Wheelchair abuse is a real problem for US carriers, particularly Southwest Airlines, but I have a solution that could help alleviate the problem by disincentivizing those who game the system to board early.
A Simple Solution: Southwest Airlines Can Crack Down On Wheelchair Abuse With One Change
Problem: Per federal law, Southwest Airlines must honor all wheelchair requests and passengers have an incentive to game the system by requesting one even if they do not need it, which allows early boarding. Since Southwest has open seating, requesting a wheelchair virtually guarantees a better seat onboard.
A number of solutions have been suggested, including:
- Require medical documentation for those who need a wheelchair
- Boarding passengers with wheelchairs last
- Requiring those who board with a wheelchair to depart on a wheelchair (miraculously, far less wheelchairs tend to be needed upon landing…)
- Charging passengers for wheelchair use
But these are all unworkable solutions.
First, privacy concerns make it impossible to require medical documentation (yes, I know there’s a certain irony after our Gestapo-like tendency to demand proof of COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic).
Second, boarding wheelchairs last would make it even harder for those legitimately needing extra time and unnecessarily penalize them, particularly if overhead bin space fills up. Furthermore, it would likely delay flights because of the extra time needed to get around passengers already onboard and would cost airlines more money since wheelchair attendants would be required for longer periods.
Third, requiring those who board with a wheelchair to depart in a wheelchair is an unworkable requirement…it’s not like these passengers wear a blue star on their sleeve. And there are cases in which someone might want the extra time to board and store their belongings because of a specific infirmity, but be able to handle deplaning without a wheelchair when there is no rush for overhead bin space.
Finally, charging passengers for wheelchair use violates federal law. Furthermore, many of the people who truly require wheelchairs are indigent (it’s no surprise if you cannot fully use your body to work) and even if the law changed, it really undermines the broad goals of creating a society in which a disability does not preclude you from commerce. Let me add here that I detest that wheelchair users are expected to tip attendants…again, because many who use wheelchairs are the ones who can least afford a $5-10 tip.
The Solution
That leaves one solution, in my mind, that is not perfect but at least workable and something that would rampantly crack down on abuse on Southwest Airlines.
Let passengers in wheelchairs board first, but place them in the very back of the aircraft. That serves two purposes. One, it disincentivizes those trying to game the system for a prime seat in the front of the aircraft. Two, it places those passengers in a central location near an exit door, which could prove helpful in case of an evacuation.
I understand that some would object to being forced to sit in the back, but this does not necessarily mean last off since Southwest boards and deplanes from the front and back of the aircraft in many stations.
CONCLUSION
My solution to Southwest’s pre-boarding mess and wheelchair abuse is to require passengers needing extra time to board to sit in the rear of the plane, starting with the last row. While not a perfect solution, I think it would immediately eliminate a lot of the abuse by those who take advantage of the wheelchair loophole in order to sit in the front of the plane.
image: @liymil / X
I’ve never flown SW. What would prevent them from moving forward once the wheelchair attendant leaves?
Can you rephrase the question? I don’t get it.
I imagine what this person meant is that once an individual abusing the wheelchair service can just (supposedly and miraculously) walk out of the back rows of the plan and move towards more prime seating.
FAA should require those in need of wheelchair to get a doctor’s note, much like how FAA changed regulations that only certified service animals are allowed, eliminating those who claim their animal(s) are emotional support animal(s).
I don’t believe the ACAA allows this.
Matthew, how about a combination. Wheelchair boarders sit in the back rows – unless they produce a note from a doctor. That allows legitimate users free seating and penalizes those who don’t.
Another idea would be to charge a deposit to wheel chair uses equal to WN early boarding fee, but that is credited if a wheel chair is used to deplane. Maybe a little bit more admin time but either revenue generated to cover it or the practice stops…
Not a bad idea!
It’s not a miracle that less chairs are needed to depart an airport. You don’t have to stand in the security line for an hour to get out of the building. My condition would get so aggravated from the que that I had to cancel flights because I was in too much pain to fly. The airline told me to request a wheel chair after they witnessed me cancel 3 flights at the gate. But you might notice that I walk for 10 minutes to leave the airport and don’t always need a wheel chair. Federal law prohibits the airlines from asking for medical documents. I shouldn’t have to explain my problems to you or anyone else.
You problem also shouldn’t be everyone’s problem. I’m all for common sense accommodations but aim also tired of companies and governments creating accommodations that disadvantage everyone else.
I’m sure this will rub several people the wrong way. I don’t care.
Just ignore the wheelchair people. They have very little effect on where you sit and when you get on and off the plane. So maybe you’ll sit a few rows further back and board/deplane a a few minutes later. I understand we all don’t like cheaters but they’re really not worth worrying about.
Why would I ignore them if I paid hundreds of dollars more for Business Select?
