Originally Posted by
LegalTender
They're boarding ahead of virtually the entire plane. Having the "assistant" sit next to the disabled person is not unreasonable.
But guidelines plainly don't work in open seating.
Not unreasonable but won't always work so you can't require it.
Originally Posted by
toomanybooks
Requiring the assistant or the pre-boarder to sit in a middle seat would solve all this nonsense in a second. Literally no one would object.
A third of the passengers could pre-board and everyone else would be guaranteed an aisle or a window.
No one would object other than the disabled person or their assistant. But to you they are second class citizens so what do you care?
Originally Posted by
jamesteroh
And if someone is preboarding because they need to I have no issue with it. But their entire family shouldn't be preboarding with them and the person boarding with them should take the middle seat. If they need assistance to getting their seat they are probably going to need assistance from that person going to the lav or deplaning.
I agree the entire family shouldn't but if the preboarder is mom, and dad is the assistant, then the young kids can't really board on their own. Preboarder and one adult should really be the rule.
And to address the previous two posters as well as you, the preboarder may not be able to sit in the middle seat. It's all they can do to get to the aisle seat with as little pain as possible. So their assistant has to sit in the middle seat first and leave them standing in the aisle? Or the preboarder has to get up first without assistance because their assistant is in the middle seat and can't get out to help them until they stand up? Many times the assistant needs to sit in the aisle seat across from the preboarder so that they can sit down after the preboarder is seated.
Originally Posted by
jamesteroh
I broke my femur a few years ago and couldn't weight bear for a few months. While I didn't fly during that time period, if I would have flown on WN and had a companion preboard with me (which I would have needed to stow my bag) I wouldn't have had an issue at all asking him to sit in the middle seat or me taking the middle and him an aisle.
Fortunately I didn't have to fly until after I was walking without an assistance device and until I was fully recovered I didn't chose an exit row on any flight.
And I know people needing assistance also suffer as a result of people abusing the system. There were several times when I was on crutches I couldn't find a handicap parking space or had to wait on a cart at a store.
Oh, poor you. Many people preboard and their assistant isn't simply there as a valet. As far as parking spaces and carts, try sitting there waiting and thinking "this is how it will be for the rest of my life" versus "in a few weeks I won't need this".
Originally Posted by
Tizzette
The idea of requiring those accompanying the preboarders to take a middle seat is a good one; also the idea of requiring preboarders to get off last. If the reasoning behind preboarding is some people need more time, obviously they need more time to get off as well. I see the folks being met with wheelchairs waiting in their seats until everybody is off. But many folks who arrive in a wheelchair find themselves perfectly able to depart on foot.
It's not that they necessarily need more time, it's often that they need a seat at the front so they only have to walk the minimum distance from the door of the plane. And again, making them wait to get off is fine if you can convince the two strangers in the middle and window seat to also wait until the end. But I can't see many people willing to do that, especially if they have the attitudes of some of the posters here.
I'll say this as respectfully as I can. The four of you don't have a clue and it's sad that you are not seeing the bigger picture and can only image how you would deal with things. You are not seeing how people with real disabilities deal with things.
Lastly, if you look at WN's policy for preboarding, it doesn't actually say that it is for people who need more time. It says it is for people who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability, need assistance, or who need to stow an assistive device. I believe that if you just need additional time, you are supposed to board after the A group and before family boarding. Whether or not gate agents actually stick to that is another matter. I think if they did, it would also cut down on the abuse.
However, punishing those that truly need it by requiring middle seat or last off is not the answer.