On one Southwest Airlines Tampa flight, 30 passengers boarded early and got better seats for free because they said they needed wheelchair assistance. Then they walked off the plane and all the way out the terminal themselves on arrival. They didn’t all need a wheelchair, but cracked a code. It’s always the Florida and Puerto Rico flights!
Typical @SouthwestAir flight to Florida! I counted 30 pre-boards needing wheelchair assistance. When we get off the plane 28 of them walk off! @FAANews @FlyTPA @FoxNews @cnnbrk @MarkWilsonTV pic.twitter.com/YHprcho55Z
— Brian Hudson (@BocaHudson) December 29, 2024
Southwest lets passengers pick their seats on a first-come, first-served basis. You board earlier if you buy the most expensive tickets, if you’re a frequent traveler, or if you pay for early boarding. Or if you fake the need for a wheelchair.
- That’s why Southwest Airlines has more wheelchair passengers than any other airline.
- It drives up the airline’s costs (they pay for the wheelchair service!) and cheats other customers out of better seats. Those higher costs also mean higher average airfares.
- And it makes a tremendous spectacle: the “Jetbridge Jesus” flight where passengers come on with a wheelchair to get the best seats, and miraculously walk without any assistance when the flight is over.
- This is terrible passengers who really need wheelchairs, with people who don’t need them taking up the scarce service. Those with a real need are forced to wait longer.
Typical @SouthwestAir flight to Florida! I counted 30 pre-boards needing wheelchair assistance. When we get off the plane 28 of them walk off! @FAANews @FlyTPA @FoxNews @cnnbrk @MarkWilsonTV pic.twitter.com/YHprcho55Z
— Brian Hudson (@BocaHudson) December 29, 2024
Of course, this will all change in the first half of 2026, because Southwest is moving to assigned seating. Wheelchair passengers may board earlier but it doesn’t get them better seats.
@SouthwestAir 15+ preboards. These all walked on. Fix this please. TPA 9/17 1650 hours. Check the video. Abuse of privilege. pic.twitter.com/2hkni1Z5T8
— Fred Vollinger (@fred_vollinger) September 17, 2024
That’s also going to be a huge help with misbehaving passengers. Right now when law enforcement comes on board the airline doesn’t know the identity of the problem passenger. If there are more passengers on the plane than there are supposed to be, you don’t know who is supposed to be there and who isn’t. If a passenger in a specific seat is causing problems, you don’t immediately know who it is. If a problem passenger doesn’t identify themselves, you need to take everyone off and reboard them to know who’s still on the plane.
This is also going to mean the end of seat saving. No more claiming 13 seats for your group or using a bag of donuts to claim a whole row of seats, and the ensuing conflict that comes from taking more space than your ticket allows.
With one simple change – assigned seating – Southwest will solve many of the problems that turn boarding a Southwest Airlines flight into an exercise in game theory. While I’m one of the few that actually likes part of how Southwest does seating today (but not lining up at the start of boarding), I don’t see the change as all good.
A friend shares a not-uncommon sight from Puerto Rico:
55 "handicapped" during pre-boarding, including 25 wheel chairs
On his return flight, 15 used wheelchairs to board, only 1 to deboard pic.twitter.com/gHgIsnzsq7
— Bachman (@ElonBachman) February 19, 2023
Another flight on @SouthwestAir, and I’m happy to report being witness to more miracles. These poor souls came seeking a flight, and instead were healed. 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Always grateful for witnessing the miraculous healing power of flight. pic.twitter.com/7TCYn2T6BB
— Dave Ruminates (@dave_ruminates) April 5, 2023
It’ll help Southwest’s bottom line, and not just on the revenue side selling premium and assigned seats. Wheelchair services are costly. This is going to save Southwest at least $30 per wheelchair passenger. Multiply that out across every flight and it’s the unexpected reason that Elliott Capital turns out to be right in pushing Southwest Airlines to assign seats.
Same story……different day! Same story……..different city!
People should have to pay for wheelchairs.
Those people that abuse the system should be placed on a NO FLY list.
I was an airline captain and saw it happen often, once even had a stretcher
placed across first class seats.
SW should move up their plans for assigned seats to this October. Got to stop those Florida bound snowbirds from miraculously walking on water as they deplane during late 2025.
that the days of this non-sense are numbered.
it’s not too late for WN to prohibit preboarders from taking seats forward of the exit row if their boarding position is less than B30.
In September 2023, I flew on a business select ticket between TPA-SAT, and my boarding position was A1, but at least 30 people boarded ahead of me. This included a group of 10 who bullied the gate agent to allow them to board early because they had “small children” (who were not in strollers and able to board on their own). When I contacted WN, their response was that many handicaps are not visible, and their gate agents are instructed not to question pax who request to board early. My response to them was, “So you’re telling me that I should pretend I have a handicap instead of buying a business select ticket. Got it!”