I would trade with you in a heartbeat if I could. Using a wheelchair is humiliating and limiting. You ever try to go to the bathroom while pushing your wheelchair like a walker? It is bad enough without having entitled people judge you. Most wheelchair users are elderly. They served their time walking through the airports just like you do. None of them are happy with their situation and hate being a burden and inconveniencing others. Just remember, this may be you someday.
I agree with you! I would trade places with anyone so I didn’t have to use a wheelchair.
In my experience (2-3 round trip flights a month) HALF of the wheelchair users are elderly or obviously limited in their abilities. The other half, well they try to take 5 people on board with them (which thankfully Southwest is good about limiting to 1 person, but they then go on to save a row of seats) – which is a whole other issue.
Exactly! I pay extra money to have a prime seat pick. Watching 20 wheelchairs board before me, half of which walk off the plane without any obvious outward struggle, is very frustrating. I recognize there are other infirmaries as mentioned above, but I find it hard to believe this applies to all of the wheelchair users that can depart the plan and walk a mile from the terminal after the flight. If I pay for business select or even upgraded boarding, I expect the common courtesy of the airline respecting my money and keeping these users honest.
The best solution is to assign seats. Problem solved. Block off the seats up front and in the exit rows for A list and A list Preferred. Bonus, the FA’s would know who a passenger is sitting in a particular seat in case they become disruptive during the flight. Some of these wheelchair people may have paid for Business Select, have an A boarding group themselves. It’s unfair to put them way in the back. Of course those are legit pre-boarders .
I fly SW frequently for work and my clients pay the “Business Select” ticket. This allows me to board in the first 15 passengers.
Many people appear to need a wheelchair or extra time to board. Some are scammers.
It’s not only the wheelchair scammers causing delays in the boarding process, it’s people requesting ” extra time ” due to claimed disability. SW is not allowed by law to request documentation to support the claim.
I frequently see happy, ambulatory couples using preboard to get on early.
The only apparent downside boarding by wheelchair or preboard is the passengers must sit in the front rows. They cannot sit in the exit row- which is the best seat on an SW flight as there’s a little extra leg room and the seats don’t recline.
First, when I air traveled, many available wheelchair assistants kept asking me if I needed a wheelchair to a point of temptation. It looks like like these ushers need jobs. Second, I talked to someone who is perfectly able but knew no English and the international travel system. He said he needed help to read signs, instructions for transfer and the only way not to get lost was by asking for the wheelchair assistance.
For once, I agree with you. Putting them in the rear would work well. Easier boarding/deboarding for all concerned, too.
I use a wheelchair because I have a hard time walking. Making wheelchair users sit in the back of the airplane makes us have to walk farther which defeats the purpose. When I am able to preboard due to my disability I am able to sit up front so that I can walk as little as possible.
I totally agree… I have scatia in my back and my left leg is longer than my right… I need help walking for even a few feet… I’m also a fall risk… I much rather prefer getting a Dr.’s excuse to validate my need for assistance… being placed in the back of a plan is a cause of discrimination… when I book my flight, I request wheelchair assistance… it’s marked on my boarding pass… if forced to walk down the terminal to the plane could cause me serious injury… I’m a fall risk… in my experience, I see elderly and limited mobility travelers in wheelchairs… *********(there are a few who walk on their own down the terminal, seems like they’re the ones who need to go on last)… just my honest opinion…
Preboarding is only supposed to be for, “…customers with disabilities who need a specific seat to accommodate a disability, need assistance boarding the aircraft, or need to stow an assistive device.”
Unfortunately for your idea, there are some who are not faking it and fit SW’s criteria for preboarding. Making them go to “the back of the bus” would be (A) physically impossible without restrictions on their ability to be independent (read: they can transfer from their wheelchair to a front seat by themselves but would need an aisle wheelchair to be brought to the back), which would go against their “…Right to Be Treated with Dignity and Respect,” under ACAA (B) potentially physically impossible if they have, for example, a fused knee or hip precautions that requires them to have the space of the bulkhead seat (C) a lawsuit like you’ve never seen before.
The law requires “reasonable” accommodations and the extent of that reasonableness was deliberately left vague. Case law may support the argument you are making, but I can see a trend in which my rules apply with the possibility of exceptions on a conditional basis.
I’m not sure why the argument. What about all the wheelchair passengers on all the other airlines who board first but sit in the back because that is their assigned ticket? I don’t see them suing anybody. Also, most people who really need a wheelchair can’t deboard until everybody has left the airplane first. I never saw any airline keeping everybody seated until the wheelchair passenger deplains, so there is no difference between the front and the back seats for those needing a wheelchair.
Or better yet, make it a benefit by assigning seats to people who need wheelchairs. How? Simple: when checking in 24 hours ahead like everybody else and you request assistance, it will redirect you to pick a seat of your own, and that is it. You are done, and to make it fair for everybody, that seat you choose is also a first come, first served system, just like the boarding position you get when everybody else checks in. The difference is that you get your assigned seat instead of a place in line and board before everybody else.
