Define MAAS (meet & assist)

[WJguy]

Ok, I'm having a disagreement with a travel agent friend of mine. And as he knows I have input into policies at WestJet, he called to complain to me :mad_2:

Anyhow...he says that the IATA code MAAS or meet and assist is industry standard that tells airport staff a guest needs extra assistance, and to "hand off" the guest at their final destination to a friend or family member. I told him no, MAAS means the guest has some minor concerns. For e.g. Grandma Jones, 98, needs someone to carry her carry-on, but is mostly fully independant. Or young Billy, age 16, has never flown before and is flying from a small base (YMM) to a large airport, and just needs directions. We will help them out, but they have to tell us what their need is, as it may not be easily identifiable. We won't, however, babysit the guest (we have other SSR codes for that) and hand them off to their meeting party.

He insists he's right, and I tell him he's full of it.

What does your airline define a MAAS as, or is it a general code much like I've outlined? I've got a bet riding on this one. Help.

[yoshi]

WJguy, whenever we put in a MAAS in the reservation/spil, it usually means the pax needs assistance w/ a connecting gate whether they're elderly, first time fliers, does not speak/understand english, etc, etc. It is not the agent's responsibility to stay w/ the pax until they are met by their party.

We do offer a service to minors and adults for a fee. That is coded as UMNR. Unaccompanied Minor/Adult. An agent usually escorts the UMNR onto the aircraft where the F/A will sign off the paperwork stating they are now responsible for the UMNR. The person who accompanied the UMNR cannot leave the gate area until the plane is airborne. If the UMNR has a connecting flt, they will be met at the gate and escorted to their next flt. At the UMNR's final destination, the agent will not release the UMNR until proper id is shown and it must match the info on the form filled out at the start of the trip.

[CD]

Here are the definitions that I am familiar with...

Categories of passengers needing special assistance 1

In order better to adapt services supplied to the needs of PRMs, Member States should encourage airlines, airport authorities and travel agents to use a common definition of different categories of persons needing special assistance. To that end, Member States should refer to the following classification and codification:

1) MEDA Passenger whose mobility is impaired, due to clinical cases with medical pathology in progress, being authorized to travel by medical authorities. Such passenger usually has social coverage in relation to the illness or
accident in question.

2) STCR Passenger who can only be transported on a stretcher. Such passenger may or may not have social protection or specific insurance.

3) WCHR Passenger who can walk up and down stairs and move about in an aircraft cabin, but who requires a wheelchair or other means for movements between the aircraft and the terminal, in the terminal and between arrival and departure points on the city side of the terminal.

4) WCHS Passenger who cannot walk up or down stairs, but who can move about in an aircraft cabin and requires a wheelchair to move between the aircraft and the terminal, in the terminal and between arrival and departure points
on the city side of the terminal.

5) WCHP Passenger with a disability of the lower limbs who has sufficient personalbautonomy to take care of him/herself, but who requires assistance tobembark or disembark and who can move about in an aircraft cabin only with the help of an on-board wheelchair.

6) WCHC Passenger who is completely immobile, who can move about only with the help of a wheelchair or any other means and who requires assistance at all times from arrival at the airport to seating in the aircraft or, if necessary, in a special seat fitted to his/her specific needs, the process being inverted at arrival.

7) BLIND Blind.

8) DEAF Passenger who is deaf or a passenger who is deaf without speech.

9) DEAF/BLIND Blind and deaf passenger, who can move about only with the help of an accompanying person.

10) MAAS (meet and assist) All other passengers in need of special help.

1 Classification and codification based mainly on IATA Resolution 700 and Recommended Practice 1700.

European Civil Aviation Conference - Facilitation (based upon IATA Resolution 700 and Recommended Practice 1700) (http://web.archive.org/web/20000831231405/http://www.ecac-ceac.org/uk/documents/DOC30E.pdf)

[WJguy]

Thanks, CD...thought as much on an MAAS...basically, it's the code for guests who need some assistance that isn't covered by any other catagory. However, we don't need to babysit them.

Also, Travel Agents have to go by IATA guidelines, but for airlines, IATA is an advisory body. In Canada, we have to play by the CTA </font color> rules (Canadian equivalent to the FAA).

Of course, when I tell my friend this, I should have a camera ready....the look on his face will be a Kodak moment. I'll try not to do the "I told you so" dance, as I think that's a bit overboard. :grin:

[Jessica]

United/United Express no longer use the MAAS code - too much liability and people thinking that they get more of a service than a little help out of it.

However, some mentally challenged paxs and many elderly paxs, especially those w/Alzheimer's or Dimensia do need the same kind of assistance that an UMNR would receive, so NW has extended unaccompanied adult service to any pax who requests it for the same fee as the UMs. I thought that was nice...because it is a pet peeve of mine when people ship their family members out like cargo if they really aren't capable of making their way through their travel day.

[rambling]

Well..I agree with you about common sense in sending off family members with special needs. However, the US Air Carrier Access Act which addresses disability indicates clearly that if we sell a ticket to a person with a disability, the airline is also responsible to get the disabled pax to his greeting party....without demanding a fee for the service. However, some airlines have cleverly marketed a program for Alzheimer's patients, where there is a meet and assist for a fee. I believe that some disability rights groups have already challenged this practice.