Since I met Ruth back in 2021, it has been a goal to go to Zambia. I wanted to meet her family in person and see where she grew up. The desire to do that intensified when we got married in 2023, and so we planned to go for our honeymoon. My planned surgery that year meant we would not be able to go until 2024. That was then postponed again when we knew I would need to have the surgery repeated in June 2024. By September, although it had only been 3 months since the new implant, I decided it was time to make firm plans. A couple of weeks later, I booked the flights.
How to get around Zambia
We wanted to visit three main areas of Zambia. These were the capital Lusaka, Kitwe, Chingola and Chililabombwe in the Copperbelt where Ruth grew up. Finally, Livingstone was on our list to see the Victoria Falls. Getting between them would need either internal flights or some long drives.
I made enquiries with the airlines that do internal flights, ProFlight and Zambia Airways. Initially (pre Edinburgh) I intended to take my Freedom DE08 chair that I took to Edinburgh. Since it folds and is relatively light, it would be easier to get in and out of a hire car. I gave the airlines details of the chair and explained my situation via web chat. My impression was that they were very sympathetic. However, unlike most other airlines, they do not take medical equipment such as chairs for free. So it would come out of our checked-baggage allowance. Now given the chair is 30Kg, and we would be allowed 23Kg each, that’s a lot of our allowance. It could also mean a lot of excess baggage fees for 2 return internal flights. I therefore looked at car hire. After discussions with some very helpful people at a few hire companies, I settled on a Mitsubishi Pajero. It’s called a Shogun in the UK. It seemed most suitable for the amount of luggage plus my chair.
Initial airline discussions
Working out how to get to Zambia proved to be an interesting exercise. There are no direct flights any more, but there are a variety of routes that involve a single transit. My main aims were to split the journey into two roughly equal flights. I also wanted to find an airline I could trust to handle my chair. The first aim could be met by going via the Middle East. Another option is to go through another African country such as Rwanda. The second aim was the harder one to resolve. As I mentioned above, I was planning to take my folding DE08 chair. That brought wildly differing views from different airlines. Some airlines such as British Airways tend to use large planes for the UK to places like South Africa. Then, smaller airlines, like ProFlight, are used for the shorter leg into Zambia. That ruled those out for the reasons I’ve explained earlier. It seemed to come down to either Qatar or Emirates, and both were looking really hopeful. However, on closer investigation and discussion with Qatar, they treat folding chairs differently to bigger power-chairs. The chair would basically have to be able to fold up to the size of a toddler’s buggy. Emirates were very accommodating with the chair. I just needed to remove the lithium batteries and take them on board with me. This was similar to what I did on the flight to Edinburgh. In fact, they even went on to say that I might be able to take my chair into the cabin. They have limited space, so get to check-in early as it’s first come first served.
Change of plan post-Edinburgh
My experience of flying to Edinburgh had been a positive one. However, the cobbled streets showed my susceptibility to repeated vibrations. This raised alarm bells with Ruth and me. We were concerned about how comfortable I was going to be in the DE08 chair for 3 weeks in Zambia. I therefore started to look at other options. Emirates were extremely helpful in a few web chats. They suggested that taking my Stretto was definitely an option. However, final approval would have to come from the ground handling crew. They passed on the request whilst I looked into how the hell I would lug a 150kg chair around Zambia. Wheelchair accessible vehicles are few and far between, and non-existent from a hire perspective. Could I hire something and use ramps – as I did here until the hoist was fitted? In the end, one of Ruth’s brothers helped us since he has a car dealership. He suggested a Toyota Alphard. This would work if we could get some ramps over there.
Booking the tickets and making flight arrangements
I was mightily impressed with Emirates when I made the booking. I started doing everything on line. Then I got a few questions I couldn’t decide on how best to answer. So, I went to their web chat. Quite quickly it was suggested I speak to an agent and a call was arranged. I explained my situation about the wheelchair, needing assistance from check-in to the plane, and being close to a toilet on the flight. I asked if I should pay for the option to book my seats in advance. The chap said he would handle it. I should just book the standard ticket and tell him the booking reference. He would book seats according to my needs. He also booked airport assistance to the plane, in transit in Dubai, and from the plane in Lusaka. All very efficient. 🙂
Back to the medical questionnaire. Initially the answer was no to the ramps as being medical equipment, but yes to the chair. I had almost resigned myself to having to pay excess baggage to take them. Then, some other questions came up about taking my remote and charger for the SCS onto the plane. Mr Mundil wrote a very helpful letter about my condition. It was very descriptive. In addition to this, he completed Emirates’ own medical questionnaire for me. This went a long way to answering the airline’s questions. They were still unsure about the amount of cabin baggage I required. They told me I needed to complete yet another questionnaire. Fortunately I told them there was no way I could complete it in the chat there and then. I found all the answers. Later, I went back to the chat and got a different person. This new person seemed far more positive about things. She said the best bet was to email the form to the medical assistance team.
I did find one thing annoying about Emirates. They had everything recorded on their system about my needs on board. This included getting to and from the plane and transit in Dubai. However, they would/could not send me a summary. I would therefore need to have access to copies of all the web chats I’d had with them. I would then refer to that if questioned about anything at the airport, etc. They email the conversation after each chat, but finding the pertinent points in each one at check-in would be a right pain in the arse! When I was told to email the latest questionnaire to the medical assistance team, I took the opportunity to collate all the relevant questions into one email:
- Could I take my chair (by now I had bought a Meyra Optimus 2 RS off-road capable chair) at 180Kg?
- Could I take a set of ramps (boxed) at 16.5Kg?
- Could I take an extra 6Kg of carry-on luggage for medical supplies?
- Could I take my SCS controller etc, as stipulated as essential by my neurosurgeon?
Within a few hours, I received a very nice email back. It confirmed an additional 197kg checked baggage allowance. It also confirmed the cabin allowance and the SCS device. A nice handy email to present when questioned. 😊
We were all set to go 🇿🇲…