I have tried to use GPS inside airport terminals with very limited success. I think for real good usefulness we have to wait for better inside navigation with iBeacons if that ever becomes common place. I know my way around the Vancouver airport reasonably well and my current guide dog who I was unfortunately asked to retire now since he is almost 12 knows ow to go to the gate where I have to be when I fly home and also how to find his way to the Skytrain when I arrive and leave the airport to go downtown. Once I have a new dog he will hopefully pick up on this. I found out my old dog knew how to do this accidently when I was in a hurry to get to my gate, but no Air Canada person was available. I also use electronic boarding passes on my iPhone and was already at security so I decided to go myself and to ask if necessary and my dog went straight there since he had been shown the way a few times before when I walked with an airline employee.
When it comes to flying internationally especially via airports like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul and so on I don't even try to find my own way. In all of these airports it is usually necessary to take a train to a different terminal if you arrive from North America and fly on to other Asian destinations and of course communication is very difficult. I just make sure the airlines know that I require assistance and that has always worked out well even though often the young people who are there to escort me from one plane to the next don't speak English or very little English. I always ended up where I was going *smile*. Regards, Sieghard -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Kelly Pierce Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2015 8:02 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: some air travel questions Dean, In July 2013, I flew to Dallas from Chicago with United Airlines. It was possible then with the United app to check in and create an electronic boarding pass that was used for both a security screening and to board the plane. At the time, I seemed to be one of very few people that presented my iPhone to validate my itinerary with security officials or to present it to the gate agent so he could scan the bar code displayed on the screen. The app allowed me to bypass the lines at the ticket counter and I felt airport freedom for the first time in my life after the September 11 era. The app has some unlabeled buttons and functionality that is not voice over friendly. I thought about writing the company identifying these accessibility problems, but I fly so infrequently that I felt my time was better invested into another access project. A couple of years ago, the National Federation of the blind revealed a partnership with Travelocity. A company representative spoke to the convention and NFB leaders sung the praises of Travelocity’s accessibility. I haven’t used Travelocity yet, but I plan to. In the days of UNIX shells, Expedia seemed to be the most accessible using Lynx in the late 1990s. Now things have changed with some airlines like Southwest selling their tickets only through their own website and at airport ticket counters. This can be important for certain flights. For example, the only non-stop flight from Chicago to Phoenix is on Southwest. When I was in Dallas, I used the Seeing Eye GPS app to find my gate. Someone had geolocated all the DFW gates on Foursquare. These appeared as points of interest on the app. I flicked until I heard my gate and the app directed me through the airport. I also used the app to find a restaurant serving a chicken dinner. I asked the app to only list restaurant POIs and a short list appeared. The app guided me to the other end of the terminal to the front entrance of the restaurant. I would not have known about this restaurant if it were not for the app. The restaurant near my gate was a sandwich shop. As a weightlifter, I need loads of protein not carbs. The chicken dinner was the perfect food for me before my delayed flight. Kelly On 1/7/15, Sieghard Weitzel <siegh...@live.ca> wrote: > Hi Dean, > > I am in Canada and I am quite happy that the Air Canada app is very > accessible for online check-in before my flight. I usually book with > reward miles, either the Canadian Air Miles program or the Aeroplan > program and neither of them has apps yet which allow for actually > booking a flight from a mobile device. Both websites can be navigated > but you do have to be pretty proficient with the Jaws cursor. > > Anyhow, for actually booking flights I have been very happy with > Expedia. I have just used it to book a flight for my wife from Manila, > Philippines to Vancouver and I also used it about a year ago for > booking a flight from Hong Kong to Manila and prior to that for some > in-country flights in Thailand. > I have my information and credit card information stored as part of my > account information and it's really a breeze to use it. The very last > screen is a bit tricky as you have to agree to their terms and > conditions and it's some sort of slider you have to drag up to 100%, > but if I remember correctly a double tap and hold and then a slide to the > right will do the trick. > > I have used Kayak in the past, but it's been some years. I do, > however, think it was quite accessible as well. > > I used the United Airlines app 2 years ago when I flew to Maui via Los > Angeles, but just to track flights and be notified of delays and so > on. I agree with Alan that Flight View is very accessible and I > usually prefer it now if I simply want good flight tracking. > > For Hotel booking, should you need that, Expedia also works well or > you can use either Booking.com or Hotels.com. I have done some work > with Booking.com and they were very responsive and made some very good > accessibility improvements. Hotels.com seems to be impossible to reach > regarding this and while the app is useable, it does have some > unlabeled elements and you have to get used to it a bit. I'd use > Booking.com except that I travel a fair bit and Hotels.com has a > rewards program where if you book 10 nights with them you get 1 night > free and since otherwise prices are pretty much the same that is a nice > little bonus. > > > Regards, > Sieghard > > -----Original Message----- > From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On > Behalf Of Dean Martineau > Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2015 7:35 PM > To: viphone@googlegroups.com > Subject: some air travel questions > > I'm curious which, if any, apps you have found helpful in making air > reservations, tracking flights, and also navigating to gates within > airports. I haven't tried many apps, and it has been a long time > since I did try them. The US Airways app did not allow me to select > dates of travel. A couple others also failed but I don't remember > what they were, and one can always hope for progress. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. > All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you have > any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you > feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners > or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. 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