Are you wondering what is travel assistant? Well, travel assistant is a person who would give you assistance to ensure a safe and sound journey without feeling lost. However, travel assistant does not provide their expertise service to each and everyone who is traveling. But to those in real need of an assistance. These services are provided for free by the airlines if they feel the necessity. Travel assistance can be requested for all type travel i.e., for both domestic and international travel.
Assistance for travel is given to only those who are eligible for it by the airport authorities and airline authorities. In additions to the assistance that airlines and airport provide there are third party agency who provide these services. However, these third parties levies some charges from you for providing the assistance.
Who is eligible for getting services from travel assistant?
Travel assistance is provided by airline to people they feel eligible. The eligibility for travel assistant has certain criteria. Not everyone would get travel assistance even though you have requested for it to the airlines.
Therefore, you might have a confusion so as to who would really get this services for free by airline authorities. There persons who would get travel assistance are.
Infants:
In some situations, the infants and toddlers are made to travel alone. In such cases the airlines take special and concern in making the kids travel safe to its guardians.
Here, as the infants and toddlers cannot perform the airport procedures on their own and also the parents or guardians may not be able to accompany the child until they enter the airplane.
In these scenarios, a special request can be made while taking ticket for travel assistants. These assistant will perform all the procedures for the child on behalf of the child for a smooth journey.
However, by requesting a travel assistant for kids during their solo travel can help the parents and guardians at both ends have a peaceful mind during the journey.
Senior citizens:
Travel assistant can be requested to assist senior citizens who are above the age of 60. However, not all senior citizens would require this assistance.
Senior citizens who are not capable of completing their check in and check out processing without a help will be provided with a travel assistant at the airport. These travel assistants are usually flight crew members or airline staffs specially assigned to provide assistance to passengers.
Differently abled:
Passengers who are differently abled will be provided by travel assistant by the airlines when they are not accompanied by a family member or an assistant. Differently abled include people with autism, mentally retarded and so on.
The condition must be informed while booking the tickets, so that the airline can get a travel assistant ready from the entrance.
Handicapped:
Handicapped people can request for assistant for travel. If the disability is a hindrance in getting their check-in and check-out done smoothly. They will be provided with travel assistance by a travel assistant appointed by the airlines.
The people on wheelchair who are not independent usually are provided with this type of assistance.
Illiterates or incompetents:
If an illiterate or incompetent person is traveling and is totally unaware about how to check in and check out and do the rest of the procedures during their journey they can request for a travel assistant.
This situation usually occur when the old parents are traveling to meet their children in foreign countries. These people would not be aware of what to do in an airport. In such cases, they can request for a travel assistant.
How do a travel assistant assist?
The assistance a travel assistant provide include various services. These services can be opted by us through prior request or through word of mouth request at the counter. Some services includes
Check in &checkout support:
Travel assistant would help you clear the check in and check out procedures in the airport. If they find a passenger unable to move forward with the check-in and check out procedures they would step and provide assistance in moving faster by guiding them step by step.
After the process they would lead them to the gate they need to be to enter the aeroplane.
Wheelchair assistance:
If a passengers requires wheelchair assistant on entering airport. The airline would support them with it. The travel assistant would help by pushing the wheelchair passenger to the desired places for the transit processes.
They even support the passengers by doing the process of submitting the documents, getting approvals and such. These travel assistant will also help these passengers with clearing the checking and other formalities if requested.
From entrance to airplane:
The passengers might require support the moment the enter the airport such as a kid below 10 years, senior citizens and so on. In such cases the assistant will collect them from the guardians from the entrance of the airport.
They will complete all the formalities for them. Their responsibility would end only on making the passengers be seated on the airplane. These services are provided by both airplane assistant as well as authorised third party travel assistant.
Airplane to exit:
Some passengers might be assisted by their own kin or kith in the entrance. However, on reaching a different destination they might not be familiar with the rules and regulations in that foreign country.
In such conditions, get assistance can be requested at the place of arrival. Thus assistance might be needed from exiting the flight to reaching the main exit. These type of assistance is requested on reaching a country with different language and complicated formalities.
Documentation:
In an airport during transit, we need to submit our documents at various stations for through checking before we enter an airplane and also all these documentation has to be done before we exit from an airport on arriving our destination.
These documentation might be found difficult to process alone by some passengers in such cases a travel assistant can be requested to support with moving on with the processes.
How to get travel assistant?
The common concern for passengers are the relatives of passengers is not knowing that such a support is available in airports. This service is provided by the airlines you chose to travel with. In addition to this, you can also hire a third party to do the part.
The service should be requested. It can be requested at the time of booking you tickets if you wish to get it from the airline.
The services needed can be written in detail while purchasing the tickets. The authority would verify the request. They would check for the eligibility at the airport. If they are satisfied, they would provide the service free of cost and with due respect. However, if they are not convinced the passengers require assistant they would withdraw from providing assistance.
On the other hand, you can hire a third party to be your travel assistant. This service is done on making extra payments. This is in no way connected to the airline or airport authorities.
These are separate entity working out the airport solely for the purpose of providing travel assistance. The third part assistant, would not be able to guide the further the check-in area while you are traveling. And on arrival mostly these services are available if you are traveling to a foreign country.
Therefore, if you want a safer travel we always prefer for an airline authorised travel assistant.Travel insurance helps for the safe travel all over the world.