Comments

1. The entire wheelchair thing is a scam. Particularly at MIA where ten people seem to preboard with one wheelchair. Start either requiring a doctor’s note or charging $20 and the scammers would stop real quick.

2. I rarely comment on posts but this is ridiculous. Seriously…

   Pre-boarding or using a wheelchair doesn’t mean you are handicapped or that you are scamming. You might need more time to get on or out your bags up so boarding first give you that time. Plus it doesn’t jam up the line mid boarding, which I am sure you complain about that too.

   AND all of the pictures of people in wheelchairs were of old people who definitely need extra time. . What kind of person really has a problem with an old person being able to board first?? Just meep living, you will be old at some point.
   The pre boarders don’t slow up the departure time, they just delay your entry on the plane by 10 minutes. Are you that selfish or prideful that you can’t let others board before you without even knowing if they are scamming or not.

   Come on people, lighten up its not that serious.

3. @deborah sieradzki… When disabled patrons take to long you privileged people get upset because you can’t sit down right away and the plane doesn’t leave on “your” schedule. You are probably one of those who use a handicap stall to take up the place because it’s bigger. The stalls are normally used for handicap people so their wheelchairs can fit in there just so you know. We can’t fit in regular stalls.

   I am completely disabled. I have Multiple Sclerosis and had it for 47 years. Nowadays, MS is at least less affecting a lot of people. But when I first was diagnosed, I got bad rapidly. It is not something I can just walk off. I have to have the help of my son to get me in and out of a chair, to get me on and off the toilet, and to get me in and out of a vehicle let alone a plane seat. I don’t trust the airline employees to pick me up and put me in the seat next to me. I can’t slide. This last time I flew after 14 years I picked an aisle seat very front because I did not want them to have to haul me to the back of the plane. I have my own wheelchair so I don’t need that service. I even had a doctor’s note.

   I wouldn’t wish my illness on anyone and my problems on anyone. I wish I could have that miracle flight so I can get up and walk off the plane. I would just like to stand up and transfer to the toilet and not be embarrassed to have to have my son do it

4. First and last trip for me on SWA Dec 20-24. Tried business select. (aka Business sucker )
   I am concerned about those who post on here their injuries and inability to walk. Tell us, what are your plans if there is an emergency evacuation of the aircraft? Many of you cannot fit through the exit door over the wings. Here is some food for thought- FAA regulation-“all aircraft must be able to be fully evacuated within 90 seconds during certification training”. Oh, I would love to see that drill-

5. I am a prostate cancer patient, and I have just begun requesting a wheelchair for my Southwest flights. I don’t need the wheelchair to actually board, but especially at O’Hare, terminal 5, concourse M, I cannot walk all that distance without having to stop and take several breaks on the way because I run out of breath. I am 75 years old, and my cancer has metastasized to my right lung. I may look like I’m in decent shape, but one never knows what another persons handicaps are. So stop judging, and be kind. Thank you.

6. It’s not just Florida! Any time I am sentenced to purgatory of a SW flight I see at least ten 20- or 30-something year olds laughing in their wheel chair as they plot where they are going to go sit together.

   What’s truly sick and backwards is the gate agents often ask those in wheelchairs that can walk down the jet bridge board FIRST. BEFORE the people who actually need to be in a wheel chair.

   Some people suck.

7. Lying and cheating has become normal in America.

8. These people are shameless! This is stealing from the airline and from the passengers who had paid “advance boarding” fee. That’s how it should be treated. Provide them with all the assistance they require but do it at the end of boarding…after everyone else has boarded and watch how miraculously 99% of these thieves have a hallelujah moment that they can suddenly walk to their seat…hell run to their seat to get the best seat.

   This is precisely the reason why I don’t give my business to low-cost airlines as that business model invites these people.

9. All flights to Florida are called miracle flights. You walk on infirm but walk off cured.

10. It is definitely scam on many folks part. If they stopped allowing the family to board with the wheelchair person, that might help.

