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[Travelling Blackbird]

I called Air Berlin today to inform them that I was flying with my own wheelchair (manual TiLite TX, 18 kg, 80x80X25 cm folded), because they still haven't made it possible to include that information in the online booking process. I still bristle at having to call, because with a lot of the smaller airlines, including Air Berlin, it costs 14 c a minute to make the call, and the call always takes a while. I don't understand why the information can't be included in an account or entered during the booking process.

The call took 16 minutes. It started fairly normally: give booking code; confirm name and destination; state wheelchair type, weight and dimensions; get put on hold while she checks something with a colleague; state degree of disability; explain why I don't have a German Disabled Person ID; and get put on hold again while she checks if that's true. I expected all that - I've had similar experiences with other airlines.

However, this time there was the added complication of being told that the wheelchair was too large for the plane, and that I wouldn't be able to take it.

Now, I've flown in that model of plane before. I know that the chair isn't too big. She wasn't having any of it. So I got put on hold three more times while we argued back and forth and she consulted a colleague. She even asked if I couldn't borrow a smaller chair! In the end, she said that they'd take it, provided they could take the wheels off to make it smaller... by that stage, I decided to just agree and deal with it on Monday, since all I wanted was to register the fact. I figure the ground crew will be easier to deal with.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with the call center for Air Berlin or another airline? Has anyone found an airline that allows the information about the wheelchair to be entered during the booking process? Or is there a better way to go about making the booking?