You can buy your older parents' ticket from wherever you are and ask the airline for assistance at the airport. You do the buying; they travel with the booking reference and their passport.
If flying to Venezuela with elderly parents worries you, the order is this: buy the ticket, tell the airline what they need and check the documents.
How to buy the ticket without them using the app
You open the Vuelitos website or app, search the route and book in minutes. If they leave from the United States, start with Miami to Venezuela. You type the passport details exactly as they appear on the document and pay by card, Zelle, Pago Móvil, cash at the Valencia office or USDT. See how to pay for your flight.
Once the payment is confirmed and the ticket is issued, forward them the email with the airline's booking reference or print it for them.
How to request a wheelchair or special assistance
You request assistance from the airline, with the booking reference, before the trip. Many ask for 48 hours' notice. The exact deadline depends on each airline.
These are the codes you will see:
- WCHR: walks, but not long distances.
- WCHS: cannot climb stairs.
- WCHC: cannot move on their own.
With assistance, staff guide them through check-in, security and boarding. Ask the airline whether a relative may go with them past the counter, because each airport decides that.
A flight that is easier on them
- Choose nonstop flights when they exist. A long layover is tiring.
- If there is a stop, leave plenty of time between flights and request assistance on each leg.
- Ask for an aisle seat when the airline lets you choose.
- Make a list with them: passport, medicines in the carry-on and the phone number of whoever meets them.
If they travel with a pet
Each airline decides whether the pet rides in the cabin or the hold, based on weight and carrier size, and what it charges. In Venezuela, INSAI regulates the transport of live animals, and you normally bring an up-to-date vaccination card and a vet certificate. Check the current requirements with INSAI and your airline before you travel.
Tell the airline before you pay, because some limit how many animals they accept per flight.
Frequently asked questions
You ask the airline, not the airport. With your booking reference, tell the airline through its website or phone several days ahead. Many ask for at least 48 hours. The exact deadline depends on each airline.
With special assistance, airline or airport staff take them through the process and to the plane. What a relative without a ticket may do depends on the airport. Ask the airline.
They are the industry codes for wheelchair assistance. WCHR: walks but not long distances. WCHS: cannot climb stairs. WCHC: cannot move on their own.
Each airline sets it, and it changes with weight and with cabin or hold. We do not publish amounts. Check the current fee with the airline you choose.
Yes. You buy on the Vuelitos website or app with your own payment details, and they travel with the booking reference and their passport.
Photo: Spencer Plouzek, Unsplash License.