– Implement an online check-in process that accommodates individuals requiring wheelchair assistance.
– Allow self-selection of seats during the online check-in for those who have indicated a need for assistance.
– Ensure the seat selection operates on a first-come, first-served basis, mirroring the general boarding process.
– Maintain the priority boarding policy, allowing individuals with disabilities to board the aircraft ahead of other passengers.
Brilliant response…
A troublemaker might sue saying that they are discriminated against because of their disability by being barred from sitting in the front.
How about a policy that all exit row seats, aisle seats ahead of the overwing exits, and window seats ahead of the overwing exits are assigned seats. Those who pay and those who have boarding passes in the A category can sit there.
Agreed! Stick them in the back along with anyone traveling with kids and those weighing more than 250 lbs (or 200 lbs for the women)
THAAT IS BLATANT DISCRIMINATION FOR THOSE OF US WITH PERMANENT PHYSICAL DISABLITIES THAT HAVE SERIOUS MOBILITY ISSUES AND HAVE OUR OWN WHEELCHEERS!! SMH!! WE ARE HUMANS TOO AND MUST BE TREATED WITH RESPECT!
You should be discriminated against.
Lol that’s satire right?
You obviously have NO idea what it’s like to have a real disability! You “stick them in the back” clearly shows your disrespect as well.
Is this a joke? What if the disabled don’t want to be forced to seat in the back all together? While you are at it, maybe make all the blacks seat in the back too.
Or just get rid of a boarding system that makes zero sense. Assign seats that every other airline does. Or don’t, not an airline I would fly in either case.
+1 Totally agree that assigned seating is the only way to solve the problem.
Gee, I think there was a time in the past where people who were different were forced to sit in the back.
Does anyone else remember that?
Not analagous.
Sorry but it is very much analogous. Segregation is segregation regardless of whether it is race based or not. Traveling as someone who is disabled is extraordinarily different then without disability. Personally, I have to conserve my energy and limit risk of syncope whenever I travel. I do not need to tie up the aisle chair when there is someone with paralysis that needs it but at the same time would have difficulty with energy reserves and syncope by trying to get to the back.
I’m sorry, but I define that as reasonable accommodation and intent absolutely matters. But I understand my solution is not perfect (perhaps just the least worse among many bad alternatives, including the status quo).
I do need a wheelchair to get to the gate & while I might be able to walk down the ramp to the plane, I am not steady enough on my legs (even with my cane), so I am wheeled right to the plane. I have flown SW about 6 times during the last year (Chicago to Florida round trip). Each time I have flown has gotten worse, with the scammers. Over 20 people in wheel chairs (& their families) getting on the plane & then all but 4 are running to baggage laughing. In February, there was actually a fight with so many pre-boarders walking on, leaving those of us in the wheelchairs waiting to be pushed & finally getting on & plane is filled up all the way to row 10!!! Really hard to walk those aisles with a cane further back. I was just shocked to see people getting off & actually running to baggage. The worst part is since I flew a few times I have seen some repeaters & sitting in a wheelchair next to me, then when we land they are off & running. That really hurts, it is not fun to be in a wheelchair & seeing those scammers take advantage really hurts.
I’m a legit disabled flyer and I’m sick of it too. Easy solution if you have your own assistive device (wheelchair walker cane scooter…) you can preboard if you use an airport wheelchair you can’t.
Good point
So, back of the bus, then? Seems I remember something about that causing a bit of a ruckus a while back.
We are not talking about race-based segregation rooted in bigotry…we are talking about thoughtfully trying to address a real problem while serving those truly in need with dignity.
Says the guy who referred to, “Gestapo-like” tactics during the pandemic. JFC, grow up.
“Your papers please”
Wake up and see the pandemic for what it was.
Do you honestly think that they ADA didn’t come into existence because of discrimination against disabled people? Seriously?
Besides the slams against the people of color, the author did two Jewish and Nazi references in this article……Can you find them?
Ur a pathetic human being and a bigot steven.
I am disabled. Ive flown on several flights with spirit with wheelchair service. I was permitted to board first but required to disembark last. I dont “look” disabled as I can use a walker, yet only for short distances. I can ly stay upright for a few minutes. I still had to sit in my assigned seat. Works well for me as nobodys in the way getting on and off. Id gladly show my disablity but not med recs.
That may be a good compromise as well and typically happens, but my concern is for those who encounter “miracles” onboard and no longer need assistance upon landing.
The best way would be to let them board after A group. If they implement assigned seating with extra legroom seats let them board after that group.
@Derek
I’ve mentioned this before on previous posts on this subject.
Wizzair allocate window seats at the rear of the aircraft for those who have disability assistance.
The crew know exactly which seats have been allocated for the flight, and make sure you do NOT switch seats with others – even if another passenger requests ! I have personal experience of this on two different flights.