From that day on, I’ve only flown WN when I needed to get somewhere nonstop.
Christmas miracle!
So typical Florida
It sounds like either a miracle flight or something medicine should study. Maybe a televangelist could announce his or her healing powers.
Seen same problem at IAH and UA. The additional problem is that the wheelchair bound person may have several “family members” who tag along . At least they all have assigned seat BUT delays boarding and same mirical happens on arrival as the mostly walk off!!!
Herb Kelleher cut a deal with the Vatican. Miracles are cheap at SW it’s part of the DNA. Especially Florida. Even more Especially the Villages. If it is a choice between seeing an orthopedist and flying SW SW wins everytime
Easy fix. Wheelchair passengers must all sit in middle seats in last 20 rows.
WN should also utilize the free checked bag policy….if you MUST use a wheelchair to board, you MUST check your bag!
This is typical behavior for ANY flight from ISP to any Florida city. I was a customer service agent for several years at ISP before relocating, and have witnessed this almost every day that I was working the gates.At times passengers flying to West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Tampa would “line up” in the gate que before the flight BEFORE theirs boarded and left, in other words, effectively blocking the passengers from lining up for the flight before theirs. Unbelievable rude behavior.
Do these fake wheelchair users know what disgusting, despicable and useless people they are? An ordinary person would be ashamed of themselves. These people have no shame. I would like to see one of these fakers leave a comment here to explain why they engage in such gross behaviour.
Entire families boarded on the Delta MCO DCA-9 wheelchairs and 28 “attended to help the one person”
This also happens on all Emirates/Qatar/Etihad flights from the US to the respective hub cities in the middle east. you’ll see SCORES of people boarding with wheel chairs then nobody using them to get off. Similar demographic age wise, but more people going to / from the subcontinent. IT’s always a miracle! Lol
Do wheelchair users deplane last? Seems only logical.
I’m one of those pre-boarders, only I don’t use a wheelchair. I have one leg and use crutches. Do I always need to pre-board? No. Yes, it does give me some extra time to get down there. But the other reason I do is because I need a place to put my crutches, and you’d be surprised at the lack of space with all the baggage up above. So, I pre-board, grab an aisle seat, and place my crutches up above, but when someone comes along and eyes the area above me, I tell them that I will gladly move my crutches so they can place their bag there. I then place my crutches back in so I can get them if needed. 95% of the SW FAs understand me doing this, and I am careful handling them, ensuring they don’t fall out when the compartment is opened. Only a handful of times have I had an “argument” with a power-hungry FA who has wanted me to put my crutches in the back, behind the luggage, so that they won’t fall out. The problem is, no bags will fit very well, and I can’t get the crutches, which are “my legs” if I need them. So, that’s why I pre-board. Let me add that I’ve been on these crutches for almost 47 years and have been traveling on business for about 30 of those years.
I do agree with most of you, though. Many DO NOT need to be in wheelchairs but take advantage of the rules.
Simple fix but it will NEVER be done. Charge $100 each way if the person uses the wheelchair upon arrival then the $100 is refunded (in the cases when its used to by pass TSA or get on 1st, no way will they wait till everyone else got off before getting off) otherwise they lose the $100
This will also make sure that those who NEED a WC wont have to wait forever for 1 since all the others are on a jetway waiting for the passengers who walked off on their own and cant leave till everyone has gotten off to make sure their party isnt still on the plane
Lol. I see this all the time coming in from international flights. Passengers act like they need a wheelchair so they can cut to front of lines in US customs. They clear. Then once outside walk from then on. A joke. Need to change procedures so a true medical, Drs note needed for proof. Like a service dog.
Here’s the DOT Reg: (No wheelchair needed: ) Airlines must allow a passenger with a disability who self-identifies at the gate as needing additional time or assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment, or be seated, the opportunity to board before all other passengers.
Except, an airline with an open seating policy has been approved by DOT to accommodate extra-time passengers after an initial group of passengers have boarded, but early in the boarding process.
I have a disabiilty that prevents me from walking well or for distances, and yet when I fly WN I buy business select. I am not “that guy.”
– Sometimes the jet bridge to the aircraft at the source airport is longer than at the destination port. For example, boarding at KLAX or KLAS is a long trundle, and yes I have a wheelie case. However, when I get home to KTUS it’s a short hop off the jetbridge. Someone with less “walk in their step” would likely board with a wheelchair, but be able to exit without assistance.
– Some jet bridges have armrails all the way “up” so if you can steady your gait by holding on there’s no need (for me) for a wheelchair. In contrast some have partial or no rails,, so I can either go slowly and hold people up OR wait for the bulk of the crowd to go forward OR use a wheelchair. If there’s a connecting flight involved with a short timeframe there are not a lot of choices.
– Peopole get frustrated when they are being “held up” by us slowpokes. A wheelchair changes that equation.
