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Pre Board

Osterdc
Explorer C

Has anyone noticed how many pre boards there are lately? On my last several flights there have been over 15 people boarding pre board before anyone else. All you have to say to an agent is "I need to pre board I have a bad back" I make sure I fly my required 20 segments to retain my A list status every year yet on every flight now there are all these people ahead of me who do not pay extra (like 1-15 do) simply by gaming the system. I'm 76 yrs old so it would be real easy to say I need to board early but I stand in line and wait my turn.

If seats were assigned, this wouldn't irritate me so much but if I get an A-20 boarding pass now the first 8 rows of aisle seats are taken by the time I board.

Can't something be done about this, like tell them they CAN'T sit in the first 10 rows???

3 REPLIES 3

Re: Pre Board

dfwskier
Aviator A

@Osterdc wrote:

 

If seats were assigned, this wouldn't irritate me so much but if I get an A-20 boarding pass now the first 8 rows of aisle seats are taken by the time I board.

 

Well that is certainly bad luck for you. In the 100+   flights I've had from 2000 thru 2023, I don't think that I've ever had to sit any further back than row 9, .and I always go for aisle seats.

 

Remember though, that on continuing flights, anyone on the plane can move way  up to the front, too. So you are not just competing with pre boarders

 

Can't something be done about this, like tell them they CAN'T sit in the first 10 rows???

 

Nope that would require the airline to discriminate against them, and that is verbotten by law.


 

Re: Pre Board

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@Osterdc wrote:

 I make sure I fly my required 20 segments to retain my A list status every year 


25 flights are required for A-List.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Pre Board

floridaguy
Aviator C

The issue of preboarding has been discussed many, many times.  If you do a Google search you will find posts that date back over 10 years about the same subject.

 

Southwest has unassigned seating, open seating.  That means that it is truly first come, first served.  With preboard, the passenger has the right to self declare and is the first person on the plane.  That's the way it works.

 

There is somewhat of a "perfect storm" with Southwest since they charge a surcharge to be an earlier boarding passenger and then those same passengers get irritated by preboarding.  

 

A little song has developed and I've heard it a few times at different airports.