Traveling with an Omeo

The summer months are a peak time for travel, so we recently caught up with Omeo Ambassador Gretchen Nowling to learn her tips and tricks for flying with her Omeo. Gretchen learned many of these best practices from Marcus Thompson, Omeo’s Customer Experience Manager in New Zealand – and the person who inspired its original design.

Every Airline Is Different

After initially moving through airports with her manual chair and checking her Omeo at the ticket counter, Gretchen now travels exclusively with her Omeo and drops it at the end of the jetway before boarding the plane. “Air travel has worked great for me,” says Gretchen. “I have flown between six and eight times with my Omeo, mostly on Southwest and United Airlines. Southwest in particular has been really easy to work with.”

But long before you book your trip and head to the airport, Gretchen advises contacting your airline and asking about any rules and restrictions they may have regarding travel with lithium-ion batteries, which power the Omeo.

Tips and Tricks for Travel Day

Then, on travel day, Gretchen recommends taking the following steps to prepare your Omeo for flight:

Make a FRAGILE sign and tape it to the seat of the Omeo.
Affix the sign with tape that won’t leave residue on your chair.
Use tape marked CARRY HERE and stick it on the chair handles.
Lift the stabilizing legs and power-off the Omeo, keeping the InfoKey fob with you.
Tighten the seat-steer dampening control knob all the way to the right.
Move the seat-switch lever into seat-steering mode so that it covers the main control button.
Tape down the seat-switch lever to keep it from moving.
Tape down the cover of the boot/trunk.
Remove the joystick and put it in a safe place.
Remove the seat back and keep it with you as you travel.
Hand off the Omeo to a baggage handler.

And then, she recommends, “Say a little prayer.”