Note tho that Wizzair don’t use air bridges but steps fore and rear of aircraft
I need the wheelchair. I stay seated until others get off the plane first. All wheel chairs are ordered when the reservation is done. SWA could start a verification program for the chronically medical needy that requires documentation from their physician. It would require joining their Rapid Rewards program. Upon verification their account and boarding pass shows a symbol like the gold star on licenses.
Assigned numbers on the boarding pass (WC1, WC2) would allow them to board and deplane by being asked for their boarding pass.
Then, deplane them first. The Flight Attendants then ask each traveler to hold up their pass in order to leave. If they have 20 wheelchair passengers then once all 20 passes have been collected the rest of the passengers can leave.
Yes, it will at the beginning show things down and make people mad.
BUT, many of those miracle healing will stop occurring.
It wouldn’t take too long to reduce the amount of scammers
That’s what a cheaters would say. “let me off first, I’m a minority!”. Even if it creates a safety hazard. These people only think of themselves.
Shakespeare’s Falstaff is a disabled veteran who is large-size . He has a stout staff and needs an exit row .
Don’t mess with Falstaff .
I happen to agree fully with Sharon. I need a wheelchair myself because I cannot walk long distances. There is no way I could walk in the airport and sometimes it is a struggle just getting out of the front of the plane to get to a waiting wheelchair after sitting for long periods of time.
Trying to struggle up the distance of the aircraft from the back – most lights I have been I on with Southwest they do not exit from two points; only the front. For me that would be impossible if not ant least extremely uncomfortable. There are no wheelchairs that I am aware of at the airport that could fit down the aisle of an airplane…. Even if there are, It would certainly be a nightmare for turnaround times if this were to happen, And undoubtedly it would.
I shudder to think what would happen In the event as an emergency when everybody is trying to get out of the aircraft and you, with a disability, cannot move quickly enough when needed.
What people don’t realize if they don’t have a disability is how difficult it actually is when you’ve been sitting on an airplane for more than an hour. It’s very easy to say, shove them here or shove them there, but until you’ve had a disability that requires things that you just cannot do, you will never understand what it is like!
I fly fairly often on Southwest for number of reasons, (cost being a major part of that), and I too am perplexed by the large number of people that have “Jesus flights”. But inconveniencing people who really do have disabilities to stop the Jesus flights is not the answer.
I would much prefer airlines require a doctors certificate (on file for frequent flyers, renewable ever 6 months or a designated timeframe) because anyone who does have a disability is likely seeing a doctor on a more regular basis than someone without a disability. It should be no issue what that disability is as only the airline and you and your doctor need to know just what that disability happens to be.
I totally agree with Hashi. I too disabled and need a wheelchair. I have multiple disabilities and can’t walk very far. I also have a problem with balance. Some disabilities can’t be seen, like my two artificial knees or my artificial hip, ect…
I have a card from my orthopedic doctor that I would be more than happy to provide for the airlines to see. Walking to the back of the plane would be a big problem for me. I have had to walk back to other seats and it was absolutely painful. I also wouldn’t mind carrying a paper from my doctors for proof of my disabilities. I won’t carry my own wheelchair, scooter or walker with me, because I have read and heard many people who have had their equipment damaged or ruined by the airline baggage handlers. I understand that there are a lot of people who don’t need to use a wheelchair. I have seen it as well of boarding with a wheelchair and then walking off when landing. It is unfair to punish us who are truly disabled, because of the people who lie, cheat and scam their way through life. I think that people should have to show a card or paper proving that you are truly disabled. I carry a card for my joint replacements and a
card proving I have a disabilitie parking placard. Some people just don’t understand what a true disability is. Please don’t make the truly disabled that save all year for a vacation. People’s stupidity is not our fault.
I totally agree with Hashi. I too am disabled. I walk with a cane and can’t walk very far. I won’t bring my own wheelchair, walker or scooter with me, because I have heard and read about people’s equipment being damaged or destroyed by airline handlers. For me to have to walk to the back of a plane would be taking a chance of falling and very painful. Some disabilities can’t be seen, I suffer from multiple disabilities. I would be more than happy to show proof of my disabilities. I’m not afraid to tell people about my disabilities. I already carry a card from my orthopedic doctor for my knee replacements and hip replacement. I also have a card to prove that I have a disability parking placard. I would also would be happy to carry a legitimate letter from my doctors as proof of my disabilities. I truly understand the situation of people who lie, cheat and scam their way through life and think its alright. Please don’t make the people who are truly disabled pay the price of these fakers that have no clue what a true disability is. We can’t control all of the dishonest people in the world. I am so sorry that it is a problem for some people. Until the airline can find a way to get proof of a truly disabled person without hurting the rest of us. There will always be the dishonest people who will just find another way to lie and cheat their way through their life.
