China Southern Special Assistance for Elderly/Disabled Passengers

Lmr-incredulous on 01/07/2019 - 15:34

My parents-in-law are elderly, not well-travelled, and speak only Vietnamese. Usually when they visit us in Adelaide we book with Singapore Airlines and request 'special assistance' which means that someone will meet them as they arrive in Singapore Airport and make sure they get to the correct gate for the next leg. Practically this means that Mum is flagged as needing a wheelchair. This is actually partially true as she has had strokes in the past and cannot really cope with walking all the way through the terminal. Disabled or not, this is considered the 'done thing' for passengers like my parents-in-law, and the check-in staff at Adelaide Airport seem to understand this.

China Southern covers the same route (Hanoi to Adelaide) at a lower price and shorter overall trip time, so I am tempted to book with them this time. Does anyone have first hand experience with their 'special assistance' service? Thanks.

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Comments

  • holdenmg on 01/07/2019 - 19:27
    +1

    Elderly Passengers

    For passengers over the age of 65 who require special equipment in order to board due to limited mobility, or require certain special services (pick-up & drop-off at departure/destination airport and boarding assistance), please let us know during your booking at the ticket office affiliated with China Southern Airlines or call the Customer Service Center at Overseas hotline:+86-4008695539-1-4.

    Application Process

    1. Application is supported for adult passengers 65 years or older flying with CSN.
    2. Those requiring elderly assistance must apply 72 hours prior to departure. The system does not take into account daylight saving time.
    3. On the day of the flight, passengers should arrive 2 hours prior to departure to go through the relevant procedures.
    4. If the application you submitted exceeds the accepted quota for this flight, your application will be unsuccessful and you will be notified by SMS.
    5. If your flight has been changed, please re-log in to the website for application.

    Email：[email protected]..

    https://www.csair.com/sg/en/tourguide/before_ready/special_a…

  • johninmelb on 02/07/2019 - 13:07
    +1

    It is not usually the airline itself that provides the actual assistance. Mostly it is the airport terminal operator that provides the service. Airline just co-ordinates with the service provider to organise that.

    Certainly the case in Singapore where SATS runs the service for all airlines. However, now that I think of it, when I fly Virgin Oz, and I request wheelchair assistance on domestic flights, they seem to have their own staff doing it, at least in Melbourne.

    However worth checking for their flights to make sure it is flagged in the bookings.

  • Bnita on 14/10/2019 - 16:57

    Hello Mr. Incredulous.

    I am also calling my parenta to amelbour e via CS Air. I want as k you yr experience with your in laws. Did you end up getting CS air ticket? How did they find the wheel chair service and do they get help with baggage collection and custom and quarantine.

    I am bit nervous as its first time for my parents and they are over 65 yo and do not speak English.

    Yr update would help be reduce my anxiety.

    Regards

    • mr-incredulous on 14/10/2019 - 21:23

      Hi

      In the end we booked Singapore because Mum-in-law prefers them and it didn't cost much more than China Southern. I never got a satisfying answer to my question after searching around. The best bet would be to talk to someone representing the airline directly, I suppose.

      While the quality of service might vary I assume that even in the worst scenario the staff will make sure your parents will get the right flight.

      For Singapore they have wheelchair service if you request it. I would assume that, for people in wheelchairs, at Adelaide Airport they would help to pick up baggage and skip the line at customs/immigration.

      We always get Mum-in-law to fill the customs declaration card before travelling while on the phone so it is done and no mistakes are made. They actually go to the Australian embassy and get the declaration cards there! Make sure they declare every single thing. We had to really emphasise the seriousness of customs because they just didn't understand.

      Good luck!

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