Wheelchair-bound holidaymaker John Roberts is putting facilities for disabled travellers to the test on a month-long trip – and you can follow his progress exclusively in Travel Weekly.
First leg: Heathrow to Singapore with Qantas, December 29 2008
We have never flown Qantas before so were unfamiliar with the process for special assistance. Everything was arranged for me, correct seats thanks to Rachael at Thomas Cook and Dorota at Qantas.
We arrived at Heathrow T4 and from the door to lounge in 19 minutes. The seats were all pre-arranged and blocked, it was perfect.
The flight was the best we have every had – well done Qantas. We must mention customer service manager Jonathan, and Lynsey, who looked after us very well and made sure my wheelchair was waiting at the door of the aircraft on landing.
The flight departed on time. Seats were wonderfully comfortable and became flat beds when it was time to retire. It was well worth the extra for business – extra comfort, more legroom, a better entertainment system, and fantastic food.
We have five more Qantas flights and one with Emirates. Let’s see if all flights are like this one – I doubt they will better it, will they?
Our transfer, organised by Travel 2 with Tour East, was waiting on arrival. It was simple and worked well. Our driver even gave us local info en route to the Shangri La in Singapore.
- John Roberts name has been changed to protect his identity during his trip.