Why can’t they just require to see an id, such as we have a handicap tag for drivers parking.
As others have said, a great way would be to join the 21st century and assign seats. Problem solved.
I would also love to see the law find a way to somehow place criminal penalties on individuals who impersonate of fake disabilities– including faking the need for a service animal. If I print out a fake handicapped placard and use it to secure a good parking space, I’d geta stiff fine from the local police. Repeat the offense? It’s even stiffer. So it can be done. Just difficult with the way our disability anti-discrimination laws are currently written.
I have muscular dystrophy. You sure you can make me walk to the back? I don’t think so. Wheel chairs don’t fit down the center of a southwest aircraft. I’m all for having medical proof on hand. Also, of I’m in the back, and the aircraft needs to evaluate, who’s gonna help me out? At the front I can at least crawl to the exit and fall out the door. I just flew last week on Southwest…. It was another miracle flight, all were healed, except me, cause I’m a heathen.
Perhaps you meant it simply as a verbal flourish, but to compare a requirement to show a Covid certificate to the way the Gestapo operated is to grossly trivialize what people went through under the Gestapo. The Gestapo did a lot more than ask people for documents. Perhaps you could’ve also gotten through this story without a reference to people being forced to wear stars on their clothing.
Add to the list “no preferred line for security or immigration”. This would end 80% of the wheelchairs on international flights. That’s the biggest scam ever. You say “Wheelchair abuse is a real problem for US carriers,”. Have you seen flights from India arriving at Heathrow? Basically the entire plane needs wheelchairs so they can cruise through immigration. Miraculously, they don’t need those wheelchairs afterwards. Scam!!!!
Totally agree with this in principle. It annoys me to no end to be constantly cut off and practically run over in the security line by wheelchairs. I’m not sure why having a disability requires cutting in line?
But – I suspect the real issue is that the employees pushing the wheelchairs can’t be kept waiting in security and immigration lines because it would mean they can’t go help (or often “help”) the next person as quickly.
Southwest likes to be different. Sometimes it backfires, like with disabled persons. How about a combo deal, first 12 rows are assigned seats and you pay extra. After that the rest of the plane is sit where you like.
Simple, adds revenue for Southwest. Persons with disabilities can pay for an upgrade if they want the front otherwise they will be sitting beyond the reserved seats.
Why should a person with a mobility disability be required to pay more. We already pay more for most things in life.
A solution ( I have muscular dystrophy) would to be that you can volunteer your disability info to southwest along with medical proof and have that attached to your frequent flyer account number…. No laws against giving the information of your free will. Permanent disability status stays on the record forever, temp disability (say foot surgery, broken bone) stays 6 months. Those who are on file get to board first. Others who are there for healing on the miracle flight go after the folks who paid for boarding A1 to A25.
I used to ride Amtrak and was able to get certain seating (and a reduced rate) due to a disability. I needed a doctor’s note, but my specific disability was not needed to be in the note. A doctor’s note stating that someone needs a wheelchair or other assistance to embark and or disembark should be all that is needed.
My own solution is even easier: I avoid Southwest. I’ll give them a try once they fix this and other seating-related problems.
Only a total A**HOLE thinks this is a workable solution.
I’d ask the child to watch her language.
There are multiple conflated issues. Are you focusing on wheel chairs specifically or pre boarding in general regardless of wheel chair use? Do you want to lump everyone with a disability together in the back of the plane to see if airplane Darwinism will separate the infirm from the ambulatory infirm?
Since SW does not reserve specific seats and regardless of wheelchair use, some passengers with physical disabilities need to pre-board to secure a seat that allows them to stand from a seated position, particularly on long flights. For example, bulkhead seats provide extra leg room free from the interference of the normal tilted rearward position of the seat back in front and inflexible arm rests from which to push upward. Look up the sitting/standing and ambulatory disabilities of inclusion body myositis (IBM), a common muscular dystrophy often affecting those over 60. If Southwest would reserve those seats at an extra cost for pre-board passengers, they would pay for them.
Finally, it is a mistake to think that mere observation of another passenger’s physical condition is, in anyway, an accurate basis to understand their situation. No one can tell if a passenger is experiencing pain, the effect of cancer, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis or any other condition. I doubt there is a large percentage of the population that would request a wheelchair for the specific purpose of gaming the system for more overhead storage space, particularly when checked baggage is free. There is a troubling presumptuous and discriminatory subtext at play here.
So much wind here. It’s simple: if you want to pre-board, fine. No papers. No questions. But you sit in the back.
When you can’t provide a substance response, you default to “a lot of wind here“. Your simplistic and discriminatory opinion is that all handicapped passengers go to the back of the plane to reduce your inconvenience. Since you’re obviously sensitive to your views being challenged, writing an Op-Ed as a self-proclaimed travel expert may not be your best choice for a side hustle. Aren’t you the one with the “me first” attitude.
