Passengers are requesting wheelchair assistance at the airport even when they don’t need it, in order to get priority all the way through the journey. Not only don’t they have to walk through the terminal, but they skip security lines and they board the plane first too.
When they get to the plane, suddenly they can walk. They’ve been healed! The phenomenon is often called “Jetbridge Jesus” because it’s a miracle on jetway.
✈️ When miracles happen at 35,000ft pic.twitter.com/iGv2HRdP0A
— True Patriot (@gen_z4961) January 21, 2026
In the U.S., no airline accommodates more wheelchair passengers than Southwest. If you’re in a wheelchair, you board first. And the earlier you board, the more seats you get to choose from. Wheelchair passengers just aren’t supposed to sit in an exit row. But assigned seating comes January 27. We’re just days away from Southwest becoming a ‘normal’ airline with fake wheelchairs.
Seriously @SouthwestAir? There are more than 25 pre-boarders on my LAS-AUS flight. Just because you get a C on your boarding group shouldn’t mean you can cut the line. pic.twitter.com/ni0RGVPdq4
— Steve Stauning (@SteveStauning) November 15, 2025
It still happens at other airlines, even when it doesn’t get you better seats. There are up to 120 wheelchair requests per international flight on Air India. 90 wheelchairs are common. Data suggests that 30% of Air India passengers flying to the U.S. and U.K. request wheelchairs.
Data from early 2025 shows that nearly 30% of passengers booking Air India flights to USA from India requested wheelchair assistance. On February 19, for instance, Air India’s nonstop Delhi to Chicago flight had 99 wheelchair bookings for almost one-third of the passengers on board. On March 20, the airline had to cater to a whopping 90 wheelchair service requests for passengers scheduled to travel on the Delhi-Newark flight. Precisely, Air India alone processes over 100,000 wheelchair requests every month from passengers, domestic and international.
Air India says 30% of passengers on India-US flights ask for wheelchairs.
Most are able bodied travelers scamming the priority boarding system.
Real disabled passengers get left short.
— Bruce (@bruce_barrett) November 15, 2025
Passengers who request wheelchairs when they don’t really need them hogs available wheelchairs and staff time pushing those chairs. People do it selfishly, though, because it means:
- Guaranteed bin space near your seat. For many once-a-year travellers with big carry-ons, “my bag is right above me” feels like a huge win.
- The whole entourage boarding with the wheelchair, so 3–6 family members board early too. They can get kids settled, claim overheads for multiple bags, and rearrange seats before the cabin fills.
- Avoid standing in a packed jetbridge.
- No long walking distances in the airport.
- No long waits at security, either.
Requesting wheelchairs remains about converting the airport day into a half-baked VIP meet-and-assist product for free. Either that, or there really are miracles happening inside of airports every day.
Since airlines foot the bills for airport wheelchair service, I wonder how much this expense increases the cost of each airline ticket?
It is totally out of controlled and being abused. You have to also wonder how much this is costing airlines. Those attendants do not work for free.
On every single flight I see deplaning I see wheelchair attendants coming up with an empty chair.
My solution it should be required that people either provide a doctor’s affidavit that they are unable to walk that distance OR in lieu of a doctor affidavit incur a $25 fee for the service. That would stop the fakers right away because they won’t spend even $25 to support their con. And yes for the truly disabled and elderly this really sucks that they would need to go jump this hoop. But that’s where our society has devolved to.
Easy fix…I would board them last. They are not in the rush and i would always check in their bags if.they use wheelchair service.
I would even offer free bags for them but nothing larger to purse would be allowed with them on board.
The solution is simple. Board all wheechair persons first and seat them in the rearmost seats on the plane. Upon landing, all other passengers are allowed to deplane first, then those who were sitting in the rear of the plane deplane last. That will stop this bullshit.
Flying Qatar ATL to DOH there were at least 80 wheel chair passengers, nearly all were Indian
So… I’m about to request wheelchair assistance for the first time in my life. Flying to LHR from the US, and it’s a VERY long (>1 mile) walk from gate to curb or train platform. I can walk, but I have pretty bad knees and spine at this point, a lot of pain, and I need to protect my body for the rest of the trip, especially after such a long haul flight. I’m on UA with assigned seating, so I’m not really taking anything away from anyone else. I fly SWA a lot too, but in those airports I don’t need a wheelchair because they’re smaller and I’m A-List Preferred, and now with seat assignments coming it doesn’t matter. To be clear, I don’t need assistance getting down the aisle to my seat, but I do need the ride to the plane door. And yes, I see this being abused all the time too, but I’m just saying that SWA aside, you don’t know what someone’s limitations really are, so don’t be so quick to judge.
There is an easy solution: a $50 charge refundable when the passenger sends in a prescription for the wheelchair assistance from their doctor
….. or $200 in Bilt Cash (if they follow Gary’s advice they should have plenty.)
I like the word “jetway” better than “jetbridge”. Jetway Jesus is my preferred term. That being said, I can see the possibility that I will not be able to easily walk the ever increasing distances at the airports in the future. There really should be a better transportation system for those challenged by walking the long distances to the gates. Maybe oversized versions of the golf carts that you have to jump out of the way of every so often. Properly done, that should reduce some of the requests for wheelchairs.
I just wonder if the people making some if the suggestion realize that their suggestions could cause a hardship for those of us who actually need to use the wheelchair system?
I get the frustration as I also have been very frustrated about it myself, but harming those who actually need to use it is then HARMING people who are actually DISABLED!
I agree the simple solution would be requiring carryons to be checked and only allow a personal item under the seat for meds, etc. only. And they board last….when the aisles are clear. Also, the wheelchairs wait in the regular line like everyone else. It would be a bit of a workload management initially cuz people realize they dont get priority anymore……then the numbers will shrink….
This will solve a lot of the abuse.