Which airline is the person flying? My mom needed a wheelchair while flying out of SMF on HA. Check in counter is not far from where you enter the departure terminal for any airline in the new terminal. Whoever is dropping the PAX off can take luggage to the inside of the terminal door and ask for a wheelchair.

But whom do I ask for the wheelchair? The friend is flying on Frontier.

I think all w/chairs are at the check-in desks, not where you board, but where you leave your suitcase. In SFO somebody who is with the person goes and gets a w/chair, I think, if the person cannot make it to the desk.

according to the SMF sire, there should be wheelchair assistance available at the check in OR through the skycaps outside the terminal. Accortding to the Frontier site you need to call them to arrange one
at 800-432-1FLY (1359) is it Frontier who told her she had to go to the checkin desk?

We reserved the wheelchair when my friend bought her ticket. And yes, it is a Frontier customer-service rep who said the friend had to go to the check-in desk.

Last time we were at SMF I didn't see any skycaps outside (or, for that matter, inside) the terminal. Not having curbside check-in is a real downer.

I've now had 2 contradictory e-mail responses from Frontier, the first saying that any skycap or Frontier agent (why would an agent be wandering the lobby?) could fetch a wheelchair. The second response maintained that it's necessary to go to the check-in desk on the second floor.

I'll find out which is right soon.

So...here's what happened today. We arrived at the airport 3 hours early to be sure our friend had enough time to check her luggage (paid for on line earlier), get the ordered wheelchair, go through security, and get to the gate.

When we arrived at the terminal we discovered that we can now drive directly to the second level for departures, which much simplified things. Unfortunately, the Frontier desk had a sign saying it would not open until 2 hours before the flight; so it was not possible to get the wheelchair we had ordered. However, I snagged someone from another airline, and he helped me grab a wheelchair just being returned.

The Frontier check-in desk lacked a drop-off for pre-paid baggage. I wasn't able to wait the hour for the Frontier desk to open and so had to leave my friend sitting hopefully in the wheelchair at the check-in line.

Boy, do I miss the days of skycaps!