11. Jet bridge Jesus has worked his magic again

12. I request a wheelchair. And, yes, I can walk. But I’ve had a lung removed , have vertigo and dysautonomia ( which causes me to stagger. Some days are better than others. Walking while managing luggage is not easy, even a small carryon. And because I hate to take a wheelchair from someone who needs it more, I’ve tried going it alone. This proved disastrous in the Dallas airport. At 88, I consider myself lucky to be able to travel and appreciate that a wheelchair makes it easier.

13. This is the reason we take our own wheelchair when we travel with Mom. She is 88 Years old and need transportation anywhere she travel, because we don’t ask for the service we don’t get special seating, but we pay for it in Advance… I think they should start charging for the service and see how quickly it ends. Charges can be wave if they are elderly, proof of injury of giving a car handicap tag … True story – we had purchased a custom walker for my Mother-in-law who had a stroke and my wife travel with it to Brazil. She was not able to check it in due to insurance not provided by the airline. So she had to take it out of the box and walk it to the gate… She had a carry on and her bag with her as we all travel light. She not only got a ride to the gate but was given boarding priority and upgraded to 1st class. Even after her telling them it was not needed and the story that she walk it in. She felt so bad, but it seems that this wheelchair issue does not happen on international flights to Brazil…

14. Why is there not some sort of verification done? The vast majority of handicap people have placards that they use in their cars. You should be required to present such verification to the airline. Service animals ought to also have some sort of identification of having received specialized training.

15. Hmm. Saying a certain group of people should sit at the back of the plane reminds me of something…. I can’t remember though. 😉 in all seriousness, walking to a gate is a much longer and further process than walking out of the airport and into the parking lot.

    I understand this situation is frustrating and annoying, but please don’t walk away from this story always assuming everyone is faking. Fakers exist, yes. But if you’ve ever needed to use a wheelchair before for daily life, it’s not walk in the park(hehe). Rolling around feeling like a public pariah ain’t fun, people who fake make life for disabled people a lot worse than they do for people who aren’t. It may just seem like a nuisance, but there are not easy answers to this problem without potentially screwing over and actual disabled persons, and getting the airline sued af. Refusing someone a wheelchair also puts the airline in hot water if someone falls or gets injured on the way to the gate after being denied one.

    There are a million moving legal parts to this problem, and I assume it will take a decent amount of time to actually get under control. Id encourage people to not get angry, but maybe just accept you’re annoyed and move on. Rallying around this issue if you’re not disabled can make you look really bad really quickly. Take time to think before you use your words on this one haha.

16. Yes, there are people that abuse the system. However, you can’t judge the entire group as one. I travelled in sept. I do need a wheelchair and i actually was afraid to look up, knowing people were assuming that i was pulling a scam. In my case, i CAN walk, i can’t stand in one place. Standing in lines is not an option for me and i’m 60. So, as sad as my life is, i know people are judging me and it makes me want to throw up. To look at me, you would never know that i’ve had 9 back surgeries. So, assume i’m scamming the airlines. I have been through hell over the past 7 years and i have to worry about being called one of “those people”

17. I am a frequent flyer on SWA for work. Also a passenger who has a broken knee in a brace and cancer patient. I need wheelchair access as I am unable to walk far or stand for a long time. When flying my knee needs to remain straight or slightly bent so it does not lock in. Also for easy access to the toilet. Unfortunately I have to sit in the first row with leg room. I too have seen many passengers who used wheelchairs when boarding and heard some sob stories. But no judgement here. That is the same as being displaced because someone has a dog or a cat that needs room to fly. What if you are allergic to cats and dander? Who has the right to travel?

    I guess we have to be careful as to who we judge. May be SW should request medical certification for eligible passengers using wheelchairs. A better way of addressing this situation, if someone is older and needs transportation to the gate, w/no visible injury, then SW should provide one of those golf carts to transport a group of passengers to the gate. Since they are able to walk down the jet way they can stand in line with the other passengers. There are ways to handle this problem, I believe SW just does not want to address it.

