At check-in, I agreed to walk to my first gate in the Little Rock airport due to the size of the airport and nearness of the gate. From that moment on, I was met with a wheelchair and ushered around like royalty. When my plane landed in London, at Heathrow Airport, I was especially grateful. I would be taken from station to station and wait for my next ride there. We had planned for plenty of time with a London layover of about 5 hours. I finally reached my connecting flight gate with only one hour to spare. When served by this service, you receive priviledges not commonly extended by the airlines. Your attendant takes your passport and ticket, walks through blocked off line guards and around other people and even at security, puts everything you have in the tub and takes care of your every need. As a handicapped person, you board first and get settled before everyone else is allowed to board. I was even given bulkhead seating on one flight for my convenience and always the isle seat in every circumstance.
Having traveled through Dallas/Fort Worth many times, and having a short layover there, my experience in the airport was uneventful. I was a little bit anxious about what the airport at London might bring. Brithish Airways met me at the end of the gangplank with a wheelchair. My attendant took my information and took me to a waiting people mover. I don't know why, but I was treated with much respect and given more attention than the other foreigners. We were taken to a holding space where many people were waiting on transport. Finally my name was called and I was taken to another people mover. This time we drove on to a cargo elevator and were taken to the bowels of Heathrow airport. It was very surreal. We were in an underground tunnel that was concrete and lighted by these weird florescent purplish-blue lights. We were virtually the only people down there, passing one or two other carts along the way. It was something like being in a futuristic sy-fy movie. I almost expected Twilight Zone music to start at any moment. Our immediate destination was outside where we were transferred to a waiting bus. At the bus stop, another wheelchair was awaiting me. Finally, I was taken straight to my gate and left in the hands of the crew to continue the next leg of my flight and to my final destination.
In Bangalore, I was once again met by a wheelchair which took me through customs and straight to the luggage carriage. A local was on hand to offer (for pay) to take my luggage outside where Chase would be waiting for me.
It was an easy trip though very long and tiring. I was so happy to see my tall American son-in-law standing right outside the door. My long journey was over but the adventure had just begun.
I will post some of my experiences and thoughts (and pictures if I can figure that out) over the next few weeks as I am processing my time spent in a foreign land for several weeks.
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