Request assistance before you fly
Assistance at the airport is free, and it works well when it is booked. The thing that goes wrong is turning up without having asked.
- Tell your airline when you book Assistance is arranged by the airline, not by the airport. Doing it at booking gives everyone time to plan.
- Confirm 48 hours before A quick call to confirm it is on the booking is worth more than any amount of hoping.
- Say what you actually need Wheelchair to the gate, wheelchair to the seat, help with steps, or someone to guide you are different requests with different resources behind them.
- Allow more time on arrival Assistance on landing sometimes waits for the rest of the aircraft to disembark.
Getting around the terminals
- The terminals are step-free between levels by lift, and the routes through check-in, security and the gates are accessible.
- The inter-terminal shuttle has a wheelchair ramp and is air-conditioned. How the shuttle works.
- Accessible bathrooms are in every terminal.
- Distances are real. Terminal 2 has 22 gates and the far ones are a walk. If walking distance is your limitation rather than steps, ask for assistance even if you do not use a wheelchair day to day.
Onward transport
This is where planning matters most, because the options are not equal:
Accessible transfer
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles exist but are limited. Request one well in
advance, not the day before.
Airport taxi
Standard cars. A folding wheelchair fits in the boot; a powered chair generally
does not.
ADO bus
Has luggage space underneath, but you still need to get from the downtown
station to your hotel.
Car rental
Hand controls are not standard and need arranging with the rental company
beforehand.
Wheelchairs and mobility equipment
- Your own wheelchair travels free and does not count against your baggage allowance.
- Powered wheelchairs need declaring because of battery rules. Tell the airline the battery type when you book.
- Photograph the chair before handing it over at the aircraft door. If it is damaged in transit, that photograph is the claim.
- You can usually keep it to the aircraft door and collect it there on arrival. Ask for that specifically; it is not automatic.