This is another experience for sure. Some (international) airlines request that you are the last to deplane when you have gate-to-gate assistance. Which can be difficult if you are seated with other passengers. Momentum moves you forward. Be prepared though…I was scolded for trying to exit with passengers behind me! I merely intended to sit in an empty front row seat until the plane was empty! This particular airline is not my favorite! Other airlines have your wheelchair transportation waiting in the jetway and the escort has your name on a sign. And still others expect you to walk through the jetway before providing a wheelchair or motorized cart. It is their responsibility to transport you from one gate to another or through customs and baggage claim, to your final transportation. In the years that I have used this assistance, there has only been one bad experience with an escort, which just left us dumbfounded. Oh, and one harried dash through another airport with my eyes closed hoping there were no casualties in our wake! A small gratuity to your escort for their efforts to safely transport you is appreciated. However, on our recent trip, the escorts were not allowed to accept gratuities, so be sure to warmly and graciously thank them for their assistance.
On the same international trip, a flight found me having to exit our late-arriving airplane on the tarmac, down several steps (no jetway), with impatient and weary travelers hustling to be on their way behind me. At the bottom of the steps was a transfer bus. While other passengers offered their assistance to help me navigate the high step entry, I found that it was easier (hah!) to assist myself by grasping both railings and hauling myself onboard, further hurting my already hurting body. And, I missed my connecting flight in end anyway. Unfortunately, I was not informed by the airline of this particular “gate-to-gate” service. Had I been using a wheelchair, I’m not quite sure how that would have worked out. Badly, I suspect! On a previous international airport transfer, there was a special assistance bus waiting for me, which made my experience so much better and a lot less painful! And, I made my connecting flight as well!
Lesson learned. Ask more questions. Even though I was assured that I had gate-to-gate assistance, there was no disclosure of there not being a jetway, the steps and shuttle bus that did not have a hydraulic lift.
Twenty Steps at a Time 