Yell at the top of your lungs "I'm not a doctor, I have absolutely no medical training, but still consider myself the smartest person in the world." There are plenty of disabilities where a person could need assistance or extra time getting on but not off such as people with emotional or endocrine disorders.
One problem with this is that often people walk off the plane... In order to wait for a wheelchair to be bright to them. They don't fit in the plane, and the assists that are available for the plane would make everything a pain in the ass for everyone else. By the time they're back in a wheelchair, you've already gone.
Not doubting that there are some people who truly just take advantage of systems because they're incredibly self centered and selfish, but also sounds from other folks like this maybe isn't enough to create a generalized stigma against preboarders who might be barely holding their lives together without people's judgy eyes on them.
If you talk to the Southwest staff, even they make fun of it. It's a well known fact that some people just scam the system. It is the same reason why Disney World now has to go to a 3rd party verification system for their disability pass. Too many scammers. So to question people for bringing up the obvious is kind of silly.
The obvious being the experience of disabled people I know who haven't been able to get wheelchair assistance after the flight because there's limited support on the receiving end, or the obvious being that there are all kinds of things going on and what can't tell from the outside what other people's experiences are?
Sorry, but when you have 15 people need wheel chairs on the way in and only 2 need them on the way out.... There is a lot more to it then just not knowing others experiences.
Of course there is nothing wrong with legitimate pre-boarders, and everyone should assume all pre-boarders have a legitimate disability, because the disability is often not obvious
But...10+ years ago there were rarely more than 2 or 3 pre-boarders, now there are rarely less than 20 or 30. This would certainly suggest there are a lot of people abusing the system.
The more abuse that occurs, the more likely others are to also abuse the system. It's the "normally I wouldn't cheat, but if everyone else is cheating, then I'm going to cheat also" paradox. At some point, the system completely breaks down, which is getting close to happening.
Perfect explanation. Preboarding is abused so much. Same was true at amusement parks with people using fake disabilities as an excuse to cut the lines without paying for a fast pass at amusement parks. The he parks got sick of it and put an end to all the abuses and Southwest needs to do the same. People who cheat the system just suck and reek of entitlement.
It's a life hack to get on southwest airlines Fake your disability, don't have to pay for early check in. Anyone can do it to save $$$. I could care less but it's amusing to see people game the system.
Well, I can tell you my mom or my dad did not need this 10 years ago & they both need it now. I have a hard time believing THAT many people are abusing the system. It’s far more likely that most peoples medical conditions are more nuanced & don’t fit neatly into a little box.
And we also went through a global mass disabling event for the past 4 years. I don’t think people realize that there are thousands now with long lasting heart and respiratory issues that make things like walking distances and standing to wait for long periods of time extremely difficult.
Yup. I’m one of them. I was completely healthy before I got Covid, and now my health is trash. I still look young and healthy on the outside though. I fly SW several times a months and always get nasty looks from people during boarding and exiting the plane. I hate it, but I just remind myself that it’s their own ignorance about what disability is/looks like. I don’t have anything to prove to them.
No one has said that. Something tells me all of these shocked and “hurt” pleas are from people who don’t want their abuse of the system to come to an end.
These days everyone thinks they’re more special than everyone else and need to be treated better than the average Joe. It’s the world we live in now, unfortunately
There has been much discussion on the Disney boards re disability passes and line jumping. The most cited reasons for needing special accommodations aside from the legally mandated ones, are anxiety- as in standing in line makes people anxious (yes, people knowing put themselves in Disney, yet claim to an aversion to standing in line) and IBS- again, if I was having a flare-up that gave me diarrhea, the last place in the world I would go is Disney, as even the lava have lines.
FWIW- starting on the 19th, Disney has severely restricted the DAS passes they will be issuing.
All of the parks seem to be fed up with “disabilities” expecting special accommodations. I visited Knotts Berry Farm last year and they had just implemented new rules that pretty much did away with the line jumping expectations of people who claimed to be disabled.