– The last time I used a wheelchair was at the Port of Vancouver where they had us snake in zig-zag lines for two hours. After about an hour I could hardly stand, walk, stop, stand, repeat. That’s when an alert young lady asked me if I needed help, and I put all those reasons above (and my ego) away and said yes. Best ride ever.
^^^ “Herb Kelleher cut a deal with the Vatican.”
roflmao
At the very least WN should require people who embark using wheelchairs to disembark the same way.
It doesn’t matter if they are on wheel chairs or not. They will simply pre-board under there “Anyone with disabilities or needing more time to board” group.
It sucks, but no way to stop it without violating ADA law, really. Are they going to challenge people as to how disabled they are and if they really need wheel chairs?
If SW fliers are so upset about this, fly a different airline.
Now let’s talk about Fluffy the “service” animal . . .
We used to see this all the time going to Las Vegas. Wheel chair on, walk off and run around the casinos on foot. Cheaters all.
Here’s an idea: Don’t fly SouthWest and don’t visit Florida. Problem solved.
Make them sit only in the rear and force them to wait to deplane until everyone else gets off first. Simple solution. It’s just a safety measure. Don’t like it, walk on board.
What still amazes me is that Southwest can’t implement assigned seating, and earn the revenue it would provide, until 2026! I hope they survive long enough to implement it.
The person who actually counted and posted is a dbag and so is Gary for using it as an article.
You have no idea what people are going through. I have a friend who does this exact thing. They have Lupus and don’t know when/if they’ll have energy for a full airport walk because of flair ups. If they feel good when they get to the airport, they’ll walk and take wheelchair off plane as they have it already designated on their ticket. Sometimes they’ll do reverse. Again, those judging are typical aholes.
Gary,
Your unrelenting disgust toward the disabled and your unwillingness to understand that, though some may scam this system, that’s not why they “walk on” or “walk off.” For the most part, people who ask for wheelchair service can walk, they are not quadriplegic. Reasons for using a wheelchair to navigate busy, crowded, rough airports are: breathing difficulties, frailty, dementia, heart problems, recent surgeries, etc. I, myself, am visually impaired and, although my white stick helps me in most cases, it’s very dangerous for me in airports because people kick it out from me, let their children run under it, won’t give way along walls, etc. When I ask for assistance, a wheelchair is what they send me. Since I CAN walk, I do walk when I board. I do pre-board because it’s difficult and frightening to be visually impaired in that chaos. When we get to the destination, I walk off and find the wheelchair that is waiting for me. This is normal. Only people who cannot walk the few steps to board actually use a wheelchair to board or deplane. One day you, if you’re lucky, will be an old man. One day, if you’re like everyone else, you will not be everything you are today and will need this kind of help. I hope people show you exactly the same contempt you have shown us in this column.
I always say Southwest flights are miracle planes.People get on handicap but yet can run off the jet way after it lands
It is insane to even post this sort of no sense. I would prefer to never need assistance. Some airports are very, very large and the amount of walking is too much for my body. I have tried and been sick for days. Other airports are smaller and manageable for me.
Why is this post here with this derogatory viewpoint in the first place. Are you simply not bright?
Can you imagine the confusion on these miracle flights once the assigned seating starts. All the people with front row and emergency row seat assignments having to potentially deal with the early boarders and their families. Wouldn’t want to be a flight attendant on Southwest for the first few weeks/months. Hopefully Southwest will make announcements at the gates letting passengers know this but, most people aren’t paying attention and honestly, there are many times that you can’t hear them or understand them due to many factors.
Let the fun begin!
As I’ve said before:
It should be a crime to fake a disability. Jetway Jesus deserves a one-way ticket to a correctional facility.
Airlines should be allowed to require proof when there’s suspicion or likelihood of fraud.
In the immortal words of Lizzo, “About D*mn Time.”
In a civilized society, Southwest’s old boarding scheme might work. But the US circa 2024 is not that society.
They have to reconfigure over 800 airplanes for the assigned seating, that doesn’t happen overnight.
magas from the Villages
That’s why they call the Southwest Florida trips “Miracle Flights”.
It’s a MIRACLE
All of the “handicapped” senior citizens flying to Florida on Southwest are cured once the flight arrives, and seemingly walk as fast as they can to make it to the next car key swap night at The Villages…
The distances people walk to get to gates, after being in long lines for check in, makes it impossible for elderly unsteady people to walk that far. The ramps going on to planes is now longer, and the crowd pushing to get on usually causes a stumble. Getting off, the same thing happens, sometimes worse to get to baggage claim. You never know the pain or trouble someone is experiencing. To ask for help is humbling. Having an assigned seat helps, but walking is slow for me, I usually get pushed there too trying to get in my seat.
We are a diverse population, I think if more respect and courtesy was shown to the struggling person things might be different.
