Client Testimonials

I recently had to move my elderly parents from New York to Los Angeles and into assisted living on short notice. My father is wheelchair bound and my mother uses a walker. I hired Flying Companions and Doug Iannelli directly from the internet. I was impressed with the service from my first contact. Doug was responsive, professional, knowledgeable and thorough. It was clear from the start that he really knew what to do. He arranged to pick up my parents, get them to the plane, get them on the plane, off the plane and to their Los Angeles destination. He is not only extremely good at his job, he is fun to travel with as well. The service was invaluable. I highly recommend Flying Companions and feel lucky that I found them. I am not sure I could have done the move without Doug and I know for sure that his assistance made the day go smoothly. A+! Close

It was a leap of faith to hire him, but everything turned out exactly how he said. I paid $2200 for the trip, which included round-trip airfare for my brother and two round-trip tickets for Doug. My brother felt very much taken care of the entire way. Close

I am writing to recommend Flying Companions. I have a less visible disability that makes flying alone very difficult for me. A few years ago, I had reached the point where I feared that I would be unable to travel by myself.

I first found Flying Companions through a Google search. After several phone calls and some reference checks, I had Flying Companions book my first flight with them. I was nervous ahead of time, which makes me smile now because that first flight and all the flights I’ve taken since with Flying Companions was such a good experience. In the past few years, I have used Flying Companions to travel on long and short flights, with stops in Chicago for business, and in good and bad weather.

My needs during travel are to have someone who is calm and reliable nearby at all times, who will take care of all the details (boarding passes, check-in, boarding, luggage, locating gates, and so on). Most importantly, I need a flying companion who I can rely upon to respond with kindness and attention when I need aid. Because I take medication when I travel and so am typically sleepy, I also need someone who understands that I will not be particularly talkative.

Flying Companion’s Doug Iannelli is all this and more. He is perfect for this job. He is organized, efficient, smart, and detail-oriented. From start to finish, Doug smoothly books the flights, calls when he has arrived in town, is always on time at the airport, and never forgets a thing. Because Doug has significant experience working for the airlines, he is very familiar with airports and airplanes both. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed in a busy airport as I have, Doug is such a reassuring presence. Also, Doug’s membership in airport lounges allows a calm break from the hustle and bustle before and between flights.

That is all very good and valuable. But beyond that, Doug is kind, responsive, and accepting. He is a warm person who can be an excellent conversationalist if that is helpful. He can also be a quiet and reassuring presence if that is required. No matter what may come up, I can be sure that Doug will turn to me and tell me that whatever I need, he will take care of it.

Doug Iannelli and Flying Companions have taken a huge burden off my shoulders in terms of my anxiety about traveling. I wholeheartedly and with confidence recommend Flying Companions to anyone. It is such a great service and Doug Iannelli makes it worry-free and trustworthy.
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Doug at Flying Companions provided me with a service that made a huge difference to me and my family. Having him pick up and fly with my elderly uncle who suffers from dementia and needed to be placed in assisted living was a godsend. For a reasonable price, he took all the strain out of that journey, delivered my uncle safely and ensured that he actually enjoyed the trip. Close

The bottom line, I was very pleased with Doug Iannelli and the service he provides. His assistance and guidance was EXCELLENT all the way from California to Central Java-Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

I have a disease called SCA-6 (Spinocerebellar Ataxia number 6, the symptoms are like Lou Gehrig's disease or Multiple Sclerosis disease). I don't normally use a wheelchair (I use a cane), but Doug Iannelli arranged and coordinated a wheelchair at the airport and for all our multiple flight connections.. He also handled all our trip logistics such as: booking our business class tickets including ordering a special meal for me, he picked me up at my home in California, helped with the luggage and flew with me to my final destination of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He took care of EVERYTHING and I didn't have to worry about a thing! I would definitely recommend using Flying Companions to help you travel domestically or internationally. This is a wonderful service. Close

Doug, Thank you for everything you have done for me. I really enjoyed every minute. I will never forget. Thanks again and I look forward to our yearly trips! Close

I'm delighted to reply to your request for information about Flying Companions. I live in Menlo Park, CA. and my husband Henry, age 83 resided in a senior care facility in West Milford, NJ. Couldn't get much further apart than that, but in July we decided he should come to join me here in my senior residence. However I would have had to fly to NJ and come back here with him as Henry hadn't flown in many years and was not sure of directions and transportation to Newark Airport 50 miles away, ticket procedure, boarding, security, etc.

I was pleased to find Flying Companions online and connect with Doug who would obtain tickets for exactly the date and morning I requested, pick up Henry at his NJ home, drive him to Newark Airport, arrange boarding, carry Henry's bag all the way, go through security, have a wheel chair available if wanted, travel with him on Continental direct to SFO, have another wheel chair ready if needed, and even drive him 40 miles to my home. That last part wasn't necessary as our daughter met Doug and Henry at an arranged location at SFO and she met Doug and brought Henry home. The time and trip were exactly as Doug had described it would be. Then Doug left for his next companion flight, but not before Henry told him what a wonderful and easy flight it was and how much he enjoyed the time spent with such an experienced, dear, kind, fair, thoughtful and helpful new friend, who made flying fun, the way it used to be. A pleasant surprise was that the cost for all of Doug's services, was less than I could have obtained for 2 fares even from discount sites. All in all it seemed to be such a pleasant experience for Henry that he still talks about his conversations and pleasant travel with a wonderful young gentleman companion, and Henry recommends this service to seniors here who may be reluctant to fly. We would most certainly use Doug's services again and look forward to doing so sometime in the future.
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It's very good that you're checking. I did the same thing before hiring Doug to fly with my mom the first time -- I'm an attorney and have access to an investigative database. Doug's totally legit and clean as a whistle. And he has worked out great for us. He's helped my mom fly several times, and she absolutely loves him. She's disabled from a stroke and is in a nursing home in Florida. Doug has helped us get her to Atlanta several times and has taken excellent care of her. He's also got a great personality, is very professional, and she has a great time with him. I couldn't recommend him more highly. He'll take excellent care of your loved one.
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My mother has late-stage Alzheimer’s, and I was going to bring her from her home in Florida up to New York to live with me. The concept of managing travel arrangements and logistics while trying to care for my mom was daunting to me. She is completely helpless, hardly walking any more, and not able to feed herself, go to the bathroom etc. That’s when I was referred to Doug Iannelli by my mom’s hospice social worker. For a very reasonable fee, he took care of all the arrangements, flew into Orlando airport to meet us with a wheelchair, took care of all the carry-on-bags while I took my mom through security, accompanied us all the way to New York and arranged a wheelchair on the other side. Curb-to-curb service, and with a cheerful smile and a truly caring personality. I can’t recommend Doug highly enough! Close