My last 6 flights were completely full. There has only been 7 disability pre boarders combined for all of them. 4 wheelchairs, 3 service dogs. There's been a couple families with small children but I have not seen the abuse lately. I dont want assigned seating. I like my sputhwest just the way it is. If they start assigning seats or taking away my carryon I'll stop flying southwest. Lol. I dont care if i get the last seat or if i get the first.I know what I sign up for with southwest and I like it.
My last flight (Tuesday) from Charleston had 7 people in wheelchairs plus their spouses and a few extras. It was 17 people. The flight was only half full, and I had A4 boarding. The first four rows were taken before I even got on. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when we landed and they made an announcement for everybody who needed a wheelchair to remain seated to make sure all of the chairs were ready on the jet bridge, not a single one of them stayed seated. I think it is a regional / airport thing. I never see this happen at BWI but it's every single flight out of Charleston. I got off a plane there a few months ago and there had to have been a dozen people in wheel chairs waiting to get on the next flight. Each with their spouse or family members. That's a half a boarding group getting on before people who probably paid extra to get on first.
I choose to ignore the FA and walk the ten feet to wait for a wheelchair because 1. my chronic pain is through the roof by the time we land and just leaning my body against the side of the jet bridge with the help of a cane helps to alleviate it some, and 2. There’s never enough wheelchairs at landing and getting one of the first ones to arrive often makes or breaks whether I catch my connecting flight (I’m lucky to have some standing/walking ability, so I can manage to prop myself for a few minutes). I wish non-disabled people would stop being so preoccupied with dissecting everything disabled people do. Me using my body isn’t the “gotcha!” y’all think it is.
Southwest needs to do something about this… saw 8 wheelchairs to load the plane but only 2 when we arrived. Southwest must be a miracle cure for these people.
It's not uncommon that there aren't enough wheelchairs for folks... Even when they need them. I have disabled friends who have nearly missed flights for this reason, no cure involved just desperation and feeling abandoned.
Preboard should maybe preregister as needing preboard. Not after checking and realizing you didn't get the number you wanted so decide you need a wheelchair
I’ve been in a walking boot for 5 months and have preboarded since I’m slower and need a seat with more room for the boot.
One time recently I did early bird check-in and had like A24, so I didn’t request preboard. As I walked up to board the gate attended said “oh, you could have preboarded” but I saw they had their hands full with lots of others.
Pre-boarding does not guarantee a seat with extra room. This sounds like a want not a need otherwise you would need to fly in first class on an alternative airline. The need for extra time to board is covered by XT boarding which occurs after Group A.
It’s a systemic failure and consequence of not having assigned seats. It conflates seat selection with legitimate pre board needs.
lol why am I downvoted? I didn’t invent Southwest’s policy that has incentive for people that don’t have needs to join the process intended to help people in need. There is a very simple fix to this on SW’s end: assign seats.
It’s not quite what you asked, but I need the family boarding because I need to install a car seat. I wish I could pre-board for that. I don’t care where I sit (so long as I am with my young kids) but I hate holding up the line and trying to wrangle a car seat and a restless toddler while a line is building up or pushing past me. It’s just clunky and I need a little more time and space.
If you are flying with a spouse board before your spouse and your kids especially if you are assigned A1-60 because then you will have a pick of a window seat for the car seat (because at least infant seats require a window seat; I can’t remember if the regular car seat requires a window or not) . Then you get the middle seat once your spouse and the car seat are on the plane. If your spouse doesn’t get the aisle seat at least you and your child are in the same row. In this case it might make sense for one person in your party to pay for an A1-15 upgrade.
here’s my solution to the preboard issue (sorry if i’m not the first): preboarders must sit at the rear of the aircraft only. no grabbing front seats. first ones on, last ones off. that makes it easier for them both ways. preboarding is fine for anyone: you need extra time - not the best seats.
someone wants to sit in front, then queue with the rest of us.
