(Note: This blog is mostly about the accessibility issues we
tackled between Dubai and Budapest. While hopefully informative to those with
mobility restrictions, it may not be entertaining to others. Stay tuned for the
next Budapest blog for more sights and tales!)
The next leg of our journey was flying Emirates to Budapest
and we couldn’t wait to get there! Sadly the start of the day was far from
smooth sailing and we were in for a long day. At the Emirates check in the
staff member had no idea what to do when confronted with the wheelchair and
after several attempts at trying to explain what we needed or that Dickey
was not able to get up and walk despite her request she finally called her supervisor and he was able to
check us in with no issues. 20 mins of challenge to achieve the positive result in 5 mins!
We then breezed through customs only to be confronted
with what was clearly a Saturday morning at the Dubai airport! There were thousands of people
everywhere, toilet cues miles long and the coffee vendors working at snails pace.
Compared to the opulence we had witnessed around Dubai, especially in the
arrivals terminal, the departure terminal was definitely a bit worse for wear.
Making our way to our gate we presented ourselves to the staff, with plenty of
time before boarding and again were met with no apparent sense of urgency or awareness of
getting Paul on board the plane first. As boarding was announced it became pretty
apparent they were not at all ready for us and as the other passengers filed on
we continued to wait. For anyone with mobility issues you become very used to
boarding first and debarking last, a way of ensuring you are safely on, briefed
and don’t hold up the other travelers. On this flight there was none of this.
All of a sudden an Emirates ground crew member arrived with the boarding chair,
Dickey transferred across and his wheelchair whisked away. We crossed our
fingers it would be there at the other end!
