Air Travel: an impending adventure

My family is taking me to Portland, Oregon USA in the spring, so I have been doing some work on airfare, availability, hotels, light rail -- and accessibility. Fortunately, we're going to Portland, where I have visited a few times (great restaurants), and it seems to be an accessible city. The airport (PDX) is smaller than many, but open and easy to navigate (and free wireless). The MAX light rail provides cheap and accessible transportation from PDX to center city; once there it is free to use in the downtown area, and that includes much.

I am more concerned about getting to Portland from PHL, the home of the "losingest" team in professional sports (though I was pleased to find the Philadephia Airport has an ADA/Text-Only View, and Accessibility/ADA page and even an accessibility guide; you may also call 215-937-5499, or TDD# 215-937-6755, to request the "Getting Around Guide." -- cool).

I started looking at airline websites, and found a few helpful things, like

• United's quick access for customers with special needs
• Southwest's Customer Service Commitment (PDF)
• US Airways page for Special Needs and for "Disabilities" (as if you can really separate this from the person; I am sure they mean well, and mean "people with disabilities" :-)
• Delta's Special Travel Needs page
• and perhaps most importantly, the Air Carrier Access Act (another PDF); my wife also forwarded the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the DOT site
  

I invite -- no, encourage -- any reader who has traveled with a disability or a person with a disability to share their experience, and any effective tricks, phone numbers or other resources that we all can use. I will certainly share mine.