Here’s an underrated problem that will be solved once Southwest Airlines finally moves to assigned seating next year. We already know that it will end seat savers and wheelchair cheaters. But that’s not the only effect.
@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
Without assigned seating, Southwest passengers want to be on first so they fake the need for a wheelchair – keeping those who actually need one waiting for the service. And they one member of a party boarding earlier than the rest will guard seats, place things on them, and do their best to save them for others boarding later (or put crumpled tissues on the seat next to them hoping it stays free).
But an underrated problem is not always knowing who is on the plane, or who is in which seat. Assigned seating is going to help the airline – and law enforcement – know who is where. I didn’t think of this as a problem until an FBI agent pointed it out to me earlier this year.
Here’s one example,
Flying from Chicago to Bozeman and we had a full flight which ended up being 1 person to full. Turns out someone got on the wrong flight that was going to Vegas through Bozeman instead of the direct flight to Vegas. The flight attendants knew there was 1 too many but had no idea who it was. At first they made several announcements for everyone to check their tickets to make sure they were on the right flight No one fessed up and then they made every single passenger show their boarding pass and ID until they found the person and kicked them off.
When a passenger causes problems and the airline gets law enforcement involved, they don’t initially know who the passenger is based on where they were seated.
When too many people board a Southwest flight, the airline doesn’t know who the extra one is – without checking passenger-by-passenger (or offloading the whole aircraft and re-boarding).
Both of those things will change when Southwest moves to assigned seating.
So now we know the real reason for going to assigned seats: to help out the police state.
I think it’s a great thing. I’ve seen the pictures of the crowd of people with wheelchairs so they can get on first. I can just imagine how people who HAVE to use one for every day living feel about that… And over 30 people lined up for preboarding who really should not be preboarding. That happened on almost every flight I was on. That’s why I stopped flying Southwest. What’s the point in calling in 24 hours in advance just to be near the middle of the plane because of the excessive preboarders?
The wheelchair fakers will still be around as they still get to preboard. The difference now is that they won’t get seats in the front, without paying, and “save” seats for the rest of their lowlife clan.
The real reason is to root out those who committed fraud by claiming to be disabled and are not. Just compare how they boarded before the change over and after the change over (with all airlines) – report to authorities.
Two stories:
* We were on a flight from DAL to BUR and continuing to SFO. During the stop at BUR, there were two more people who remained on the plane than expected. FA made multiple announcements and no one fessed up. They then had to send a gate agent to check everyone’s name until the two people were identified.
* A friend was fling WN and a man next to him was watching homosexual porn! He filed a complaint later but the reply was “well since we don’t assign seats, we don’t know who it is. Here’s an extra $50 LOVE coupon.”
I’m so happy for the upcoming change; as an A-Lister, I’m very tired of watching all the pre-boards who don’t belong in that line getting on first, much less in the front seats I prefer…….
Why wouldn’t a scanner as you are about to board catch the passenger who is boarding the wrong flight ?!
I am 6’4”, 300 lbs, a former athlete with two knee replacements and one hip replacement. I also have Myasthenia Gravis which makes it very difficult to walk.
I use a wheelchair to get to the boarding gate. Once there, I get out of the wheelchair and walk on to the plane and get seated asap. When we land, I walk off the plane usually hauling myself up the segmented jetway by the railings and then almost fall into a hopefully waiting wheelchair. I do this to not hold up other passengers boarding and boarding. I could easily insist on being wheeled right down to the doorway of the plane.and doing the same thing when getting off the plane. At age 78, this would be much easier for me.but I do not do it. So all of you keep in mind many, if not most, wheel chair users are not faking it.
@jns. What a dumb thing to say!! I bet you believe in fairies and Jewish space lasers too..,
As somebody who flies Southwest multiple times a month It will be interesting to see how the wheelchair crowd deals with this, but as someone who buys the extra seat every time I hope that in trying to curb that that I’m not swept into the nonsense of changing the seating policy.
I buy the extra seat and often pre-board though I never take the first few rows of seats, I hope sincerely that my ability to fly comfortably for my livelihood isn’t taken away because some hedge fund jag off wants to make a few extra sheckels for his third house or because for some reason the FBI needs to know who’s sitting in what seat.
@Terry as Chrissy Tiegen infamously said when her flight to Japan had to return to the US due to a stowaway, “the boarding pass scanner is just a beedoop machine that makes beedoop noises that register to nowhere”
It is ALWAYS a small minority of abusers that screw up a working system that has been in place and working for decades.
@Kenneth Simpson. Only flight I flew had a bunch of people getting wheeled to the gate. Normal for handicapped. Layover for two hours. More than half walked around the food court and souvenir stands. Time for flight. All of them are in the wheelchairs again. Only realized it because most had very unique shirts with family or pets painted on.
I qualify for handicap if just barely but like you, I try not overusing the services.
COPD is a respiratory disability. My 80 year old husband has COPD, and a plethora of other medical issues. He can walk but it kills him to walk the long distances through the airport without wheezing and stopping to catch his breath because of oxygen deprivation. You cannot “see” his disability. Wheelchairs make it possible for him to get through the airport. A cane makes it possible for him to board and disembark the aircraft, as do cars make it possible for us to travel. I am grateful for these wheelchairs because my husband is able to travel with me.
Some airlines in Europe have had my husband sit in the window seat, as opposed to the aisle seat. This is probably so the other passengers can get out in case of an emergency and they can assist the disabled person, where as the disabled person most likely won’t be able to assist and hold up the evacuation process. That practice should be implemented across all airlines, not just at the emergency exit rows.
You underestimate the determination of entitled people, my friend. They’ll find another way to get what they want.
@Kenneth Simpson: Guess you haven’t heard of the jetway Jesus.
Many need wheelchairs? Funny how they don’t need them on arrival . . .
This crap didnt happen when peopke were honest with themselves and their fellow passengers.
Not all disabilities are obvious. My husband is 95% deaf so we preboard so he can find his seat and get situated. He depends on me to be his ears.
Of course people abuse the system, at the same time not every disability that is plus mean preboarding is necessary precludes any walking at all. It could just mean they can’t walk very far so trekking through the airport is out, but from the gate to the plane door is fine.
There are many different types of disability. I have recently had to begin wheelchair service due to a neuromuscular disease. You look at me and would say – she’s not disabled. But I am. I can’t walk long distances without my legs giving out and falling. The wheelchair service has been a life saver and it allows me to continue to travel. I do still try to do much as I can myself and generally can make it slowly down the jetway on my own. I do that to retain some sense of independence. There will be a time where I will have to give up travel. But until that day I will continue to use the services offered by the airlines. I would happily trade my wheelchair preboard needs for a body that is not deteriorating day by day.
Listen to yourselves, dissing wheelchair users just because you can’t see their disability. Yes, there are cheats, but there are also many people who, like me with severe arthritis, who cannot walk long distances or stand for interminable periods of time because every step feels like multiple serrated knives digging into my knees. But you’re perfect and iit will never happen to you.