People realize there will be no consequences for many immoral or illegal acts they perform. Others will see they can get away with it without punishment, and act the same. Society is circling the drain…
Vote with your $$. Simple solution is to never, ever fly SWA. I certainly don’t. It’s like going to eat in the ghetto. Why would you do that?
I would simply apply the rule both ways. If you board with a WC and get on first, you will have to wait to get off the plane and get on a WC to exit. Let everyone else go and then bring the WCs for those remaining. I realize there are legit needs for the community but this seems to be more than one bad apple. When50%+ do it, it is a problem for everyone.
I flew Southwest once. No assigned seating is a complete no go for me. Flying is bad enough as it is.
I see this ALL THE TIME flying Southwest out of Midway in Chicago. It’s the more convenient of the two airports for me but I’ve been migrating over to ORD a lot more lately for this very reason. Why am I shelling out an extra $100-plus for Business Class when the cheaters cut the line with their fake disability? In fact, a March trip coming up in a couple of months is the last Southwest ticket for me until the seating policy change takes place. I’m tired of being aggravated by these people!
I am kind of old (67) , I carry a cane when I travel by air because my back hurts if I stand a long time. It is very nice to board early, but I always have an assigned seat. It is cheating a little, for my convenience. I don’t think I have flown SWA. My goal is to get off my feet and get an overhead bin before they are all full.
I agree WN is a terrible airline service period, especially for the disabled. I need a wheelchair as I can’t walk 45 minutes to the gates that are miles away or stand for long periods of time. I have two total knee replacements and four autoimmune diseases.
Southwest has broken my wheely walkers on three separate flights really screwing me for my trip and I have to replace them. I am now always bring crutches instead if I fly with them. They have attendants put me down in front of other passengers on different flights before about being disabled which is completely illegal.
I have had Southwest never come with wheelchairs when it’s time to deplane. Making us wait sometimes hours and have even been left in corridors for over an hr because there was no one to push the wheelchair.
I travel alone mostly leaving me completely unable to get through the airport. If anything elderly and disabled should always be able to board first and people with kids and the rest of the entitled people can pay more who aren’t disabled as they have no idea what disabled go through on a daily basis of pain, discrimination and jerkoffs who don’t understand what it’s like living with a daily chronic illness.
Until it happens to them. I believe in karma and all who wrote dumb comments about being disabled will one day be put in the situation and then realize how ignorant they truly are. Hopefully Southwest goes out of business soon enough. I watch their stock drops constantly. They are known as South Worst for a reason. Watching their stocks drop often and they are always having problems. Putting down the disabled is the least of their problems. You want a decent airline fly anything but frontier and Southwest.
Those who speak derisively of the wheelchair users are missing so many variables. As someone noted, invisible disabilities require assistance at times. The packing, leaving, travelling, early arrival, check-in, etc is exhausting for those of us with limited energy. The distance to the gate and amount of people will also factor in. I can’t walk the distance in Fort Lauderdale but after resting on the flight, Islip is no sweat to walk off. I’m young. I can barely move most days. I have back braces, pain patches, a cane & a dear husband who helps me get where I’m going. Some do not. “Judge not lest you be judged.”
This is an age old problem dating back to my Pan Am days. Not only did they walk off under their own power, they took the silverware with them. Now, at least, there’s no silverware to take.
I was boarding one day and the gate attendant told the people in wheelchairs- if you can walk, please do because I am not pushing all 30 of you in the jetway. Everyone but 1 got up to walk.
I might fly Southwest a few times right after assigned seating is implemented just so I can kick a scammer out of my seat.
What I will say here will be called racist, even though easily verified by going to Hobby (Houston) and observing at any gate, any flight, any day. Here goes – I fly Southwest out of Hobby Airport routinely and, without fail, the majority of those sitting in wheelchairs waiting to board are of one race, plus their able bodied family members. I see this month after month, year after year. Don’t believe me? Just go and watch. And where do they sit? They take up the majority of the seating of the first few rows. Hopefully this blatant seating scam will end when Southwest assigns seating when booking. These same people will find a way around this for sure, but it will stop much of the blatant seating scam that they have utilized.
I sprained my ankle when I was running for a flight at BWI. I tried to prop it up waiting at the gate, but I assumed it was just a strain. By the time we were boarding, I couldn’t get my boot back on because it was so swollen. I asked for a wheelchair to get to baggage claim in New Orleans, because there was no way I could walk that far. It was excruciatingly embarrassing to see all the dirty looks I was getting. When I came back for my return flight the next day, I deliberately took the ankle brace off and exposed the gruesome looking ankle wound thinking maybe people would realize that I was legitimately injured. I had called ahead to notify Southwest that I would need assistance and I got the last available wheelchair. When I got to the gate, there was already five wheelchairs waiting and two of the people kept getting up and walking to the restaurant down the concourse. They walked just fine.
