Has anybody else had experience with EVA’s service for people who are mobility-impaired? I’ve been on the phone with them this morning (I broke my ankle the other night off Shita Rd.) and it seems like pulling teeth. Got a cast on, yes. Is it over your knee? Can you walk? You’ll need a doctor’s note saying that you can’t. No, I can’t check to see what seat you have. You’ll have to check in first. No, I have no clue what we’ll do if we can’t get you a reasonable seat. But we won’t know that until you show up for the flight. No, you can’t take crutches on the airplane, you might use them as a weapon. (After this phone call, I can see why they might be afraid of that!)
Do they really think I’m going to bother to screw up my life like this in the hope of getting some upgrade or other? To top it off, they left me on hold on my cell phone dime for ages listening to Taiwanese soft-pop. Not an impressive performance.
You probabily got some drone who isn’t used to dealing with questions like that or customers with real concerns or problems; other than do you server noodles on the flight…
Most airlines are very accomadating when you have an injury and need to take a flight…
I reckon be more pushy with the drone
Terry,
Sorry to hear about your ankle. Hope it’s not too serious. Be sure to get some therapy on it when cast is taken off, something neglected all too often in Taiwan.
I traveled with a seriously mangled leg on United quite a few years back and they were exceptionally good to me. They whisked me ahead of the lines and picked me up with a wheel chair to transfer flights at Chicago O’Hare, and TKO Narita. Maybe you can change your flight to UA?
One thing I know about flight seating for the ‘disabled’ is that you’ll never get a seat next to emergency doors. You know the ones with loads of legroom–? Because those who’re seated there are supposed to be “able-bodied” to help in the event of an emergency.
When I flew with crutches, it was years pre-911, so they didn’t question. But, I can imagine now they’d think you’d have some dynamite shoved up inside it and a blowgun as well…
If no choice but Eva, try calling up and speaking only English, and be real real sweet to them. I bet if you’re using Mandarin, your special treatment will be reduced a bit.
My mom, who lives in South Carolina, would always put on a charming Southern drawl when calling New York for SRO broadway theatre tickets years ago. It always seemed to work and she’d get excellent seats, even though she was born and raised in NY!
That’s ridiculous that you can’t take crutches on the airplane! About 100,000 people in Taiwan have permanent leg problems because of scooter accidents. (They’re the people you see riding the three-wheel scooters.) These people can’t walk at all unless they’re either using crutches or in a wheelchair. If EVA really has an official policy that they don’t allow crutches on an airplane, then that’s discrimination against handicapped people, and you can sue them.
Also, it’s really absurd that they don’t allow crutches if they allow ballpoint pens, chopsticks, and wine bottles, which are much more dangerous weapons. Anyone can stick a ballpoint pen or a chopstick into someone’s eye, and guess what vital organ is right behind the eyeballs? And if a wine bottle is broken, it’s much sharper than any knife. In addition, leather belts can be used to strangle someone, so belts are also much more dangerous than crutches.
Have you tried other airlines? Maybe other airlines are friendlier.
quote:Originally posted by Mark Nagel:
Anyone can stick a ballpoint pen or a chopstick into someone's eye, and guess what vital organ is right behind the eyeballs? And if a wine bottle is broken, it's much sharper than any knife. In addition, leather belts could be used for strangulation, so belts are also much more dangerous than crutches.
Sounds like you’ve thought a lot about this, Mark! United took my weeny metal nail file w/ plastic handle, that I was carrying on domestic US flight, back in December. There’s a major crackdown on carry-on stuff for USA bound flights these days.
But agreed, I don’t see why she can’t take crutches as they can surely run them through x-rays. What they may do is take them during flight and stow them with flight attendants. That’d mean she could beep the hell out of the servers when she needs them to go to toilet, etc!!
I’d check other airlines too, actually. Seems that EVA is muddled in policy concerning such matters.
Eva are just following other major airline regulations… so if there is something they are unsure about they will just ban it from the plane (i.e. crutches)
Do they have those groovy golf caddies at CKS. If so why don’t you ask Eva to drive you the whole way through.
Eva showing discrimination… tell me one industry or company in Taiwan that isn’t in some way …they claim to be not is just PR and window dressing
IMO I don’t think this is discrimination against handicapped people. It’s purely a security issue. I don’t see why they’d discriminate just because you use crutches for your broken ankle. Unless they think you’re more of a dangerous risk because you’re a foreigner. Then that would be discrimination. After 9/11, all airlines have tightened up security and scrutinized what passengers can carry on the plane. And in the States, a good number of people of Arab descent, or people who “look” Arabic, have been denied boarding. One was even an FBI or CIA agent. I think there are some lawsuits pending there.