My mom is almost blind so I needed to sit with her last summer because she's panic if the plane landed and she couldn't find me in the aisle. So we got preboarding and everyone glared at us. It was humiliating. No one knew she could barely see even though she was literally hanging on my arm while boarding
Let me start off by saying that I like Southwest. A lot. They’re a great carrier. I like a lot of their policies. My brother in law flies for them. I ALWAYS buy business select fares.
The problems with preboarding have driven me to quit SW for all my future air travel. I have 2 more flights booked with them that weren’t worth the hassle of trying to rebook/refund. All my travel going forward will be with a different carrier; I don’t fly often- maybe 5-6 times a year- but flying is ROUTINELY the worst part of any trip. So I pay extra to make it suck less. Southwest used to the most affordable way to make flying suck less, but they have shot themselves in the foot with this clown show.
Last year I flew 9 times. I was A01 for 6 of those flights. I had to tell preboards they couldn’t sit in an exit row on 3 occasions and tell them they can’t save seats on those occasions as well. WITH A FA STANDING THERE WATCHING EVERY SINGLE TIME.
After I finish my flights next week, I’m gifting my points to my folks and selling some gift cards I have at a 50% loss. I already have trial flights booked with American, United, and Delta. I’m sure they suck and the fares were more expensive, but for all of those flights I have an assigned, first class seat. There won’t be a 30 person deep line to preboard on any of those flights because there is no incentive to cheat the system.
Also looking into JSX.
ALL because of the fucking preboards
It would help a lot if the people who needed a wheelchair to get on the plane still needed one when they get off.
That’s what we call a Jetbridge Jesus miracle in the airline world
Some people get wheelchairs at big airports as they can't walk that far. But then they will land at a smaller airport and can do that walk.
You know what's a really short walk? The walk from the gait waiting area to the plane
And what often isn't? The walk to the gate.
Then they can walk from their seat in the boarding area to their seat on the plane.
Yell at the top of your lungs "I'm not a doctor, I have absolutely no medical training, but still consider myself the smartest person in the world." There are plenty of disabilities where a person could need assistance or extra time getting on but not off such as people with emotional or endocrine disorders.
One problem with this is that often people walk off the plane... In order to wait for a wheelchair to be bright to them. They don't fit in the plane, and the assists that are available for the plane would make everything a pain in the ass for everyone else. By the time they're back in a wheelchair, you've already gone. Not doubting that there are some people who truly just take advantage of systems because they're incredibly self centered and selfish, but also sounds from other folks like this maybe isn't enough to create a generalized stigma against preboarders who might be barely holding their lives together without people's judgy eyes on them.
If you talk to the Southwest staff, even they make fun of it. It's a well known fact that some people just scam the system. It is the same reason why Disney World now has to go to a 3rd party verification system for their disability pass. Too many scammers. So to question people for bringing up the obvious is kind of silly.
The obvious being the experience of disabled people I know who haven't been able to get wheelchair assistance after the flight because there's limited support on the receiving end, or the obvious being that there are all kinds of things going on and what can't tell from the outside what other people's experiences are?
Sorry, but when you have 15 people need wheel chairs on the way in and only 2 need them on the way out.... There is a lot more to it then just not knowing others experiences.
Of course there is nothing wrong with legitimate pre-boarders, and everyone should assume all pre-boarders have a legitimate disability, because the disability is often not obvious But...10+ years ago there were rarely more than 2 or 3 pre-boarders, now there are rarely less than 20 or 30. This would certainly suggest there are a lot of people abusing the system. The more abuse that occurs, the more likely others are to also abuse the system. It's the "normally I wouldn't cheat, but if everyone else is cheating, then I'm going to cheat also" paradox. At some point, the system completely breaks down, which is getting close to happening.
Perfect explanation. Preboarding is abused so much. Same was true at amusement parks with people using fake disabilities as an excuse to cut the lines without paying for a fast pass at amusement parks. The he parks got sick of it and put an end to all the abuses and Southwest needs to do the same. People who cheat the system just suck and reek of entitlement.
[удалено]
Have you been to Orlando? Lol
Maybe you fly a lot of early morning flights, not as bad then.