Every one of them should be forced to wait for a wheelchair to deplane while everyone else gets off first on penalty of a $100+ fine payable to Southwest before they’re allowed to board any other WN flight. That’d stop a lot of them in their tracks.
It is called “ The Miracle at 30,000 Feet”.
I fly regularly. Multiple times a month or more. My employer provides us the option to choice which airline to fly as long as it is within policy. I have flown Delta, United, American, and Southwest all within the last 2 years alone.
I REFUSE to fly Southwest unless I have to. Even if they do provide a companion pass after 100 flights.
I experienced this in Baltimore and Detroit. It’s a story I tell often when I talk to others about flying. Some people love Southwest and I honestly don’t understand why. The whole process is like herding cattle onto a cattle trailer with a smaller herd in front all trying to get on.
I’m supportive of those that need it to have the extra time to board. However, these cattle abuse the system. What happens? Your regular, and often very loyal business travellers are pushed away. And attract the pathetic cheapskates looking for a cheaper flight and a better seat.
Until Southwest changes and enforces a better policy, I won’t fly then again unless I’m desperate.
I fly Southwest a lot! Over 80 segments this year alone. In my experience this year, the wheelchair using passengers average 3 per flight. I have had 2 flights with no wheelchairs at all! I had one flight with 8 wheelchairs. It isn’t something to be concerned about, really, unless you have control issues or like to complain. As for others who are not in wheelchairs who preboard, that is between the airline and the passengers, and thankfully the other passengers have no say in that. They will still be able to preboard once assigned seating takes effect. I suggest that if you really don’t like the way Southwest operates their airline, there are other airlines for you to choose from.
Most of the flying public is trash
That’s why after 10 years as an A List Preferred I will avoid SWA at all cost.
@Deborah,
Take the greyhound.
Or at least have the decency to tak a middle seat in the back of the plane. If you need favors or special treatment, return it.
Bless your heart
This whole thing is bogus because @Mark here hasn’t seen it.
80 segments y’all. That’s 90% of all segments flown by LUV in the whole year, right? Right?
Bless your heart, Mark
@Deborah. I would have imagined that you’d be at the front of the list of people condemning the cheats. As someone who needs the help, you risk being judged because of the large quantity of cheaters. I have no hesitation judging cheats and criminals, and what strange self-help book did that “lest you be judged” thing come from?
@gary, you have a serious problem, quit worrying about crap like this. It’s clear you fly WN now since that’s where your obsession currently lives. It used to be AA but you’re pretty silent on that front now
I flew as a Flight Attendant from 1972-1991, many of those trips up the FL-NYC-FL corridor. We used to call them, “Miracle Flights,” because so many W/C pax were miraculously able to walk after arriving in FL!
I get what most people say here. I need wheel chair to the gate but am able to walk about 10-20 yards fairly easy but then my knee, which will get replaced in February, starts locking up. I don’t need the chair to get off the plane, I need it at the end of the jet bridge to baggage claim. That being said, standing long in lines and waiting adds to my issues. If Southwest just did assigned seating I wouldn’t pre-board but I need an aisle seat to minimize any need to crawl out of my seat to use the restroom if/when needed.
I quit flying SW due to so many Southwest Miracles. Before that became common they were my favorite airline, esp with a hub at BWI. After they do assigned seating, perhaps I will try them again. I used to get roughly one flight free for every eight – wonder if that’s changed…
My solution thought was let them board first, BACK OF PLANE ONLY, and everyone gets off before them. I had a LV flight we ith 36 wheelchairs and accompanying “helpers”. That was half of the 737 700.
I’ve flown Southwest 400+ times with my wheelchair daughter. They are by far the best airline for helping and handling her chair and changes due to medical needs.
It’s funny how everyone without a wheelchair needs think they know what’s best.
First, my daughter can’t walk, but I can carry her to the first or maybe the second row. Any farther and everyone will be waiting 20 times longer because we will need to use an aisle chair in the middle. We’ve never left on time with other airlines because of this huge delay but we never hold up a Southwest flight.
Second, saying we need to wait to be last is punishing her for being born disabled. We usually wait until the end, but if we have a tight connection, we need to get off like everyone else and I’m thinking you only want me to carry her 1-2 rows instead of holding up many more if we are towards the back.
And you probably don’t even know that airplanes don’t have accessible bathrooms so she has to hold it and again I promise I’ll do everything to help her off as fast as possible. Again, you don’t want her toward the back.
I agree Southwest has a huge problem with liars, cheats, and thieves! But, I worry this will only hurt those fully dependent on wheelchairs.
PS – I call it the Mile High Miracle and I’ve been waiting 25+ years for my daughter’s miracle.
Southwest does not push or provide wheelchairs, so they are not” late” to pick u up at the gate. The wheelchair companies. Provide this service and charge the airline.