I don’t think it’s discrimination, but it’s awfully f-ing inconvenient. The consensus seems to be, you can be wheelchaired to the door of the plane, and then you are on your own to hop to your seat if you can.
The problem with crutches, in their view, is that they can be weapons in and of themselves, so I suppose that x-raying them wouldn’t make the airline feel any better.
The thing I’m concerned about is making a hotel transfer in Newark as there is an overnight stop in a hotel before connecting (theoretically) to this little Continental puddle-jumper which is boarded via a narrow stairway about 10 steps high…looking into having family come to Newark instead.
Too bad it isn’t the US, I’d be a wealthy woman after suing the pants off the cell phone shop that didn’t clearly label their steps as a hazard, or whomever parked their scooter in front of them, or whomever I could find. But at least the medical bills were only about US$8. Nothing serious they say, just a matter of spending 6 weeks in a cast (read: the summer vacation – oh well!)
$8 US friggin dollars to get a cast??? Goddmann, you can’t even get a bottle of aspirin for $8 in the States!!
I just got a notice from my HMO that they are raising my rates by $40, so now I will be paying $181 for medical coverage I hardly even use. I think I will change to PPO with lower monthly dues but I think higher deductibles.
Off topic, but speaking of broken ankles and lawsuits, why is it in a country as rainy as Taiwan (recent drought excluded) do you find so many sidewalks covered with slick tile. Is it just ease of cleaning and the absence of American style tort law?
Must be. Otherwise I could’ve taken the bank downstairs from my apartment for all it’s got, too, after slipping with crutches in front of it on their slippery tile. (Have to say, however, that on a separate visit, which featured using the ATM machine, some guy from the bank actually came over and was HELPFUL – and of his own initiative! Yeah!!)
I move that we have everybody in the Legislative Yuan set out either on crutches or in a wheelchair for a whole day in Taipei and see how fast we get accessibility legislation passed. I never really thought about it before except for thinking that it must be difficult with the parking on the sidewalk situation what it is. At least there are a lot more cutout ramps in the sidewalk at intersections (this is nice for bicycling, too.)
Terry, sorry to hear about your ankle. From my experience with EVA, I think they will treat you pretty well. Like Alient suggested, call back and ask for a supervisor. Good luck and have a good vacation. BTW, where are you headed? I thought you’re from Virginia.
Terry, not exactly the same but you may be able to use the same method.
We recently flew with our three month old child and were allowed to keep the push chair until we reached the plane door, where we had to check it into the hold as normal luggage, but got given it back upon arrival in both HK and UK, do not see why they cannot do the same for your crutches.
I think there already is accessibility legislation, only practicality and enforcement is somewhat lacking.
quote[quote]I move that we have everybody in the Legislative Yuan set out either on crutches or in a wheelchair for a whole day in Taipei and see how fast we get accessibility legislation passed.[/quote]
If we took that suggestion, we would probably end up with all of Yangmingshan’s hiking paths, country clubs and high-class restaurants being “wheelchair acessible” at a ridiculous cost to taxpayers. It’s not like the legislators run their own errands anyway.
“Alright, everybody, stand back. That’s right, I’ve got this crutch here, and I’m not afraid to use it. You there, sit down. I swear…if you make just another move, I’ll use this here crutch to take down the whole damn plane. That’s right. This little rubber stopper on the end of this mutha can leave QUITE a bruise. Stop it. Take THAT! Oh, you want some more, eh? Let’s see how you deal with THIS. That’ll leave a mark!”
According to the TSA(Transportation Security Administration), you CAN take crutches through the security checkpoint. (Tips for Persons with Disabilities) However, I’m not sure what Taiwan’s CAA regulations are.
This is what seems to have happened: the woman on the phone for EVA had it ALL wrong. Therefore, she said, quite definitely, NO crutches on board [wrong]; which meant that, because I can’t walk a step without them, I was given a seat “near the door and the bathroom” (I guess so I could hop less distance? Thoughtful, I suppose). This meant, however, that there was no leg room, and I spent the whole flight with the metal leg of the seat ahead of me right smack in the place where I needed some leg room. Then, of course I WAS allowed to take the crutches on board, which meant that the whole seat-near-the-door thing was unnecessary and I could have had a nice stretch-out seat up front. But of course no effort was made to change the seating after boarding began, when I discovered all this.
All in all they did the best they could, but I feel it was inexcusable for the phone girl not to know the airline’s own policy. That in turn caused a poorly considered seat assignment that caused me a lot of unnecessary discomfort for 15 hours.
Oh well, hopefully I’ll be walking by the time I fly back.