Lithium Lunacy At Lax

A twain of years ago, I got tired of pushing a manual chair amongst Tim on board for long trips. I looked into light-weight, ability move chairs and...lo in addition to behold...I rattling works life a couple. We took the plunge in addition to bought i that would allow Tim to hold upward his ain driver on these trips in addition to my dorsum muscles would teach a suspension from pushing all that weight roughly all hateful solar daytime long.

You tin encounter our storey on that travel chair here.

Since then, nosotros guide hold traveled past times air amongst that chair to several destinations across America, Europe, in addition to Central America in addition to on several airlines many times...including our favorite of Southwest...with no issues at all.

The airlines guide hold only asked us to take away the lithium batteries from the chair, send them onboard, in addition to shop them inwards a handbag that prevents their contacts from touching anything. We create this handily amongst a sheet handbag my married adult woman made for them which has 2 compartments, i for each battery, which keeps them secured in addition to carve upward from each other.

This has never been a problem, until now.

At the commencement of our trip to Atlanta, nosotros did the commons preflight protocols amongst the Southwest gate agent in addition to and hence went to relax in addition to hold off for our flying to board at Los Angeles' end 2. When it came fourth dimension to preboard, the gate agent came upward to enquire us close our wheelchair in addition to batteries.

"I demand to enquire y'all close your wheelchair batteries...how many volts are they in addition to how many watts?"

"I don't know offhand but nosotros take away them from the chair when flying in addition to send them on."

"I demand to know or y'all may non hold upward able to guide hold them."

"We've flown several times amongst them, including on Southwest, in addition to guide hold been told they're OK in addition to nosotros exactly demand to take away them in addition to send them on."

She goes off to check. I guide hold the fourth dimension to whip out my telephone in addition to teach to GeoCruiser's website to teach the meliorate specs.

When she come upward back, I present here..."24 volts for both batteries (12 for each battery - Ed). 144 watts. Take a look, this is from the manual."

"You could guide hold exactly typed that up,"...pretty impressive since it was a PDF amongst total coloring Geo Cruiser logos in addition to all..."the batteries demand to guide hold a sticker on them amongst that information."

"Ma'am, this is how the batteries came. I didn't exactly type that up, peculiarly on this phone. We traveled amongst them many times, amongst no problem. Look, they're hither inwards this carve upward bag, consummate unable to comport on anything else."

At that point, it was fourth dimension to board the plane. They allow us teach downwards the jetway.  The lady comes dorsum down..."we can't allow y'all guide hold the batteries."

I called Geocruiser in addition to got Manny from client back upward on the line.

"Manny, I'm at the doorway of a Southwest jet in addition to they don't desire to allow us on amongst the Geocruiser batteries, tin y'all explicate it to this lady?"

"Sure..."

I manus the telephone to the lady who promptly starts talking to Manny spell she walks away amongst my telephone dorsum into the terminal. In the meantime, others on the plane are telling us to teach on in addition to guide hold our seats.  This photograph was taken spell nosotros were waiting for them to come upward dorsum amongst our telephone in addition to decision.

I'm getting cook to line the CRO pick (each airline must guide hold a Complaint Resolution Officer available to handgrip issues amongst special needs passengers at all times).

A Southwest end employee comes on in addition to says nosotros tin move but non amongst the batteries, we'll exactly guide hold to create without when nosotros teach to our destination. I explicate that we're to hold upward gone over 2 weeks in addition to that volition teach out us without a genuinely working wheelchair.  She goes off to teach a supervisor.

The supervisor shows up..."sir, y'all cannot move amongst the batteries in the wheelchair.  They must hold upward removed (emphasis mine)."

I told her "they are correct to a higher house our heads inwards a special handbag nosotros guide hold for them inwards the bin. They've been out of the wheelchair since the beginning. We told your gate agent multiple times that they were removed in addition to guide hold never had a work before. Would y'all similar to encounter them?"

"That won't hold upward necessary, I believe you. Have a overnice flight."

One final affair from me..."then would y'all delight tell your gate staff this in addition to explicate to them the policy hence this doesn't come about again? Oh yeah, would y'all delight provide my telephone to me?"

Phone returned, doors are closed, in addition to nosotros guide hold an uneventful in addition to slow flying to Atlanta.

Postscript...on arrival at Atlanta, the baggage handler brings us our chair in addition to says "that's a cool chair, this is alone the instant fourth dimension I've seen one."

As I topographic point the batteries dorsum in, I explicate to him what happened dorsum at LAX.

"That's silly," he says, "we had preparation on this item chair. They should know better."

Darryl Musick
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