A mobility scooter that is great on Airlines and Cruises alike!

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When Dick S. took his first trip by air with his SmartScoot mobility scooter, he was surprised how easy it was getting through security and beyond the gate to the end of the jetway. “I thought I’d have more problems with TSA (Transportation Security Administration) checkpoints, but I had no problem at all. The agents were extremely cooperative in helping.”

Since then he’s had similar ease of travel taking his SmartScoot mobility scooter on cruises and even on commuter flights within the United States and Canada.

At 74 he said he checks an airline’s mobility device requirements online and calls the airline after making a reservation to note he uses a travel scooter.

While in the airport, Dick said he uses the luggage rack on the SmartScoot for carry-on baggage, strapped with a bungee cord. At the end of a jetway, he unplugs the SmartScoot lithium-ion battery, which weighs about 4 pounds, and places it in his computer case for later stowage under his seat or in the overhead compartment with other carry-ons. He easily folds down the SmartScoot and leaves it for baggage handlers to load and be retrieved at the end of the trip.

Cruise travel is equally stress-free when it comes to using the SmartScoot.™  On a Princess Cruises ship, Dick was able to drive his SmartScoot through his narrow stateroom door. Meanwhile, other mobility device users had to leave their travel scooters in common areas, which might be a distance from their room, and either walk or use a wheelchair to get to their room, he said.

“The (SmartScoot) wheels can be set to various widths. The maximum width provides maximum stability, but pulling in the wheels allows access through narrow areas like cruise ship doors,” he said.

Dick also has used his SmartScoot on short excursions to and from the cruise ship.

In addition to maneuvering in tight spaces, Dick’s favorite aspect of his SmartScoot compared to other mobility scooter brands is its speed. “I talked to one of the dealers (of a competing brand) and he said it could get up to 4 miles an hour.” That’s the speed of a typical grocery store scooter. With its 3 speeds, the SmartScoot has reached 7 miles an hour, Dick said. “It would drive me crazy to have to go grocery store speed.”