On a recent flight from BUF-DTW the GA called a preboard for people needing assistance and families with infant children. There were 2 wheelchairs and 4 families with kids under 2 boarding this flight. The first wheelchair and 1 family made it past the ticket counter before it was flooded with FC cabin passengers, some of whom obviously "cut" in front of the second wheelchair bound passenger.

I was appalled at this behavior. By the time the GA called for first class pax to board, there were only 2 of us left. Is the overhead space really at such a premium that we have to bully our way in front of people in wheelchairs and those carrying infant children? Or maybe it was the rush for the pre-flight drink...

Being one of the last FC pax on board in a cabin that was at best 50% full, I found plenty of overhead and was still offered a drink, even after letting the rest of the preboards on ahead of me.

Is it just me, or are the FC cabin pax getting pushier and pushier in boarding these days?

There is never a good reason or acceptabe basis to be rude, inconsiderate of others and behave as described above in this topic.

The fact that a pax has status on Northwest or any other airline does not give them permission to be obnoxious or inconsiderate to other pax.

Those of you that disregard the welfare or other pax have lost your American values/common decency or compassion for pax that have disabilities or handicaps,

Try and show common curtesy.

rc

I never cease to be amazed at the rudeness of fellew pax - cutting in front at the gate (all those elites) - hitting you on the head with the shoulder bag as they pass on the plane, to standing in front of you as you wait for your luggage.

As someone who operated a wheelchair for my mother-in-law for 13 years, I know how they hurt when rammed into the back of some rude jerk's heels

The NW agent should have politely but firmly told those clowns to hold up a minute.

It could be worse, we had to wait a LONG time to board in Kona because HA had to bring some kind of modified forklift up to the plane to get the wheelchair passengers off before they could push up the walkway.

Also, I'm not sure why airlines don't allow families to pre-board much anymore. It only makes sense since children are the most difficult (sometimes) to get on a plane. If they'd get the hard ones out of the way first, the rest would go easy.

I don't know what it is with airports...It's like people check their brains to their final destination at the counter.

Maybe they should bring back secondary at the gate screening again. Nobody wanted to rush to get in line right away when they were doing that. Of course I'm just kidding, but I too think we should wait until called and if they call special needs first then they should go first. However, I usually notice NW agents boarding psgrs. in wheelchairs before any announcements are made. Which is good.

I've noticed the preboard begins with those customers in wheelchairs or with walkers, etc. (I think their politically correct verbiage is "those needing extra time or assistance in boarding".)

I believe only families with infants are included in preboarding as they need time to get baby's car seat set up, etc. (The families that barge up with 10-17 year olds amaze me). Then they move to First class, exit rows, then NW, KL, CO and DL Elites, then general boarding.

I think it's pretty cool the way they include "NW, KL, CO and DL Elites" in the preboard announcement. Anyone know if CO or DL make reference to the other "Alliance Partner Elites" in their preboards?

Edited to add more/clarify info

[This message has been edited by supercalifragilistic (edited 08-24-2003).]

One of the "problems" in pre-boarding is the way the various GA handle the situation. In NRT it seems very dis-organized....and in some areas, a GA is more forceful in expressing her/him self in such a manner as to aleviate some of the difficulties. If the GA "whispers" and simply walks around holding up a small cardboard sign...it seems to signal some rude people to "charge ahead"...I think their script should be uniform and stated more forcefully: i.e. "WE ARE NOW PREBOARDING THOSE IN NEED OF EXTRA ASSISTANCE - OTHER PASSENGERS ARE REMINDED TO AVOID BLOCKING THE GATE AREA....ETC. ETC. ETC." Some GA simply whisper the details and go through it so fast - I sometimes wonder what language they were speaking! The GA need a little refresher and some uniformity... (just my opinion and observations)

The best way to pre-board wheel chair pax's is with no announcement. The GA quietly approaches them before hand and lets them board 5 minutes before any announcement over the public address system.

SunLover

I don't think this is even an airline issues. Americans, more or less, have lost all respect for their fellow citizens. People basically treat each other like dirt most of the time now.

My personal "favorite": Taking off their shoes and resting their feet up on the bulkhead in front of row 1. Did someone's mommy actually teach them that at home?

If people wouldn't stand (read crowd the jetway entrance) in front of the jet way and let other through, a lot of this could be solved, I think these people who are not currently boarding are as rude as the ones who cut the line

While there are certainly disgustingly rude first class and elite travelers, as described above and as I have also seen myself, let's not get carried away assuming this trait is limited to or even more prominent in these groups, compared with non-elite coach travelers. The biggest reason I try and fly up front whenever possible is because I find the people up front generally MORE polite and courteous, e.g., they are less rowdy, less likely to put smelly feet up on the back of your seat or let their kids kick it, and less likely to be sloppy in the bathrooms.

And as for Americans getting more impolite, they may be getting ruder on an objective scale, but relative to some other airline travelers, e.g., from Asia or some third world countries, I'm not so sure Americans are worse. Ever see a boarding scene on a wide-body flight headed for China, where it seems everyone feels they have to instantly crowd around the gate to press on board even though only special needs and first class have been called? Or how about the crowds in some Mexican cities, where even the concept of a "line" appears to be a foreign concept?

To me, the key benefit of accruing miles is to help get away from a lot of the rudeness and crudeness often (though not always) seen in coach.

Funny how things change so quickly...

I remember after 9/11 when the airlines were finally free to fly the skies again how courteous, friendly and polite everyone was, even for several months after the attacks...I thought IF there was anything good to come from the tragedy...we had become better people, looking out for our fellow citizen...now it's back to the "all about me" attitude. I see the same thing in deplaning an aircraft and was actually screamed at a couple of weeks ago when I asked a lady to wait a moment when stepping off the aircraft so that we could get a wheelchair passenger turned around and headed up the jetway...I was dumbfounded someone would be so inconsiderate.

Welcome to the (Rude and )Lazy States of Amerika