You’ve not heard of hyperbaric therapy?
Planes are pressurized to 6000 feet.
I have a hard time walking the distance to the gate.
I would be happy to get assistance to gate .
I could then walk onto plane and sit … wherever.
The problem I have is when connecting to my next flight, there is no wheelchair waiting on the gangway. Therefore I have to walk to my next gate which sucks because I suffer from Large Fiber Neuropathy due to 2 bulging discs in my lower back. (L4-L5 and (L5-S1). Yes, I am disabled and have the handicap symbol on my driver’s license.
I don’t understand why the airlines/airports don’t have wheelchairs waiting at the gate when the manifest says how many wheelchairs are needed.
I fly in April and October. This year, I’m flying in March and September. I hope it won’t be as difficult this time.
I’m an aircraft engineer in Las Vegas. This is actually quite the norm. Ir really makes the wheelchair attendants and gate agents mad.
What a disgrace and insult to passengers who really need wheelchair assistance. I unfortunately needed it for a while due to an injury and often long waits . When I read about other passengers abusing the system, I can only hope they get fined or banned from flying.
Ok, how about the “children under 2” who, along with their whole villages, board early. Is it microplastics that causes facial hair (need to shave) in toddler
It makes sense they would need to bring all the provisions necessary for the village to survive the winter in carry ons.
I have an adult daughter with cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability. She needs to board first so that she isn’t jostled which makes her fall. She also needs to take her time walking down the uneven jet bridge. And time to get settled into a seat. I like my husband to sit with me so that I have an extra pair of hands when dealing with her. I hate to see people taking advantage of this because it only makes it harder for Those of us who really need it. I hope that they aren’t going to ruin it for the people who really do need it.
Just came back from Cancun last night and saw that pregnant women also fake and abuse this to get better seats. They are super healthy and perfectly capable of walking, why should they be allowed to prepared? Another abuse like HOV lanes.
My wife and I fly FL to PR frequently. We now set bets of how many wheelchairs. The one closest to the actual number get to buy the drinks.
I fly SWA one time in 1995 and vowed to not give them a penny until they got rid of their ridiculous boarding policy.
They have single-handedly created the current ‘gate lice’ problem.
Now that they are moving to a civilized boarding model, I will be returning to SWA just to see how their regulars handle it.
@david r miller, your observation isn’t racist, only the assumption that it is limited to the one race that you observed would be. I am a black woman and, like you, I have observed this phenomenon happen with entirely one race – and it wasn’t us. It just depend on the departure and arrival cities.
Because I travel almost weekly for work to various places I get a more representative sample and thus have seen the bell curve while you likely have only seen one outlier or another. As a nation we have to stop assuming that our experiences constitute a norm and begin to understand that with experiences and exposure comes deeper understanding.
Just have people in wheelchairs bored when their zone is call and no more pre.Boarding.
It sounds like a new kind of Mile High Club.
The magical healing powers of flying. I see it all the time. They get a wheelchair and get off without one truly a miracle. They should be handed a bill for wheelchair service when they get off without the chair. That would quickly put an end to the nonsense. Getting a wheelchair should require a doctor’s note. I used to get on early because I paid extra now paying to get on early is not worth it.
It’s usually the severely obese who game the system and “hog” the better seats by faking a disability to pre board. It’s disgusting.
Posting about preboarding abuse on Southwest is a guaranteed way to stimulate engagement and comments without adding anything of value to a post. I guess it’s best to get all of this in before Southwest goes to assigned seating and ends the clickbait material, at least until there’s a new current thing to rage about. ChatGPT could probably write the comments all by itself, since they generally are nothing more informative than:
1. “I fly Southwest gazillion times a year and this never happens.”
2. “I fly Southwest a gazillion times a year and this happens every time because of ___ (insert minority group or ethnicity here).”
3. “I’ve flown Southwest a gazillion times but never again.” (As if readers of this blog and WN management care).
4. ” Hilton is the best hotel chain because I always get late checkouts, suite upgrades, and sumptuous banquets because of my lifetime Diamond status. I don’t care that this has nothing to do with Southwest. G’Day.”
There are obviously people abusing this policy, but a whoooooole lot of commenters have never so much as talked to someone who uses mobility aids in their daily life, and it shows. It is, in fact, EXTREMELY normal to have different requirements for different situations, which boarding and deplaning are. Boarding requires a lot of unpredictable standing and walking. But when you’re getting off, you can just stay seated, wait a handful of extra minutes for everybody else to get off, then walk entirely at your own pace, while not delaying your exit from the plane for an amount of time that would be significant for anyone without an extremely tight layover.
Not to mention, airlines are absolutely awful about accommodating anything outside an extremely short list of disabilities (and even those they do poorly). Need an aisle seat because you have a history of life-threatening blood clots? Tough shit, pay extra. It’s extremely hard to begrudge people who have to game the system because of a legitimate need for specific seats that can’t be addressed any other way without being financially penalized.