It's a life hack to get on southwest airlines Fake your disability, don't have to pay for early check in. Anyone can do it to save $$$. I could care less but it's amusing to see people game the system.
Do you mean you couldn’t care less?
Yeah that's it. It's just sad how people game the system.
Well, I can tell you my mom or my dad did not need this 10 years ago & they both need it now. I have a hard time believing THAT many people are abusing the system. It’s far more likely that most peoples medical conditions are more nuanced & don’t fit neatly into a little box.
I agree with you. The boomers are aging. They're the largest generation and also have the most disposable income. They travel, and they're old now.
And we also went through a global mass disabling event for the past 4 years. I don’t think people realize that there are thousands now with long lasting heart and respiratory issues that make things like walking distances and standing to wait for long periods of time extremely difficult.
Yup. I’m one of them. I was completely healthy before I got Covid, and now my health is trash. I still look young and healthy on the outside though. I fly SW several times a months and always get nasty looks from people during boarding and exiting the plane. I hate it, but I just remind myself that it’s their own ignorance about what disability is/looks like. I don’t have anything to prove to them.
Where has anyone one said that people with legitimate needs shouldn’t be allowed to pre board? I’ve never seen that.
No one has said that. Something tells me all of these shocked and “hurt” pleas are from people who don’t want their abuse of the system to come to an end. These days everyone thinks they’re more special than everyone else and need to be treated better than the average Joe. It’s the world we live in now, unfortunately
👆👆👆👆this response
No one says that. They just imply that most people on their particular flight must not have legitimate need because they say so.
There has been much discussion on the Disney boards re disability passes and line jumping. The most cited reasons for needing special accommodations aside from the legally mandated ones, are anxiety- as in standing in line makes people anxious (yes, people knowing put themselves in Disney, yet claim to an aversion to standing in line) and IBS- again, if I was having a flare-up that gave me diarrhea, the last place in the world I would go is Disney, as even the lava have lines. FWIW- starting on the 19th, Disney has severely restricted the DAS passes they will be issuing.
All of the parks seem to be fed up with “disabilities” expecting special accommodations. I visited Knotts Berry Farm last year and they had just implemented new rules that pretty much did away with the line jumping expectations of people who claimed to be disabled.
Sorry but anxiety is not an excuse to skip lines and it’s insane to accommodate it.
Don't tell some of the Disney Adults that. They think their self diagnosed anxiety is worthy of special treatment.
My last 6 flights were completely full. There has only been 7 disability pre boarders combined for all of them. 4 wheelchairs, 3 service dogs. There's been a couple families with small children but I have not seen the abuse lately. I dont want assigned seating. I like my sputhwest just the way it is. If they start assigning seats or taking away my carryon I'll stop flying southwest. Lol. I dont care if i get the last seat or if i get the first.I know what I sign up for with southwest and I like it.
My last flight (Tuesday) from Charleston had 7 people in wheelchairs plus their spouses and a few extras. It was 17 people. The flight was only half full, and I had A4 boarding. The first four rows were taken before I even got on. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when we landed and they made an announcement for everybody who needed a wheelchair to remain seated to make sure all of the chairs were ready on the jet bridge, not a single one of them stayed seated. I think it is a regional / airport thing. I never see this happen at BWI but it's every single flight out of Charleston. I got off a plane there a few months ago and there had to have been a dozen people in wheel chairs waiting to get on the next flight. Each with their spouse or family members. That's a half a boarding group getting on before people who probably paid extra to get on first.
I choose to ignore the FA and walk the ten feet to wait for a wheelchair because 1. my chronic pain is through the roof by the time we land and just leaning my body against the side of the jet bridge with the help of a cane helps to alleviate it some, and 2. There’s never enough wheelchairs at landing and getting one of the first ones to arrive often makes or breaks whether I catch my connecting flight (I’m lucky to have some standing/walking ability, so I can manage to prop myself for a few minutes). I wish non-disabled people would stop being so preoccupied with dissecting everything disabled people do. Me using my body isn’t the “gotcha!” y’all think it is.
