

Good luck and I hope all goes well for you.

I don't know if this was unusual or not but when our full flight from SXM landed in Atlanta last night about 10 pm, people had to walk down the airplane ramp to get to wheelchairs.,,seemed like that would have been terrible for many. Then when we got into the concourse, we saw that there were half a dozen people or more sitting in chairs waiting for someone to push them. Since our flight was delayed a bit, immigration in our concourse had already closed, so we had to hike the whole way to the next concourse, a walk of quite a distance. I noticed several workers pushing 2 chairs each that whole way. One poor guy was pushing a couple each in a wheelchair, then had to grab a luggage cart to accumulate his clients several large suitcases to get through customs before dropping the luggage. I was guessing the basic issue was a lack of workers especially that late in the evening.

Marie, we are also from Bucks County and if can’t find non-stop flight from Philadelphia we fly United non-stop from Newark that flies year around. Works out good for us.

Thanks for the tip, Snuba. We will look into that next time.👍