By the way, as a “travel expert”, did you get a photo release from all of the (implicitly offending) wheel chair bound passengers in the gate photo?
You’re wrong, Owen. You’re free to state your opinion and criticize mine…I don’t censor opinions I disagree with. But with respect, I found your opinion uncompelling and that it dwelt on so many superfluous issues that were not germane to the discussion. I’m sorry you felt dismissed, but my point remains and if you’ve ever flown Southwest you will see what rampant abuse takes place.
Firstly I Have to say I Hate Southwest, only because of their seating policy. I sometimes have to walk with a cane so I will pay extra for the early bird seats. If I have a tight connection, I will request wheelchair assistance because I cannot walk it fast enough before my next departure. When I get to my destination, I can walk out on my own with my cane.
Does it look like I’m scamming sure it does because I need the wheelchair in between flights. Not everything is as it appears. For those who are scamming the system, I have to agree. I think people should provide documentation to the airline the same as you would your TSA number your Global Entry number or anything else they require ahead of time.
I have rheumatoid arthritis so I cannot stand for long periods of time. I have used the wheelchair service when I have had excruciating amounts of pain in my feet. I don’t need to use a wheelchair when disembarking from the plane because I am moving. I wouldn’t need to skip to the beginning of the line either as long as I am sitting but the airline personnel take me to the beginning of the line because they can’t wait in line so then people think I’m scamming the system and try to block the way. It embarrasses me when I have to use a wheelchair but the pain is too much if I’m standing for long periods of time. I would gladly show my disability card. And I don’t use SW specifically because they don’t have assigned seats. That seems like trouble even without the scammers.
Matthew, and others…
What airports does Southwest board using front and back? For the life of me, I can’t think of any…other than a few non-jetbridge SoCal airports (BUR/LGB).
An alternate solution: if you need a wheelchair for both boarding and deplaning, it’s free. If you need one for boarding only, it’s available, but it costs extra. This should weed out those who use the wheelchair trick strictly to gain a better boarding position.
It would require a minor software change. The system already knows the name of each passenger who boards with a wheelchair. Simply keep track of each passenger who deplanes with a wheelchair. If someone boarded with one, but deplaned without one, retroactively charge them the one-way wheelchair fee.
Eliminate pre-boarding and require ALL passengers to have a Boarding Group Letter and Number – including those in wheel chairs. Those passengers are required to check-in just like all the rest of us and then board in the order of their assigned boarding group and number.
Because Southwest offers “open seating,” telling one specific group of passengers they do not get open seating based on a disability would be seen as discriminatory. The only plausible real solution I can think of would be to assign seats. (No one automatically gets first/business class at other carriers just because they are preboarding). They get wheeled right on to row 37 in an aisle chair if that’s the ticket they paid for. Southwest rewards preboarders by giving them the most sought after treatment that’s monetized at other carriers.
As a person who had to go through TSA PreCheck, Global and a DMV handicapped placard (forms+doctor’s signature+approval), that doesn’t seem a big deal for those of who legitimately needs it …
As a handicapped person, I agree. The solution is to stop the abuse of the system at the start which could be easily done. Everyone who flys has to have a driver’s license or a State ID card. You get them from your state motor vehicle department. At the same place you can get a handicap placard with a doctor’s certificate. Easy enough to obtain.
So when requesting a wheelchair, the person would give the number of their handicap placard. Make it a federal crime to misuse them.
All these crazy solutions like sitting in back or being required to board last are also punishing those abiding by the rules as well as the few rule breakers. How is that fair?
You could also board them after group A.
Years ago I was on a long, long southwest flight due to a snow storm. Literally my flight was San Jose – San Diego – Phoenix – Indianapolis – Baltimore. It was supposed to be all on the same plane but there was an issue in Phoenix so I couldn’t stay on the plan. After the first flight I could easily move to an exit row seat but in Phoenix due to the mechanical issue and change of planes I had to get off.
Anyhow they let a group get onboard first with kids and chaperons. What happened? The chaperons didn’t sit with the kids but instead tried to grab all of the exit row seats. I was lucky because I had told a SW FA of my long trip and she managed to save me a seat.
The open seating method definitely is flawed and it is sad how people will try to cheat it. I told my wife we are now of an age where we could preboard probably w/o question but haven’t done so although it is tempting.
To solve the disability fraud problem, it’s important to look at how widespread it is.
It’s not just an airline problem, look what’s happening at Disney with the “Disability Access Service” line-jumping.
The solution to disability fraud is either or both of the following.
1. Allow requiring medical documentation but don’t make the process too difficult for those who really need it. (The airlines did this during Covid for face mask exemptions but many of them deliberately made the process as complex as possible which made traveling unnecessarily difficult for those who genuinely needed a face mask exemption.)
2. Introduce penalties for making false claims of a disability. (not just bans, but legal consequences – disability fraud is a form of fraud and should be treated as such.)