I agree 100% with the problem pre-boarding wheelchair passengers first has caused on Southwest. I am glad to see someone else is paying attention to the problem. However, some of us are truly handicap and need assistance. I travel with my OWN scooter or wheelchair and I ALWAYS preboard before ANYONE in a airport wheelchair! Why? Because the airlines can tell I truly have mobility issues otherwise I wouldn’t have my own chair. I flew out of Hobby airport once without my own chair and was treated badly by the wheelchair people! People can’t see that I have mobility issues until I try to walk! They see a normal looking person who should have no problems! Bottom line is the airlines have to find a way to weed out those flying and trying to use services for handicap people who are not handicap!
Took a Southwest flight last week, it was ridiculous the number claiming disabilities. I was number 4 to board and there was 20-30 preboards, most just walked on. They showed no shame. I am a firm believer in Carma. It will bite them in the butt one day. It is also a problem with other airlines but not as bad by far. I’ll wait for the assigned seats before I take another flight with them.
My father needs a wheelchair because he can’t walk long distances. He will take a wheel chair from check to the gate. Sometimes he walks down the ramp sometimes he has them roll him down. When they arrive how long he uses the wheelchair depends upon how far he has to walk and how he is feeling.
I have used one once, after knee replacement. I could walk slowly and short distances but not fast or long. So in the small airport I started in I walked to the gate because I had lots of time. In CLT I used a wheelchair between gates because of the distance and time.
I boarded early other times after knee and hip replacement because I wanted to minimize people bumping me as it would have caused me a lot of pain.
So be careful who you are thinking are cheating the system
I am one who is disabled and cannot walk or stand long. I have seen people who abuse the use of wheelchair boarding which hurts the one who really need it. But this assigned seating will hurt people like me who can’t walk to the back of the plane. I always carry a letter with me for my disability
Why not require they use a chair to get off and wait until.all other passengers get off
The best way to solve this is all wheelchair passengers are the last ones on and the last ones off. Oh, and they have to sit at the very back of the plane, you know, in case of an emergency so able-bodied persons can evacuate ahead of them due to their inability to walk during an emergency.
This happens on 80% of flights, there should be a service charge of $20, and if you use the chair the $20 is given back to the passenger. This would stop some of it. The best way is a bye from a doctor, but this is illegal according to yo the American disability act.
I’ve noticed flights to Las Vegas are the same. Lots of wheelchairs to get on but none to get off. I will no longer take a layover in Vegas because of this.
On a flight in Midway I noticed a women with a carry on, a dog in a carrier and a large purse sitting in a wheelchair waiting to board. They announced they would pay 650.00 dollars to anyone to give up their seat. She jumped up grabbing all her belongings and dog yelling it’s mine. She was cured for $650.00. It was a miracle.
The number of people defending this fraud by such a broad assumption of good faith is utterly hysterical. Are all people wanting wheelchair assistance in boarding faking it? No. Are all of them being honest? No.
Assuming the defenders in these comments are themselves serious, they should be equally if not more frustrated. As noted, the faked are negatively impacting the quality of service for those who legitimately need the help. I saw it myself on a recent flight where folks in wheelchairs were left waiting at the gate due to a lack of staff.
You know a lot of these people are faking it. Stop excusing it.
It’s funny how some people claiming legitimate, limiting disabilities are saying they hope nothing changes. I am not against wheelchairs boarding first but I AM against them automatically getting all the first seats. I pay for bigger, better seats but by the time I get in they’re all taken by wheelchair users. Our last flight to TX had 18 wheelchair and there were 17 coming back. Once the free seat policy ends it will be amazing to see how many people can actually walk. I am a physically challenged army veteran but I refuse to use take a wheelchair over a truly needed individual. I’ll get there early and take breaks as I walk to my terminal. Bottom line, you can use a wheelchair but you have to pay for a better seat just like everyone else.
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.
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.
@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
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-
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.
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.
Lying and cheating has become normal in America.
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.
All flights to Florida are called miracle flights. You walk on infirm but walk off cured.
It is definitely scam on many folks part. If they stopped allowing the family to board with the wheelchair person, that might help.
Jet bridge Jesus has worked his magic again
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.
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…
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.
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.
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”
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.
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
@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.
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.
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.)
I will gladly assist the ‘author’ with some sorely needed editing. Embarrassingly poor.
We are not going to fly southwest until this DEI IDIOCY is fixed.
Why not wheel them out to the back three rows?
That will stop them real quick.
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.
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.
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. ☹️
Who flies Southwest in 2025 anyways? just move along folks, nothing to see here, another failed Airline in the making.
@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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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….
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 🙁
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.