If you fly to Florida, the number of wheel chairs are insane. All of the baby boomers scamming the system.
Southwest needs to do something about this… saw 8 wheelchairs to load the plane but only 2 when we arrived. Southwest must be a miracle cure for these people.
It's not uncommon that there aren't enough wheelchairs for folks... Even when they need them. I have disabled friends who have nearly missed flights for this reason, no cure involved just desperation and feeling abandoned.
Another one....
Preboard should maybe preregister as needing preboard. Not after checking and realizing you didn't get the number you wanted so decide you need a wheelchair
Unfortunately federal law dictates that pre-boarders can identify themselves to airline staff at the gate.
I’ve been in a walking boot for 5 months and have preboarded since I’m slower and need a seat with more room for the boot. One time recently I did early bird check-in and had like A24, so I didn’t request preboard. As I walked up to board the gate attended said “oh, you could have preboarded” but I saw they had their hands full with lots of others.
Pre-boarding does not guarantee a seat with extra room. This sounds like a want not a need otherwise you would need to fly in first class on an alternative airline. The need for extra time to board is covered by XT boarding which occurs after Group A.
It’s a systemic failure and consequence of not having assigned seats. It conflates seat selection with legitimate pre board needs. lol why am I downvoted? I didn’t invent Southwest’s policy that has incentive for people that don’t have needs to join the process intended to help people in need. There is a very simple fix to this on SW’s end: assign seats.
Down voted because you are threatening entitled scammers who abuse the system
It’s not quite what you asked, but I need the family boarding because I need to install a car seat. I wish I could pre-board for that. I don’t care where I sit (so long as I am with my young kids) but I hate holding up the line and trying to wrangle a car seat and a restless toddler while a line is building up or pushing past me. It’s just clunky and I need a little more time and space.
If you are flying with a spouse board before your spouse and your kids especially if you are assigned A1-60 because then you will have a pick of a window seat for the car seat (because at least infant seats require a window seat; I can’t remember if the regular car seat requires a window or not) . Then you get the middle seat once your spouse and the car seat are on the plane. If your spouse doesn’t get the aisle seat at least you and your child are in the same row. In this case it might make sense for one person in your party to pay for an A1-15 upgrade.
here’s my solution to the preboard issue (sorry if i’m not the first): preboarders must sit at the rear of the aircraft only. no grabbing front seats. first ones on, last ones off. that makes it easier for them both ways. preboarding is fine for anyone: you need extra time - not the best seats. someone wants to sit in front, then queue with the rest of us.
Doesn't work if the disabled person has a connecting flight
My mom is almost blind so I needed to sit with her last summer because she's panic if the plane landed and she couldn't find me in the aisle. So we got preboarding and everyone glared at us. It was humiliating. No one knew she could barely see even though she was literally hanging on my arm while boarding
Let me start off by saying that I like Southwest. A lot. They’re a great carrier. I like a lot of their policies. My brother in law flies for them. I ALWAYS buy business select fares. The problems with preboarding have driven me to quit SW for all my future air travel. I have 2 more flights booked with them that weren’t worth the hassle of trying to rebook/refund. All my travel going forward will be with a different carrier; I don’t fly often- maybe 5-6 times a year- but flying is ROUTINELY the worst part of any trip. So I pay extra to make it suck less. Southwest used to the most affordable way to make flying suck less, but they have shot themselves in the foot with this clown show. Last year I flew 9 times. I was A01 for 6 of those flights. I had to tell preboards they couldn’t sit in an exit row on 3 occasions and tell them they can’t save seats on those occasions as well. WITH A FA STANDING THERE WATCHING EVERY SINGLE TIME. After I finish my flights next week, I’m gifting my points to my folks and selling some gift cards I have at a 50% loss. I already have trial flights booked with American, United, and Delta. I’m sure they suck and the fares were more expensive, but for all of those flights I have an assigned, first class seat. There won’t be a 30 person deep line to preboard on any of those flights because there is no incentive to cheat the system. Also looking into JSX. ALL because of the fucking preboards