My mother lived through WWII. Most of her family did not. You have no clue what the Gestapo was like. They didn’t offer to let my mother’s family live by allowing them to get a vaccine for their own heath.
There’s nothing the least bit ironic about the difference between wheelchairs and Covid-19. I can’t catch being handicapped. Covid-19 killed well over a million Americans. That’s more Americans than died in WWII. And WWI and Korea and Vietnam and the Gulf wars and Afghanistan COMBINED. And you can even throw in the four deaths in Benghazi for good measure since your ilk thinks that it’s the worst thing in US history.
So how about shutting the hell up? Do you really need to broadcast the depth of your ignorance and stupidity?
Your stats are in dispute. Dying with COVID is not dying from COVID. Don’t make assumptions about my “ilk” or heritage. You have no clue. Take some of your own medicine…
Whether they died from covid or with covid they died because of covid. In the 3 years 2020-2022 approximately 1.3 million more people in the US died than expected. Only in 2023 did the death rate fall to what would have otherwise been expected. In the last 100 years there has never been such a peak in deaths. Not WWII, not the great depression.
We also know that Covid wasn’t just being blamed for people who would have died anyway, or for people who would have died in the next few years. If that were the case the death rate would dip below expectations because the people who would have died in those years had already been killed ‘with Covid’.
In the vast majority of circumstances, people died due to co-morbidities like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory diseases. Does that make COVID or a life of obesity the killer?
Whatever the solution might be enacted (and I ain’t holding my breath) for the wheelchairs, each should be restricted to only one family member to board with them, not the entire family, cousins, etc., that seem to happen; the others can board with their assigned group. You may see 10 wheelchairs, but so many have multiple family boarding at the same time. SW exacerbates the problem with their present (or lack of) policy.
As a wheelchair user, I agree with you. I am 82 and physically handicapped. I travel alone. I. can see where some would need at least one person to assist them, but not more. Sometimes I have a problem gett out of the wheelchair and into the plane, But the flight attendants are usually very helpful.
Completely agree. Herd them altogether.
I don’t understand why we can’t check the disability- how is it different from parking in a handicapped spot? In order to get a Handicapped plate or temporary permit you need a doctor’s notice. The exact same one can be used here as well.
So why not set up a system where anyone needing a wheelchair can just give the number on their handicap placard.? These are easily obtained at the state motor vehicle department with a doctor’s certification. The same place you get your driver’s licence or state ID CAR Make it a federal crime. to abuse their use.
Repeal the AdA and make these people PAY for the chairs.
Why should I who have a disability have to pay extra for a seat that I can get to under my own power. I can not stand for very long or walk very far. Believe me I never imagined myself in this position and would gladly sit on the wing in a trade for not having this disability. I am not of retirement age. I have hiked the Tetons, Grand Canyon, Havasupai and now have to grovel for a seat that I can reach. Trade ya. I am very thankful for my opportunities.
My wife has trouble walking distances and utilizes a wheelchair let me clue you in on why this suggestion is not practical or helpful. First, except for people completely unable to walk where they use a special narrow chair to board people, those using a chair are left off at the aircraft door and walk to their seats. Making people sit in the back would greatly increase the amount of time it would take for them to get to their seats, holding up boarding for everyone else. Second, those who need a chair have to wait until everyone else is off the plane before they bring a chair to the aircraft door. We don’t board first so we can get off first.
I do think it reasonable that people who use a chair when they board wait for a chair to deplane. That would prevent the miracle healing. I understand the frustration able-bodied people feel seeing loads of people getting preferential boarding, but we don’t really take up all the available overhead space and it’s no fun having to wait until the plane is empty to deplane. It affects our ability to book short connections — we have to leave at least two hours for a connection since SW starts boarding a half hour prior to takeoff and we have to wait a good 20 minutes to get off and sometimes there is no chair waiting for us. We’ve had our baggage taken off the carousels and put in the airline office because it takes so long to get to baggage claim. I usually have to find an abandoned wheelchair at the rental car drop-off and struggle to push my wife and pull luggage because they don’t have people there to assist before you get to the ticket counter — Atlanta is a particular pain in that regard.
When you use a chair they have someone take you from where you drop off your bags and drop you at the gate — good luck if you want to grab a meal or look at the shops. TSA takes a little longer too as not only you, but the chair and they person pushing you have to be checked.
Those of us who need wheelchairs or are traveling with someone who does do not sit there at pre-board snickering at all you suckers — it is a hassle and a hardship for us too.
You are missing information and making assumptions.
1. People need wheelchairs not just because they can’t walk at all, but because they can’t walk long distances.
2. I can’t walk more than a block or 2 at most, which will leave me limping and in pain.
3. When I board the plane, I can’t walk straight because it’s so narrow and my balance is poor, so I would be careenjng into seated passengers. .