    SW pick out your travelers who use the wheelchair process and ask them what would be the best idea. No need to sit in your tower and not talk to the passengers.

18. I live in a city with a large deaf community, on one flight back SW allowed a large group of deaf passengers with an equally large group of accompanying hearing relatives on the plane first, so those of us who paid for A1-A15 upgraded boarding, business class or Early Bird did not receive the service we paid for, the plane was already half full. Understand that being deaf is a disability but SW either could have 1) seated them all in the back with one of the interpreters working with the flight attendant or 2) refunded the fees that we paid to get seats that were unavailable – that would have been good customer service

19. @George Then SW opens themselves to a lawsuit for charging a protected group. Their disability can’t be charged. The only way is to charge everyone. So although I agree there should be a punishment for the cheaters there will always be some stupid lawyer that sees dollar signs and will go after it. I agree putting wheelchair and families at the back of the plane. You need pre boarding help great then sit at the back . But again some person will complain about them missing flights because they couldn’t get off.

    It blows that a good thing has been hijacked by peeps that want to cheat the system to get better.

    I have a knee brace for a knee that dislocated all the time. I don’t ask for a wheelchair I just get there hours in advance so I can walk slowly to the gate. I pay for early boarding but even then when I get on and go to the back of the plane where I like to sit all the aisle seats are gone.

20. Only flights to an from SJU, BQN and PSE to FL PA NY BWI ATL have this issue I been saying for the las 15-20 years of this miracle flights an as pilot and from the Island upset me seeing this type of behavior once in the late 90s I was FO on the A300 and we operate 10 SJU-MCO flights on this equipment and we had 61 wheelies upon arrival at gate 17 in MCO only 3 used the service everyone else walked out totally heel. To JFK 49 once and 0 used it upon arrival. I always say if you need a miracle on your body you don’t need prayers you only need to book a flight to or from Puerto Rico and I assure you you will be completely healed upon arrival trust me lol.

21. Moving to seat assignments will only reduce the incentive to fake, to the benefit of those with actual disabilities, particularly by freeing up wheelchairs and attendants. (From my own family, I know that those can be late/in short supply.)

22. I will gladly assist the ‘author’ with some sorely needed editing. Embarrassingly poor.

23. We are not going to fly southwest until this DEI IDIOCY is fixed.

24. Why not wheel them out to the back three rows?

    That will stop them real quick.

25. You know those of us who really need preboard are sick to death of you who just want to get in front so they can get off the airplane first! I am disabled and have to wait for YOU to hurry off the airplane so that I can get off the plane. Many times I have had to wait until the whole plane has gotten off before I can get off. And that is not fair to ME. And what’s definitely not going to be fair to me is when Southwest has assigned seats and I will no longer have the privilege of preboard. So think about THAT when you are griping about handicapped people taking up seats in the front. I cannot help it if some people abuse their privileges, but there are those of us who will suffer because of you who are griping right now.

26. This article is spot on. I was opposed to the new SWA assigned seating but am now all for it.
    I never thought about the wheelchair service making the cost of my flights even higher.
    I hope this also stops the people who don’t need the extra room from getting the “free” middle seat too.

    Always thought if you made preboards wait until the very end to deplane it would eliminate the nonsense. Empty all the regular boarding passengers like normal. Then dismiss the preboards. Rescan the preboards as they get off. If they dont rescan, they lose preboard privileges on future flights for a year.

    Also, I’m all for family with small children preboarding, but make them sit in the last 5 rows of the plane. Will give the families that really want/need to together the option without taking the more valuable front seats.

27. I am frustrated by this as well. Have those needing extra time to board at the end. The wheelchairs do not go down the aisle. I have seen too many using this perk to board early and walk off at the end with no visible ailment.
    We cruised with someone for two full weeks. He walked everywhere. Got to the airport, he was in a wheelchair.
    My father lost one leg, then the other later. He could never get service for assistance because so many use it that don’t need it. ☹️

28. Who flies Southwest in 2025 anyways? just move along folks, nothing to see here, another failed Airline in the making.

