dgparent

Nope they don't. The one thing that bother me, I usually fly AA, is that they allow everyone on the same reservation to board with the disabled person. Not sure if they do this on SW. One time at LAX they called for preboarding and 9 people boarded with the disabled person, 9 I counted !! Even the GA was like ....

LegalTender

An announcement I've never heard.

Calling out "the disabled" on a PA is not tactful.

joshua362

Likely it was "wheelchair passengers". Made almost every time I deplane and ignored by 90% of "them". I understood his point just fine.

justhere

To some extent it doesn't really matter on airlines that have assigned seats if the entire party boards. IIRC they do that even for non-preboarders if people in a group have different boarding group numbers.

On WN it is supposed to be the preboarder and one assistant. Whether that happens is up to the GA. I've had it happen both ways.

mile ho

Count me as one who believes the only way to curb the problem is if you pre-board because of a 'medical' issue, you should deplane last. If it's really about needing more time to board then that shouldn't be a problem.

It wouldn't keep everyone from scamming, but it would stop some and deplaning for the rest of the pax would be expedited.

Also, 7 dogs on my flight from BOS to DAL Dec 26.

Talk about scammers.

jamesteroh

Delta also allows everyone on the PNR to preboard. It can be a big deal with bin space when it's a group that is carrying on everything but the kitchen sink and you have a gate agent that doesn't enforce the carry on limit or you have a flight attendant that doesn't say anything when they throw their stuff in the first FC or C+ bin they come to because they don't want to carry the stuff to the bin above their seat. Especially in cases where the gate agent doesn't clear the upgrade list until the middle of boarding.

InkUnderNails

I once flew out of Nashville after the conclusion of the national VFW convention. So, yes, it happens.

lexdevil

It's not just about needing more time to board. When I broke my ankle I pre-boarded on Southwest so that I could get a seat that would accommodate my boot. An aisle seat with the aisle on the boot side was helpful. Bulkhead was best (Exit row would have been sweet, but the boot made me ineligible).

I also appreciated being able to get a seat near the front, as the boot was large and made it awkward getting down the aisle. And standing for extended periods of time was painful. Despite this, I always declined the wheelchair because I hate being dependent on others (just like most people with disabilities). But given that I did get seats near the front so I did not have to take extra time navigating the narrow aisle, why should I have had to wait for folks in row 24 to exit before I could deplane from row 1?

On other airlines with reserved seating I could call in and get disabled seating, which gave me access to seats I could not select online. There was no need to board early to get an appropriate seat.

I totally get the frustration with folks who feign disability to gain an unfair advantage. That sucks. But trying to prevent this by adopting policies that are punitive to those with disabilities is terribly unfair. Your argument is that in order to stop scammers from taking advantage, we need to make being disabled even more disadvantageous than it already is.

Tizzette

The point is a disability should not be disadvantaged, but it should not be an advantage either. I often see people who need pre-boarding because of a disability choosing to stay seated upon landing because it would be difficult to cope with the horde trying to deplane as fast as possible.

lexdevil

Given the seating shortage I see at many Southwest gates, I would not be surprised if some disabled folks who would be happy to walk on choose the wheelchairs because there is no other available seating near the gate.

Lots of disabled folks can walk and prefer to do so, but have difficulty standing for extended periods of time. If they can deplane quickly without getting stuck behind folks who are taking ages to extricate their bags, or who are barreling down the aisle toward the back of the plane to retrieve luggage, they can do so under their own steam.

I guess you don't have any patients with Lupus, RA, or COPD.

What's shameful? You have no idea WHY they boarded early. I said exactly the same thing when I boarded early because I had a broken ankle. It was a great benefit. And one I was entitled to.

lexdevil

I agree that it should be their choice. And if they choose to deplane with others in their row, they should be able to do so. That is not an advantage. It is equal treatment.

lexdevil

Instead of being resentful of the accommodations made for disabled folks, how about we save the outrage for the times when they are stuck on the plane waiting 30+ minutes after everyone else has exited because the wheelchair never showed up? Based on my experience, there may be a good reason they choose to walk off if it is at all possible. And being forced to make that choice should not mean that they should also have to stand on a long, slow boarding line and take a seat that is not appropriate to their needs.

Tizzette

Honest question. If physically able to deplane equally as everybody else, why not board like everybody else?

ehallison

I flew a lot in 2016 (mostly AA with 3 Southwest flights). I don't remember a single flight that didn't have at least one dog; many had 2 or 3. At least there was only one poop-in-the-aisle incident that I know of.

lexdevil

You are overlooking the fact that part of the reason that they can "deplane equally as everybody else" is that early boarding allowed them to get a seat near the front of the plane. Were they forced to sit in the back of the plane, they might require assistance.

There are a number of reasons for this.

1. Some folks can't walk as far as others, but they are fine for short distances. They may have COPD or any of a number of other conditions that affect their stamina. These folks need to board early to have a shot at seats near the front of the plane. On an airline with reserved seats, they would not need to board early to get these seats, but on Southwest they do.

2. Some folks are okay walking a reasonable distance, but cannot stand for prolonged periods of time. They need to board early in order to avoid the sometimes long wait on line and in the jetway. If they sit near the front of the plane, they do not experience this long wait as they exit the plane. I was definitely in this group when I broke my ankle. I even had to ask for a chair to sit in rather than waiting on line to check bags. I also know folks with back problems for whom prolonged standing is a real problem.

3. Some folks are able to walk, but experience severe pain. This is definitely an issue for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Yes, they may be able to board like everybody else, but if they have to go to the back of the plane you are requiring them to experience a lot more pain than necessary. That's just cruel.