As a traveller with a visually impaired companion I find that the airport hub you go through makes the biggest difference to the journey. I don't travel much so this is a very limited sample.

#AMS

Schipol (AMS, Amsterdam in the Netherlands) has consistently provided excellent service from very courteous, friendly and well trained staff. It has a comfortable waiting area reserved for disabled people while you wait for your connection, which in combination with being whisked around on electric buggies and priority boarding makes you feel like a VIP. The waiting area is near enough to other eating and shopping areas that if you have a guide or are feeling bold you can have delicious pancakes and coffee before getting gobsmacked at how much you can pay for a handbag. WiFi was fiddly to connect to but was available from the waiting area. On our last trip returning through Schipol we were put on a special bus to take us to our plane. At Schipol most regional flights don't connect to the terminal by an air-bridge but require passengers to ascend / descend stairs at the aircraft and take a crowded bus between the plane and the terminal. The special bus for disabled passenger is an Inspector Gadget class of machine. You can board it at ground level along with wheelchair users and when it reached the aircraft it raises itself on stilts to give level access to the aircraft door!

#KLM

If you are flying via Schipol then this probably means you are flying with KLM who staff are also friendly and well trained. However (1) their code-share partners may not reach this high standard so check who is providing the plane when you book, and (2) there were no audio-described movies on our last flight with KLM..

#DXB

Dubai (DXB) is typical of many other international airports with the staff trying to do their best with limited facilities. You end up waiting for your connection in a somewhat bare and stark waiting area feeling more like luggage than a person. At least water and washrooms are available. I'm not saying avoid Dubai because if you are there your are (1) probably on your way to somewhere really interesting and (2) you probably arrived with Emirates on an Airbus A380 which is the most comfortable big aircraft I have travelled on. You may need some assistance to use the entertainment system on the A380 but on our journey they had a good selection of audio-described movies.

#LHR

London Heathrow (LHR) was forced on us as our hub recently due to high winds in Schipol forcing us to rebook our flights. Despite our journey being at a more body-clock friendly time of day our experience was dismal. This may have been due to our domestic flight leg being transferred to another airline who weren't partners with our international carrier, and with having to transfer from one terminal to another. Having made excuses on their behalf, if my VI partner had been travelling alone I don't know how they would have coped with finding washrooms, taking buses between terminals, getting boarding passes, finding electric sockets to recharge gadgets, and getting through security checks. The staff, as is usually the case, were trying their best but the systems and facilities were just not in place for them to do a good enough job.

#Tips

You may need to explain at every turn that you don't need a wheelchair.

Talk with the other disabled people you are travelling wit. They often have the best stories of any travellers. You are from the USA so talking to random strangers should come naturally to you.

Try and be conscious of when its the system and management letting you down (it usually is) and smile until your jaw aches at the front-line staff trying their best.

Have a pocket or folder in a coat or bag exclusively for passports and boarding passes which have to be produced frequently and another exclusive location for tickets and visas and other travel documents that may only be needed once on the journey. I do this as a sighted person so I don't lose anything else as I pull my documents out again and again. When using assistance we are constantly asked for our boarding passes, more than when travelling alone.

OP, when you do travel let us know your experience.

I'll be travelling on British Airways in a few months so I can't speak to the full experience but in their app I can request guided assistance without having to call anybody. Best part is that I get to pick my seat for free cuz I'm blind. Their app is reasonably accessible on Android. I was even able to pick a seat with minimal fuss.

If you're in the US (I'm assuming you are since you're referring to Southwest as domestic) then all airlines travelling to and/or from, domestic or international., have to make reasonable accommodations for the disabled upon request. Look up the Air Carrier Accessibility Act.

On an extra note, I had a really great experience with Alaska Air last month. I did have to call them to request assistance though. Not quite as fancy as BA.

I second southwest for demestic but can’t help with international.

Hey folks! Just a heads up - you don't *have* to book assistance in advance if you can't for whatever reason. If you forget or the option isn't there and you don't have the time to call, they will assist you once you check-in.

It's the airline's responsibility to assist you while you're on the plane. It's the airport's responsibility to assist you around the airport, through security etc.

Source: Speaking with Delta staff.

Really depends where in the world you are travelling to. Most of the airlines are ok, Emirates were best but Quantas is great too. Airports are another matter. No matter how big or important they are the experience depends on the contracted ground staff.

I always wait till they come to airplane before disembarking, then make sure they know exactly what is required of them before getting out of my seat. It’s amazing how helpful aircrew are in making sure you’re catered for when they have to clear you from the plane.

I also insist that they explain to me what happening at all times and agree only to sit and wait if there is a service desk that is manned or a manned lounge I can use whilst waiting.

That said i was abandoned in Heathrow Terminal 4 and it took a call to police to have someone find me.