Thanks for the input on the phone. I’ve been resistant, but have thought it would be good to have in the event of road trouble when driving. Right now my aids would require an intermediary device to connect with an iPhone, but I’m looking to getting new aids - leaning strongly to Phonak because of SoundRecover 2. I’m not sure how that will play out, and am still leaning to iPhone just to keep my options open. I;m not very tech savvy. Sometimes I think I must have been born in the wrong generation.
I suspect there are a number of brands that can do frequency compression like the Phonak, and are iPhone compatible. I may have posted this before, but this is how Signia or Rexton software would treat your hearing loss as a starting point. It can be adjusted manually as well. I would suggest for sure that you would benefit a lot from frequency compression to recover the high frequencies. The software is suggesting that all frequencies from 2 kHz to 10 kHz be compressed down into the 2 kHz to 3.25 kHz range.
My understanding is that the new Kirkland Signature 9.0 will stream direct to an iPhone or Android, and is a Phonak. It would be a potential choice.
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The posts here seem to be about missing a boarding or flight or similar announcement. There is also a possibility of missing a very real emergency announcement. My experience early last July made me think about that a bit more.
My wife and I were at the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (9th busiest in the US) in early July. Even wearing some top of the line HAs, I cannot understand public announcements so I depend on my wife for audio info as usual. Anyway she was at our gate and I was walking around the terminal. Suddenly there were emergency lights flashing everywhere and a PA saying "Attention please give me you attention waa waa waaa. That announcement played four or five times over the next five minutes or so. I never understood any more of the message. Even so, everyone just seemed to be going about their normal business. When I got back to my wife I asked her what was going on. She was shocked that I had no idea that the announcement said “a fire has been reported in the terminal, please evacuate the terminal!” The only reason she was still at the gate was that the airline folks at our gate had told the passengers that there was no immediate danger and do not leave the gate area. The very last announcement had been a “never mind” with the emergency flashing lights then being turned off.
If the emergency had been real, there is no telling how this story would have ended. This airport’s emergency plan seem to be just tell hundreds (if not thousands) of folks to evacuate with no other instructions or directions. I could have been in stampede, still clueless.
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wow … your reply sounds a little harsh…
Im assuming the OP is hearing deficient… not sure if he/she wears hearing aids of not, or if they do, maybe they dont work well.
to the OP.
I understand your apprehension… I too have issues, with travel, (not related to hearing).
airports are the most friendly place for hearing impaired. they are usually the only place that has tty on their pay phones…
(in the US anyways).
I would guess, if you were to locate the proper person at theairport, they would be glad to help you all the way to the gate. akin to the carts/shuttles they have, along with assistance for other disabilities/walking/age, etc.
I bet they have sign language interpreters, or other support personnel to help you make it. I bet you can make these arrangements at the time you book your flight…
Please check this out, and if possible, let us know what you find.
on an aside. where do you live, where does your daughter live… I bet you can find a traveling partner… (self included)… like I said, I like traveling, but would feel much better with someone else to share the trials and tribulations…
good luck to you nolo bastarde carbarundum (sic?)
smartphones are the best… regardless if you can hear or not… texting and reading is freaking awesome…
Im guessing you are OLD SCHOOL… (no cell phone).
Im glad youare able to reach out to us on this forum… it is always best to share and get support from anywhere it can ge found… support doesnt usually solicit others to see if they need help, but visa versa, you need to reach out… congrats.
Please contact the airport, or have your daughter do it… I can guarantee that most major facilities will have hearing support personnel.
I recognise this problem and used to fly multipul times a week.
The way I handled it was to mainly wear headphone and the only sound I had was the music I wanted to listen to, all the noise and illegible announcements used to get me stressed.
I would navigate the airport using the airline app and information boards, other than that when arriving at the lounge or the gate I would ask for confirmation from staff or other passengers to make sure the gate / boarding info on the screens or app was correct.
Good luck, safe travels !
Thank you all for your good wishes and shared experiences!
How did it go?
Do you visit yet?
Please let us know about your experience.
Thank you.
I did make that trip. My daughter was gifted a ticket to accompany me, and flying with a hearing person made things much more enjoyable. Had I been alone, I would definitely been confused. There was no seating left at the departure gate for the return flight, and we had to sit in an adjacent area. I forgot to remove my tablet from my carry-on and could not understand what the inspector was saying. Having someone with me made all the difference.
Thank you for asking.
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Glad for you. For others in a same situation:
Yes yes yes. Airports now treat you like cattle. Except they don’t use cattle-prods because they get your money even if you miss the “wah wah” and your flight.
Claiming “Handicap!” (in advance is best) makes it an ADA issue and now you are a VIP. I assume the first staffer you find is trained to spot the “assist” mark on your pass and to whistle-up your assistant. Cup your ear and say “What?” a lot so they know how to deal with you. Yes, they may slap you in a wheelchair, because that is their universal answer to “any” handicap— blind stupid or lame. Sit back and enjoy the ride. The pushers know how tight the connection is and know all the short-cuts, can pass check-points quickly, and must turn you over to gate staff with info what flight you need to get aboard.
My Dad does not walk like he used to. Mom booked him “handicap” for a bad transfer at O’Hara. They were very glad. They would not have made the connection without their guide/pusher, it’s just a nasty airport.
