Actually, I believe that Southwest makes pre-boards come to the counter to get some pre-boarding card.

The wheelchairs obviously OK, but the families with small children is kind of useless... 9 times out of 10, when FC boarding is called, the families are still at the end of the jetway folding their stroller, and otherwise getting things organized. So the FC pax usually get on the plane before the families with babies anyway.

I used PB flying home after brain surgery. I don't remember much about the flight but I do remember being in a wheelchair. I don't guess I looked disabled but I sure felt it.

The other time was on WN. I had come down with a raging bladder infection. A couple of cxl flights had caused a big backup of pax at the gate area and there was no place to sit. Hubby got me a PB so I could snag an aisle seat near the front lav.

I would have gladly boarded dead last and taken the middle seat between 2 sumo wrestlers that had just eaten their weight in bean burritos than have had that "issue".

I've noticed that Zone 1s board with SkyPriority boarding now. They usually call Zone 1 before the line is empty, so it works out for them :\. Really annoying for red-eyes though, since people are really aggressive about getting on the plane early.

+1

My SEA-LAX segment that I got a VDB on was in full, unrestricted F.
I got $400.
The vast majority of pax on that flight when I went to the gate were from elsewhere (YEG/YYC) and some O/D traffic that also drove down from YVR.
AS made some people gate check bags for a fee.

Actually, this is B.S.

It's the entitlement thing: "I am a PM/DM and am therefore entitled to board with FC, even though my upgrade did not go through because I always fly on a dirt cheap coach fares."

I see it weekly on my FLL-ATL trips: DM/PM's who crowd the boarding area and who board with F, even though they are actually sitting in Economy Comfort or in regular Coach. These folks also like to try to use the F overhead bin space and enjoy using the F LAV :rolleyes:

It's pathetic.

That's why they should copy another airline that makes it easy to get upgrades on Q/N/O fares.
99% of the time, those are the fares I fly.
CX has more variation, 62% V, 19% L, 8% M, 9% K, and 2% I.
AC I fly T/L/K fares.
DL I have only flown L/U/T.
AS I fly T/G/K.
WS I have been on X, D, P, L, G fares.
Award space is almost always on Z.

Uptick in Pax Abusing Pre-Boarding?
 

I too have noticed a substantial recent increase in the readily apparent abuse of pre-boarding. I expect it will get worse and worse unless Gate Agents make some effort to curtail this practice.

Yes, they do, but ANYBODY who presents themself at the counter and asks for a preboard card is given one. No one is denied.

I sometimes get an early upgrade on my second segment, but not on my first segment. Both boarding passes say zone "PREM", even if the first flight is on a CRJ100/200. Which zone should I board with on flight #1?

Board with the zone indicated on the BP.

I totally misunderstood the title of this thread
 

I thought there was an uptick in abusing passengers during pre-boarding. Imagine my disappointment when I started to read the posts.

So, we all "regular" pax will get tired, complin a lot and the airlines will use that as a reason to be "carry on Nazis" and start charging for carry ons.....,

It's not that the gate staff needs to be re-trained. DL needs to cut down on the amount of zones to two. F and Y. No pre-board, no SP, no AMEX, no children, no elderly, no absent minded, no service monkeys, no intoxicated, no fisheye, no blue pants, no nothing, just F and Y.