Preboarding - Enforcing your stated rules and regs

[creaves]

Sharing yet another example of blatant disregard of the preboarding process.  Your rules and regs state preboarding passengers need assistance on AND off the plane.  This gentleman clearly did not have any physical limitations whatsoever.  His wife audibly stated that "they shouldn't be doing this".  The flight attendant on this flight was even perturbed and told me directly that she has friends who stopped flying SWA and stopped closed their SWA credit card b/c of this. The extra time boarding b/t A and B groups are where the vast majority of these passengers should be boarding and even then they are likely not needing any extra time.  Why won't you simply enforce the rules on your site as written?  It does not take a trained eye to identify those that do not qualify for preboarding.  

[dfwskier]

Southwest must follow the FEDERAL RULE :   anyone that claims a need to preboard must be allowed to do so -- no questions asked.n

[creaves]

“Federal Rule“?  No questions asked?  These statements alone make it clear you have zero idea what your talking about. 

[dfwskier]

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@creaves wrote:

“Federal Rule“?  No questions asked?  These statements alone make it clear you have zero idea what your talking about. 

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pot--> kettle --> black

Perhaps Mr. Einstein should read the Air Carrier Access Act before uttering nonsense.

[parpitt1 · Accepted solution]

The answer is right in the guidance memo from the Gov't:

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Preboarding%20Notice%20Final_0.pdf

"In the revised final rule published on May 13, 2008, the Department expanded the preboarding
requirement to cover not only people who need a specific seat assignment or who need to stow
their personal folding wheelchairs, but also to cover passengers that “need additional time or
assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment, or be seated.” For a passenger to be entitled to
preboarding, that passenger must self-identify at the gate as being a person with a disability that
needs to preboard for one of the above-listed reasons."

Pre-boarders may be asked to provide "one of the above-listed reasons" All gate agents need to do is ask the question appropriately without violating HIPPA and not prompt or provide the valid reasons. If the potential pre-boarder don't know the reason they need to pre-board they don't pre-board. Pretty simple. 

[JameGumb]

This is patently untrue. SWA must make a reasonable accomodation. That it all. Nothing more.

[floridaguy]

...over the ocean blue...

[parpitt1]

BTW posting pictures of folks on Forums is not cool

[DancingDavidE]

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@parpitt1 wrote:

BTW posting pictures of folks on Forums is not cool

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Agree - the post although I don't agree with all of the points is allowable - the picture maybe should come down @CarlyeThornton ?

[CarlyeThornton]

Agreed. Photo removed.