29. @DEBBIE SILVESTRI So, you hate the scammers too. They’re the reason why you feel uncomfortable using a service you need. To others here STFU, we, except a few idiots, criticize the scammers and feel compassion for those really needing wheelchairs. What happens here, Gary? You post on this topic and some Karen informs her internet friends you’ve posted an anti-wheelchair-user post? So, we get inundated with silly “not all are scammers” posts?

30. Dave W, i’m not quite sure what you’re saying. I hope you’re not calling me a karen and that i’m reading this wrong. The situation actually makes me sad, which is why i bothered to comment. You surely can’t be saying my post was silly. That would seem hurtful

31. This EXACT same thing happened to me. 36 wc-bound in San Juan, 3 when I got off in FL. Pilot said it was the most he’s ever seen. I also paid to for early pre-board, what a waste that was. S.W. just shrugged, said they couldn’t refund me. What an immoral scam.

32. Most of the comments from offended people miss the entire point. No one is talking about legitimate cases where people need wheelchairs. And yes I understand you can’t always tell if someone needs a wheelchair just by looking at them. But those people would also need/use their wheelchair when deplaning. The people using one to board but not when deplaning are doing it for the purpose of getting a better seat, plain and simple (with perhaps a few exceptions but I can’t think of any). So please don’t be offended by something that doesn’t even apply to your situation. Most people are not so heartless that they would begrudge you boarding early.

33. If these people can actually walk then charge them with fraud. Making the airline pay for the wheelchair when they can actually walk is considered fraud. Maybe this BS will stop.

34. Simple solution — if you preboard for a medical reason, then you need to be the last ones off the plane. If you need more time to board, then you should need more time to deplane.

35. Agree with both sides (somewhat), but the truth there ARE a lot of scammers wanting to get a Free seat in front (seen it many times and not just a few). I like the idea of those folks PAYING for a Front seat like the rest of us….OR back of the plane, after the rest of the plane deplanes then they get off. What’s not fair about that? Want a seat in front… pay for it….like most other carriers….

36. it’s not as black and white as some say. as far as having people that can’t walk, sit in the back of the plane, think about it, that’s a long walk for anyone that can’t walk.
    in my case, i can walk a short distance, however, i can’t stand in one place. this includes any lines, anywhere. the airlines puts me in the wheelchair to move ahead of the lines, and if the terminal isn’t too far from the baggage pick up, then i can get off the plane and walk. anyone noticing this will think the worst, but they would be wrong. yep, used the wheelchair to jump ahead of everyone and then walked off. when i talked to sw about my issue, that was the solution that they came up with, and it’s perfect for my problem. no scam. not trying to be unfair. people judging don’t know though, so automatically i’m a bad guy 🙁

37. My wife and I are over 80. We can’t walk the long distances in airports (take that! Dulles). We can get on and off the plane, a bit slower than those who push from the rear. We have been told by airlines that we are eligible for wheelchair assistance. We prefer to walk down the plank to the plane, but are not always allowed to. Last time I tried, a guy deliberately pushed me against the wall so he could get by. I nearly fell. The wheelchair service is very helpful, and most US airports have good service. Barcelona does not.

38. Yeah, I’ll add here that most people in chairs aren’t completely immobile and there’s a lot more standing around and more time involved on your feet in the getting to the plane part than getting off the plane part.

    Say someone who can be on their feet for 5-10 minutes but not beyond that. Actually a pretty common situation. Particularly with WN where you have to line up beforehand it’s just not viable, but even on other airlines with the security lines and all the walking in a larger home airport aren’t going to work, but getting to bag claim in a small airport when there are no lines when getting off the plane is fine. There”re lots of shades of grey in mobility between Usain Bolt and Christopher Reeve.