My last flights were on a 707 and a B-17; neither had airport apps. (B-17 didn’t even use a gate.) It sounds like a great idea. Maybe a friend can install the app and let you track some current flight from curb to gate through connection then gate to bags/meeting-lobby.
Cellphones need NOT be a big expense for light users. WalMart sold me a $60 phone+plan I wanted for a 2-day 2-car drive, a throwaway. I used that for years. I just got a slick Android from TracFone for $20 w/30days for $15, $39 taxed and delivered. (It is “refurbished”; these are usually un-used customer returns which have been tested and re-boxed.) I pay $99-$119 for 365 days of cell-service, so less than half a buck a day to have a phone in my pocket for crisis (running late, etc). I don’t even need the cell-service to hang around the home wi-fi and watch cat videos on YouTube. (Even without paid service it will call 911.)
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I regularly tell the TSA people that I have a hearing impairment because they’re in a noisy environment and they tend to mumble and get aggressive and even abusive when you don’t jump to their command.
Like paulrreid is saying, let them know you have a handicap. Most will be helpful.
Is there a special status you can claim when you ticket? That would be great.
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They are “required” to assist with handicaps. While ADA is the background, specific regulations come from Dept of Transportation. A summary:
Looks like two classes of handicap:
- Need a push (can’t walk great)
- Need a guide (can’t see/hear/understand great)
Most of us here should say “Handicap, need guide, deaf”. (They don’t need to know how deaf; they should be aware that calling your name may not work and they should have your name on a sign.)
“section 382.93 requires carriers to board passengers with disabilities who self-identify at the gate as needing to preboard for one of the listed reasons to board the plane before all other passengers”
It is not clear to me this means hard-of-hearing always goes first. (The link says sometimes this does not happen even for chair-users.) If you can follow hand-waving they could just make sure you get in line with the rest of the general passengers. But low-level staff are not lawyers, so saying “Pre-Board?” and cupping your ear may be enough to get you in ahead of the mob so you can be shown to your seat in relative calm.
Bring pad and pencil (and readers) so when they keep saying "*i*** gate" you can point your ear “What?”, hold out the pad, and get "sixth" written out.
With the rise of self-booking the option to check-off “Handicap” may be obscure or missing. Look for “Special Assistance” (sounds better than crippled). If you don’t get a choice in booking, call the airline, they should set the assistance status on your booking.
I did not know this: “If you need wheelchair assistance, a friend or family member is welcome to assist you on your way to/from the gate area. Just have them stop by the ticket counter to obtain an escort pass.” Presumably this could let your kin/friend claim “Escort” and deliver you a lot closer to the gate.
“Tip your wheelchair attendant(s). Many wheelchair attendants in the US are paid below minimum wage.” I assume non-pushing Guide pay is the same.
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I have told them I was hard of hearing and wore hearing aids, and it has gotten me on the plane first, and even a few times better seats.
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Amen! Yes! I agree with your ENTIRE advice set forth above! Both of us have difficulty walking distances like those between airport points and the airlines have always gotten us wheelchairs. In fact, if you forget to ask in advance (which is always the better course) we have found that in a pinch you can tell the baggage handlers that await you on the sidewalk on dropoff and they will get you wheelchairs. One additional person to generously tip but well worth it! The wheelchair service not only gets you from point to point in the airport without dangerously raising your heart rate and blood pressure. but also protects you from getting knocked over by younger, well-intentioned commuters unintentionally getting pushy while trying to get to their job on time. That happened to my father-in-law a few years ago and the bump caused him to lose his balance and he fell and broke his leg during a plane change midway to his destination. Not the way to wind up in that wheelchair, ironically!
Let the airline know that you need assistance. It is very easy and a sure fire way to make sure you are ok. Ask for help and you will get it. Trying to muddle through on your own will cause problems/anxiety. Of course a bit of homework before you go is always a good idea. Happy flying and relax! It will be fine!
When l reach the gate area, l tell the agent that l am deaf and do not understand their PA system. They let me board the plane at the same time as the wheelchair flyers. The other fliers wondered why l got on the plane before they do!
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Did you tell them when you booked the ticket, or was it ad hoc on when you were already in the airport?
When I read your original post, I could understand immediately why, even when you didn’t mention anything about sound or hearing concerns. I severe-to-profound hearing loss myself, and I cannot watch a movie without subtitles nor understand most of the things that go on a PA system.
So, for the longest time, I avoided airplane travel or solo travel in general, because I didn’t want to miss out on important information (like planes getting delayed or gates being changed); I’ve only flown by myself once, but it is within the country, where I am still OK with our local accent.
Reading the many posts in this thread, I see a lot of people suggesting using assistance. I’m familiar with wheelchair assistance, but I don’t know if there’s any assistance for hearing impairment. I’m going to check it out next time. I hope to do a solo travel this year or the next. Hopefully I can get past the anxiety. 
I always let them know at the gate that I had a hearing problem. I would get to the gate early and be one of the first to talk to them at the gate check in. My tickets were always arranged by my company and I am not sure if the company would ever make such notes.
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The airlines now have a large LCD screen on the back of every seat. I don’t know if there are subtitles for movies but you could try using your Android phone with Google Live Transcript app.