Living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth can be challenging when it comes to air travel.
CMT patients who wear leg braces may encounter longer security checkpoint times and difficulty navigating stairs and sloped walkways.
Planning and preparation are key to making your holiday travels safe and comfortable.
CMTers who use leg braces share their tips and best advice for air travel in our CMT Inspire Community.
Join HNF’s online support group today, share your stories, and have conversations with other CMT’ers in a place created just for you!
I have recently flown twice with Allegiant and they were very helpful. They gave me aisle seat with extra leg room at no charge and had help ready for me as needed. Being at a smaller airport near me, it was a lot easier to navigate and get through TSA lines and getting to gates. Always ask before hand makes life easier for everyone. And smiling and thank yous always go a long way.
Most TSA agents have seen CMT style braces before. Don’t go through the metal detector line, use the “Xray” line and leave your braces and shoes on. When asked to remove your shoes state “I’m wearing braces and they aren’t coming off”.
They will swab your shoes and braces and in a minute you are free to go! They swab shoes all the time, it’s no big deal. If a TSA agent asks you to remove your shoes for the swab test say “Ok as long as you can get my shoes back on my feet and tie them for me!” They’ll usually allow you to keep things on.
Be pleasant to the TSA folks they are human too!