For those who are not aware, my mom has Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer’s. She is not well, and lives in memory care. I went up to visit her last week, and get some things taken care of with my dad. When I was purchasing my flights, first class was only $80 extra, which is about the cost to check a bag there and back! So of course I did it!
We flew out of concourse E in the Charlotte airport, which has my favorite service animal relief area. You can see a video of it here:
Felix doesn’t love flying, but he was a good boy during takeoff! You can see him handling it well here:
I had a cold as I was flying up there, so I couldn’t take advantage of the free wine. But I did enjoy the extra space, and so did Felix! I could cross my legs, which is a much more comfortable position for him. Here’s a video of us in first class.
I had to use the bathroom, so I took Felix with me. He hardly fit in the stall with me at all, and he is only 8.5 lbs!!! Not a lot of room in there. Of course I got a video!
We flew into Dayton, which is a very small airport just North of Cincinnati, Ohio. Their service animal relief area is outside on the tarmac, so you have to get a police escort to use it! It also has a very steep ramp that my wheelchair cannot handle. I got a video of it, and you can see a few snowflakes starting to fall!
My visit with my parents was a very difficult one. My mom is really unwell, and my dad is struggling to manage everything. I was glad to be there, and have a few good moments with my mom. Most of the pictures I took, I will not share, but this is a picture where things look mostly right with the world. I will always be thankful for that second! We all look pretty happy in this picture of me, my mom, and my dad.
I stayed three full days, plus a travel day on each end. Felix was so good the entire time. He was stressed and didn’t eat all his food, but he helped me, endured long difficult days, and was overall the best service dog I could have expected him to be.
On the morning I flew back, I had to get to the airport at 6AM! My flight was at 7:20, but I knew the airport was so small and the line at security is always so short, I’d have no trouble.
When I got there, I had a security woman take video of how I get around in an airport with my wheelchair, service dog, and luggage. Here it is:
I was only at the gate about 20 minutes before it was time to board. I folded up my wheelchair and Felix walked right on the plane! I got a video of that, too!
Here is a video of us in first class on the way home. Felix really enjoys the space, as do I!
Even though my flight left at 7:20 AM, I was definitely going to take advantage of the free alcohol, so I had two glasses of white wine. That was a bit of a mistake, though, as I was a bit tipsy after that! I had to put my wheelchair together and navigate the Charlotte airport while tipsy! What an adventure! But I made it!
We stopped on the way back at the relief area in concourse D. Here is a video of that one:
When we got to baggage claim, I was happy to see it was finally fully renovated! There are now two service animal relief areas in baggage claim, and they are flushable! Of course I got a video of that!
My baggage got a bit lost, but I eventually found it with the help of another service dog handler and her friend. She was very nice, and her dog was amazing, too. She let us get a video of the two dogs together. Here it is:
Overall it was a difficult trip, but I’m glad I went. It will probably be the last time I see my mom. Felix was a champ, and I don’t think I would have done as well without him. I hope you enjoyed all my videos, and forgive my lack of description of my parents due to privacy reasons. One thing’s for sure, I’ll always be checking how much it costs to upgrade to first class from here on out!