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Tafkam Hokie
Joined: 10/07/1999
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Just got back from Orlando, and discovered an interesting hack

Had a karate event in Orlando over the weekend, and we lingered for a few days to go to Disney and Universal. Right before Christmas, my daughter sprained her ankle really badly (there was concern she tore some ligaments and would need surgery, but ended up just straining the heck out of them), and she still is in a boot and not walking very well. We knew going into the trip we'd need to rent a wheelchair at Disney and Universal since we were looking at 10-ish miles of walking per day. When I checked in for the flight on my phone, I noticed a button to request a wheelchair at the airport. I figured it was likely we would have a long walk to change planes in Charlotte, so why not. There were two unexpected side effects of rolling someone around in a wheelchair. Most of the attractions at Disney and Universal are readily wheelchair accessible and you just roll the wheelchair through the normal queue. But there was one at Disney (can't remember which one) and the Hagrid's Motorbike ride at Universal where the only wheelchair access was the quick queue lane. Hagrid's Motorbike was a ride that consistently had a 90+ minute line and we got through it in less than 10. The real pleasant surprise was at the Orlando airport on the way home. The wheelchair access for TSA was completely separate from both the regular line and the pre-screened line and we just rolled right up to it instead of dealing with the 60-90 minute line there. Then when we boarded the plane, our ultra-coach tickets that normally boarded in Group 9 got bumped to Group 1 because of the wheelchair. That was kinda nice. And while I'm here, a shoutout to the awesome lady at the American Airlines desk in Charlotte. We originally had a 4 hour layover there and wouldn't have been getting home until close to midnight (with work/school the next day). When I was checking the board to find our gate, I spotted a flight to Roanoke leaving in 30 minutes. Figured it was worth a shot to ask. The "rules" don't allow them to get you on a plane if departure is less than 40 minutes away, but she managed a workaround to get us on the earlier flight and we were home by 8.
Posted: 02/02/2023 at 09:13 AM ET

Thread Replies (17)

Full Thread →
Just got back from Orlando, and discovered an interesting hack
Tafkam Hokie 02/02/23 09:13 AM ET
Kudos to employees who know when to bend rules!**
No_Limit_Hokie 02/02/23 03:58 PM ET
Smugglers Run at Disney is fast que only for wheelchair. They take you....
Alan11 02/02/23 12:56 PM ET
Are 60-90 minute security lines still a thing? I haven't flown in years**
pburg_hokie 02/02/23 12:01 PM ET
Two weeks ago flying Mco to Raleigh 11:30 am flight 18 minute TSA wait.....
Alan11 02/02/23 12:52 PM ET
Do you have TSA Precheck and Global Entry? I have found both to be game->
HOKIERIT 02/02/23 04:13 PM ET
I don't but I seriously need to get the TSA pre-check. Before you had to...
Alan11 02/02/23 04:31 PM ET
I DEFINITELY would. It's a hundred bucks I think and lasts for 5 years->
HOKIERIT 02/02/23 08:00 PM ET
I've gotten caught in a 1-hour TSA line in Roanoke before
Tafkam Hokie 02/02/23 03:46 PM ET
We had a 530 am flight out of Roanoke last year and we were in TSA 30....
Alan11 02/02/23 04:03 PM ET
Depends on the airport and the time of day, but yes
Tafkam Hokie 02/02/23 12:19 PM ET
Wow. Someone telling a story about a GOOD flying experience. That's
Late 80s Hokie 02/02/23 10:59 AM ET
See, good things can happen in this world.
MP4VT2004 02/02/23 09:53 AM ET
Problem w/getting on an earlier flight halfway home is your luggage gets
Hoakie82 02/02/23 09:23 AM ET
Yeah, but I never worry about luggage on the way home. I can do without ->
HOKIERIT 02/02/23 08:04 PM ET
There are two kinds of luggage.... carry-on and lost
turkeywinghokie 02/02/23 10:09 AM ET
I've had that problem and the opposite one.
Merlin Hokie 02/02/23 09:57 AM ET
See our "ultra cheap coach tickets" part
Tafkam Hokie 02/02/23 09:27 AM ET