Negotiating a chaotically busy airport can be traumatic for a disabled person but Dr Muiris Houston, Medical Correspondent, finds help is at hand.

Airports can be daunting places. Crowds milling around, long queues, everyone in a hurry - even for the able-bodied, passing through a large airport is often a stressful experience.

If you are disabled then the airport experience is a different proposition. Earlier this year, accompanying an elderly relative on an internal flight from Dublin Airport, some of the additional challenges became quickly apparent.

The older person has severe osteoarthritis of the knees, so her mobility is much reduced. A chronic heart condition means that rushing brings on breathlessness. So a wheelchair seemed the logical solution.

Before joining the check-in queue, we asked the airline ticket desk to organise a wheelchair for us. This involved putting in a call to "Greencaps", who are responsible for mobility assistance at Dublin Airport.

By the time we had queued and checked in (about 15 minutes later) there was no sign of assistance. The older person was by now breathless and in some pain. About 20 minutes later a Greencap arrived, full of apologies for the delay.

Once settled in the wheelchair, we were brought to the security gates. Those with a disability hand over their bags to be X-rayed along with everyone else; they are allowed to remain in the wheelchair while going through the actual security gate, with a hand-held wand used to check the person for items that might pose a security risk.

Then it's off to the departure gate, with plenty of banter from the Greencap porter en route. The disabled person is positioned close to the gate itself; in our case, there was just a small walk to the aircraft stand, so no further assistance was needed. However, if necessary, the porter will return at boarding time and assist the person on to the aircraft.

Martin Breen, general manager of Greencaps Ltd, admits the delay we experienced was excessive.

"Sundays are especially busy and mornings are generally busier than evenings," he says, but with 56 employees the company responds promptly once they receive a call from the airline. Greencaps look after all passenger flights to and from Dublin and are paid directly by the airlines. "Mobility assistance is our core function," Breen adds, emphasising you don't have to be a wheelchair-user to ask for help. The intellectually disabled, people who suffer from panic attacks, anyone who requires assistance for whatever season will be helped. "As far as we are concerned, each individual passenger has an individual need. We try to establish a rapport with the person, not just the carer."

If necessary, Greencaps porters will lift a disabled person on to the plane where, ideally, they are seated in Row 2 beside the aisle. Disabled passengers cannot be accommodated beside emergency exits. Specially designed narrow wheelchairs are available to transport the person up and down the narrow aisles of an aircraft.

Some people are on stretchers and special arrangements are in place to cater for these cases.

Greencaps operate a specially designed vehicle called an Ambilift which drives right up to the aircraft entrance. Because it is height-adjustable, it allows stretcher cases and heavier wheelchair passengers to be transported easily to the terminal or to a waiting ambulance.

Aer Rianta introduced a bye-law in 1999 obliging all service providers at Dublin Airport to provide facilities for the disabled. The airport operator itself will shortly bring in specialised and dedicated seating for passengers with reduced mobility throughout the terminal building.

"We hope to standardise the approach of all airlines to people with disability," explains Aer Rianta spokeswoman Siobhán Moore.

Following a legal spat involving the British Airports Authority and Ryanair over a wheelchair passenger using Stansted, the airline has introduced a levy of 50 cents for every passenger in order to defray the costs.

A spokeswoman for the airline said it catered for wheelchair passengers provided they have indicated at the time of booking they have special needs. However "passengers arriving 'on spec' (who require wheelchair access to an aircraft) cannot be provided with assistance," she said.

If you have mobility problems or your travelling companion is disabled, the following should help your transit through Dublin Airport - other airports have similar arrangements:

Tell the airline at the time of booking if a wheelchair or oxygen will be needed.

On arrival at the airport, go to the Greencaps phone, which is located inside the first set of doors at the departures level. Alternatively, the Greencaps office is located at the back of the departures area, on the right. Contact an Aer Rianta customer relations agent who will bring you to the top of the check-in queue.

At check-in, tell the airline staff about any specific needs you or your companion may have.