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Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

Amanda218
Explorer B

I think if a list and a list preferred admitted they were chumps and having preferred boarding on southwest is stupid the problem with solve itself and people could pre-board as needed

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

LindseyD
Retired Community Manager

@Amanda218

 

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Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

dw0427
Explorer C

A few suggestions:

 

  1. Change the questions the GA asks before giving out pre-board.  Current policy is way to broad.
  2. Only allow family boarding if the person is disabled / wheelchair bound, etc.
  3. Allow family boarding like everyone else at the end of A boarding instead of with able bodied pre-boarders.

Anyone can make up an excuse but SW can do a better job of weeding out the obvious offenders.  

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

dfwskier
Aviator A
Solution

@dw0427 wrote:

 

Anyone can make up an excuse but SW can do a better job of weeding out the obvious offenders.  


No it cannot. Federal law specifies that if a passenger self identifies as needing to preboard, then the airline MUST accept that as fact. The airline is prohibited by the same law from asking passengers the nature of their disabilitles.

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

chgoflyer
Aviator A
Solution

@dw0427 wrote:

A few suggestions:

 

  1. Change the questions the GA asks before giving out pre-board.  Current policy is way to broad.
  2. Only allow family boarding if the person is disabled / wheelchair bound, etc.
  3. Allow family boarding like everyone else at the end of A boarding instead of with able bodied pre-boarders.

Anyone can make up an excuse but SW can do a better job of weeding out the obvious offenders.  


 

Family Boarding is at the end of A (before the B group).

 

Family Boarding is intended to help families get seats together, it has nothing to do with Preboarding. If a person is "disabled / wheelchair bound, etc." they can utilize Preboarding.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "like everyone else at the end of A boarding." Other carriers have assigned seating and don't utilize A/B/C groups, and many allow families to board first, before other passengers.

 

 

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

dw0427
Explorer C

I meant pre-boarder whose families board with them.  I know how general family boarding works. 🙂

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

spacecoastbill
Frequent Flyer B

@dw0427 wrote:

A few suggestions:

 

  1. Change the questions the GA asks before giving out pre-board.  Current policy is way to broad.
  2. Only allow family boarding if the person is disabled / wheelchair bound, etc.
  3. Allow family boarding like everyone else at the end of A boarding instead of with able bodied pre-boarders.

Anyone can make up an excuse but SW can do a better job of weeding out the obvious offenders.  


No, they cant.  Its a large reason that there are so many preboard fakers.... but there really isnt much SWA can do about it.

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

mfcarothers
Explorer C

SWA knows that this is an issue. I have spoken with a couple of their pilots that have admitted that more and more people pre boarding is a concern. It's a tough one to solve since disabilities are not always obvious and honestly is not always a moral imperative.

So here is a thought, require all persons requiring pre boarding to be loaded onto the airplane via a wheelchair. Just like a hospital requires people leaving to use a wheel chair. Second allow the passengers starting with A1 to push the passenger down to the plane. That way both people with disabilities and people who have paid an additional price, get on the plane first.

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

Edmondson1
Explorer C

I'm trying to find out if anyone who is truly in a wheelchair knows how boarding works if you have no feeling from waist down. This will be my 1st time since my accident. I dont know how it works. ANYBODY that can help me i would really appreciate it. I also don't have a regular wheelchair. Its the size of a regular wheelchair but its electric and weighs about 50 lbs

Re: Solution for South Wests Preboard nightmare

AnnaBear
Explorer C

Aside from the legal issues, you have no idea why people pre-board.  I get to put up with horrible looks because I "must be faking" because I don't look disabled.  You CANNOT always see a disability.  Rest assured if I could turn back time and NOT have that car accident, I would.

 

I don't pre-board to sit in front (the chance of me sitting before row 8 is almost zero).  I also almost never take bags that need to go overhead because lifting them is more likely to hurt me than not.  I CANNOT sit in the very back, where the seats don't recline. 

 

I look for a very specific seat against the wall where the wallboard is out right at the headrest, not indented into a window (I don't even care if there is a window, I just need the wall), preferably on the left side of the plane since that's my injured side.  I NEED this seat on any flight over an hour, because almost assuredly my back and neck will start spazzing uncontrollably and I will be in excruciating pain without some support and something to lean on.  I will go as far back as I have to in order to find one of these seats.  

 

The reason I fly southwest is solely because of the open seating.  If I buy seat "15A" on X airline, the chance of the window being in the right spot is less than 5%, cannot predict it because of the large number of plane variations. 

 

I understand some people take advantage of this... I used to judge too.  I don't any more, because I know what it's like being on the other side.  It's NOT a walk in the park.  You get judged by other passengers, and you get harassed by overly zealous employees (luckily not too many, but when you find them, they're horrible to deal with).  On my last flight I was asked if I needed a specific seat or more time to board.  I said both.  She said, and I quote, "It can't be both you have to choose".  What?  You know of disabled people that DON'T need more time?  Then she got mad when I assured her I need a specific seat.  I assure you, the judgement alone makes it almost not worth doing.  

 

I have been a-list for years... it doesn't help if the few seats that meet my requirements for a long flight are taken.  Try to be understanding and realize most of us would give ANYTHING to be normal and not require special seating or help.  I know I would.