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The Rhine leading the blind: A blindfolded walking tour in Cologne, Germany {Gadling}
Oct 21st 2011 1:43PM As a blind individual who has visited Cologne and other parts of Europe, I'd have to say, this sounds rather... cheesy.
EasyJet bans disabled, French government mad {Gadling}
Aug 17th 2010 12:47PM that's too bad. i'm blind and have flown easyjet all over the continent without any issues. the only time i had trouble was with a continental agent that didn't want to let me and my guide dog on and even then, the airline sent me an apology and voucher after everything was sorted out. i did end up getting on the flight after the flight crew stepped in and insisted that my dog and i fly. too bad about easyjet. i guess i'll be flying air berlin, german wings and other budget airlines when i'm in that part of the world again.
Five ways to keep your luggage safe through the airport {Gadling}
Mar 22nd 2010 3:29PM i remember reading on lifehacker.com a few weeks back about one way to to keep your bags safe was to buy a cheap starter gun and speak to the first agent you can at the airport declaring that you have a weapon in your suitcase as starter guns are classified as weapons and don't require a permit. i can't recall the post exactly, but apparently this trick works for a lot of people and those who travel with expensive equipment like video and sports stuff that they can't carry on the plane with them. you get a ticket from the agent and so on.
People with guide dogs have been denied flights and a hamburger {Gadling}
Dec 4th 2009 4:22PM being blind myself and having traveled with my german shepherd guide on a few airlines, i can say that all in all, my experiences with the various flight crews and ticket agents have been positive and uneventful. only once when flying continental did i have any issue. the lady in charge at the gate was givign me serious lip about my guide and where it would have to be placed. usually, the procedure is that a seat next to the individual with the service animal is blocked off and the dog makes itself comfortable the best way possible on the floorspace of the seat. my my case, since my dog was a bigger breed, he took up his space, some of my footspace and the area under the seat in front of him. not ideal, but it works. in any event, she insisted that i couldn't fly with him cause the flight was booked to capasity or that i'd had to buy an additional seat for him.
after some back and forth, and with the insistance of the actual flight creww and checkign whatever guidelines were necessary, the nasty lady backed down and my dog and myself got on the plane. someone had to be bumped, but well...hopefully they were compensated. it wasn't my fault that the flight was over booked.
i later wrote to continental explaining what had happened and expressing my displeasure with how this person initially treated me and my dog. As well as praising the flight crew for getting involved and sorting her and the situation out. Continental wrote me back with an apology and stating that the agent at fault was undergoing additional training and sent me a $200 voucher for my troubles.
i've heard horror stories from other service animal users and traveling, but thankfully that was the only problem my guide and i ever had. he's since past away.
Five ways to beat the competition to the overhead bin {Gadling}
Oct 28th 2009 2:28PM well, being blind like myself presents quite a few challanges in life, but one perk at least is being able to board the plane first and calmly make usage of the overhead space. my sighted wife doesn't mind it either. we get to put our things up, sit down and kick back while everyone else is fighting tooth and nail for every available inch.
