The Cane Trick

On our recent flight to Puerto Rico, I discovered that canes can be deceivingly used in order to break some airlines rules. While waiting to board the flight to San Juan, there where an unusually high number of passengers using canes, several of them also needing wheel chair assistance. 

On this flight there where about six or seven persons awaiting wheel chair service. When the gate personnel called on those needing wheel chair assistance, a line quickly formed, some where already sitting on wheel chairs, while others were standing, and pretty much all had canes. The gate staff asked one lady who had arrived on a wheel chair, and was now standing, where was her wheel chair, she replied, "it's over there, I have to get it". Earlier my wife had seen the lady get up from the wheel chair, and walk to a coffee stand, without any problems whatsoever, but she did't think much of it. Now the lady was being boarded early on a wheel chair. On the line we also saw an elderly man, seemingly in his late sixties, waiting, standing up shakily, supported by a cane. I was concerned because the poor man appeared to be about to fall. He was also boarded early in a wheel chair.

Once we arrived at San Juan, and we made it to the baggage area, for some reason there were not as many wheel chairs as we saw during the boarding process. What we did see however, was the same lady that I mentioned before, without a wheel chair standing, waiting for her bags. When the carousel started rolling, the lady grabbed two good size suitcases, and then rolled off with them like nothing. 

We grabbed our luggage and headed down a very long hallway towards the rental car shuttle. We where walking slow, and as we near the exit, around the corner came at a hurriedly pace, the sixty-something old man, pulling two rolling suitcases, with the cane now strapped to the top of one of them. Lucy and I looked at each other and had no remedy but to burst into a loud laughter. 

We had just witnessed two totally unrelated people play the gate staff so that they could  board the plane early. The next time you take a flight, you might want to make sure you have a cane with you, it can open the door to some fringe benefits.