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.
kevin
thank you, what you said is exactly what i have been saying throughout this conversation. i can walk a short distance, which means i can get off the plane in a smaller airport and walk.
however, i can stand for a minimum of 5 minutes so i need the wheel chair to board. you are so right, there are a lot of shades of gray. unless you know each persons situation, judging shouldn’t be allowed. if it’s not an obvious disability, you’re labeled a fraud. me, being self conscious, can’t stand that thought.
Why do wheel chars skip the TSA line? That makes no sense at all!
Just wow. Clearly there is a lack of understanding when it comes to real handicapped people who are unable to walk. Make us pay a fine for needing a wheelchair? We already pay thousands for our wheelchairs which on every flight I take they add more damage to it. I have missed several flights because the policy is, first to board last to get off. Board last? Sure until you see the tiny aisle chair they use to move us down the aisle, Hitting almost every other seat. Ban a caregiver from boarding to help? Would you want untrained people picking you up and moving you from seat to seat? Grab the wrong spot and a dialysis catheter gets pulled so so bleed to death on the plane, sure that works. FA are not trained for that, which is why we fly with someone who is.
Doctors note? Like no one has ever forged one of those. To get a handicap plate for my $90K wheelchair accessible van to carry my $60K power wheelchair I had to pay extra and my doctor had to certify my disability. Maybe airlines can require pre-certification of disabilities. But at the end of the day it only adds more costs to people who already have mountains of medical bills and costs just to live as normal a life as possible.
If all wheelchair assist requests had to deplane last like they make us real handicap people it would help.
dan,
i think wheelchairs skip the tsa line because they board the plane first. that way the employees get them through and up to the door where they board before the lines form. i mean, that’s all i can think of. well, also, in some cases, the disabled person needs somebody to help them from start to finish and i suppose you can’t have an airport employee standing in long lines with them if they’re traveling alone. they also need help at the security point putting their things in the buckets and taking off their shoes, in some cases, so they would need somebody with them. i’m just throwing out ideas here so that it makes more sense. and the disabled do get treated a little special because they are disabled, which is kind of okay. being disabled is awful.
Those commenting criticizing the report here have never been on a SW flight. The majority of individuals are abusing the service provided. However, the solution is quite simple: for security reasons, all passengers who require wheelchairs should be seated at the back of the plane. This will give them more time to disembark. Let’s see how many ask for a wheelchair.
for security reasons?? a lot of passengers requiring wheelchairs would have difficulty walking the length of a plane to sit in the back. because there are people who beat the system, doesn’t mean the truly disabled should be made to do things that they can’t do. because there are people who beat the system, doesn’t mean the truly disabled don’t deserve respect. people that aren’t disabled have no idea what a walk the length of an airplane can do to a disabled person. for some, it can cause enough pain to destroy the next two days, not to mention the swelling. people that suggest putting the truly disabled in the back of the plane have no clue what they are suggesting these people to have to deal with, because of the bad apples. it’s called empathy.
We always get a wheelchair assistance request for my father while booking the tickets online. My father always has to request a wheelchair assistance at every airport we go to whenever we fly because of a complex 2 day surgery he had to have back in 2019 and it limited his mobility since then. He also has to use a walker and a cane as well to walk but it can only be very short distances since he cannot handle long distances and stand for a long time. At the Tucson airport, we often see a wheelchair parade of a large number of passengers using wheelchairs. Most of them clearly looked like they did not need them because they were able to walk well without any assistive devices. We actually wrote a complaint letter to Southwest Airlines about this wheelchair scam issue and the response was absolutely fatuous and inane…”under FAA law, we have to provide wheelchairs for those who need it.” One time when we flew into the LAX airport, we had to wait for about 10-15 minutes for a wheelchair to come to the gate for my dad to use while deplaning because many other passengers were using them.
I know that Southwest is planning to assign seats next year. But the problem is if you purchase a ticket that’s at a very cheap price, you cannot select a seat of your choice until the day before your departure. They should do what United airlines does… allowing you to select seats once your purchase your ticket. But here are other few ideas to consider… how about requiring a doctor’s notary for using a wheelchair? How about imposing a fine for those who abuse the wheelchair system? How about reserving a section of seats on the plane that would be specifically for handicapped passengers only? Public transportations reserve sections of seats for handicapped and disability only. From my understanding, handicapped passengers are not allowed to sit in the exit row seats. My father never chooses a front seat or exit row seats while preboarding because he feels bad for passengers that paid for business select. He only chooses about 6 rows back from the front seat. At the LAX airport, there is a lounge at the Southwest Airlines check-in section and it’s exclusively for handicapped people. I saw a man get turned away when he entered the lounge because the wheelchair assistance employee told him it’s only for handicapped people and he clearly wasn’t even handicapped at all. Seriously and overall, wheelchairs at the airport should clearly be only reserved for REAL handicapped passengers or for people that really need them.