4. Often people are more rested and able to walk after being seated in the plane for a while, so they can walk off the plane. Then they go sit down, watch them.
5. Often there are not enough or even no chairs at the end of a trip and you are forced to painfully stand on the ramp or walk down, no choice. The airline knows they have you over a barrel.
6. For disabled people, walking is less painful than standing still due to unrelieved pressure on the back..
7. Before you write an article full of ableist assumptions, talk to the disabled. Wheelchairs are not just for completely paralyzed people.
8. Walking across the airport can be a mile or more, that’s the issue, not just walking. I ended up sobbing in the middle of the Dallas airport when I finally decided I needed the wheelchair.
9. We are already ashamed, awkward, and know we are being judged for not being in enough pain, for not being more disabled in order to justify the wheelchair.
10. There is no specific medical documentation that shows if you can freely walk long distances. Every person and disability is different.
11. Please write a more balanced article. Of course some will abuse any system, but they are outliers. The disabled hate js bad enough, without you fanning the fire.
Not the main point here (I stopped reading), but do you know what the Gestapo actually was?
Yes, I do:
https://liveandletsfly.com/dachau-reflections/
https://liveandletsfly.com/anne-frank-house-kids/
https://liveandletsfly.com/auschwitz-photo-essay/
https://liveandletsfly.com/birkenau-photo-essay/
When the flight is overbooked – as is the usual case today, the Airlines, and I mean ALL OF THEM, should rewrite their TOC to state that Special needs passengers will always be placed on the next flight if this flight is overbooked.
Then allow the computer to take over, overbook, and only board AFTER the overbooked are given their boarding passes.
I hate to say it, but there is a certain demographic which is primarily responsible for the wheelchair drama, and they just believe the rules don’t apply to them.
If a flight is overbooked, why should special flights needs passengers be penalized. for something that is no more their responsibility than it is the general population. If a flight is overbooked, let that computer take over and make the last passengers who booked their flight be put on the next flight.
C’mon Tom you didn’t hate to say it in fact you loved saying it. That’s why you said it.
Southwest knows the names of those who request wheelchair assistance. Compare the list of names of those who board with a wheelchair to those who use a wheelchair wheelchair when deplaning. Those who do not use a wheelchair upon deplaning should be placed on a lost and denied wheelchair use in the future. To say you have a disability requiring a wheelchair to get on the plane but no disability to get off the plane is preposterous.
If the airlines would just enforce their carry on luggage rules already in place this “problem” would (mostly) go away.
Enforce the size of carry on luggage, enforce the rule that backpacks and smaller items go under the seat, then everyone will (most likely) have overhead bin space. Gate agents ignore the size of carry on luggage, the FA’s announce the smaller items rule but then close the overhead bins full of backpacks, briefcases and men’s suit coats.
AND there is little risk to privacy if the airlines devise a statement that must be signed and notarized by a medical doctor certifying the patient has a condition – no need to list the condition – that requires the use of a wheelchair.
That said, I avoid SW as much as possible because I prefer to choose my seat and avoid the insanity of musical chairs during boarding.
Have a list of all the passengers that asks for the wheelchair service, check how many passengers ask for the same service when they get out of the plane. The ones that didn’t ask for the same service to get out of the plane, charge them a service charge.
Or better yet, make it a benefit by assigning seats to people who need wheelchairs. How? Simple: when checking in 24 hours ahead like everybody else and you request assistance, it will redirect you to pick a seat of your own, and that is it. You are done, and to make it fair for everybody, that seat you choose is also a first come, first served system, just like the boarding position you get when everybody else checks in. The difference is that you get your assigned seat instead of a place in line and board before everybody else.
– Implement an online check-in process that accommodates individuals requiring wheelchair assistance.
– Allow self-selection of seats during the online check-in for those who have indicated a need for assistance.
– Ensure the seat selection operates on a first-come, first-served basis, mirroring the general boarding process.
– Maintain the priority boarding policy, allowing individuals with disabilities to board the aircraft ahead of other passengers.
As an actual amputee, I just want board early and be left alone. People who abuse handicap loop holes need less punishment and more therapy. The sense of entitlement and lack of any kind of consideration for humanity by these individuals is simply the result of poor upbringing, terrible familial lineage, and cowardice that disallows any basic human decency. They simply need need help to be better than this.
Rosa Parks enters the chat.
!m 90 years old and like to visit my son in Florida without a wheelchair that would be Imposible, I have Arthritis over 85% of my body making it impossible for me to walk, most of the times when I fly there are at the most 3 wheelchairs
waiting to board We board first but wait to the last to leave, And I am good with that, I get wheeled to the plane door I have to walk to a seat because of the door opening, with assistance, please do not stop me from flying.
Are you kidding me? I am 82 years old, and normally walk with a walker or a cane. I can walk short distances, but no way in hell could I walk through an airport. i depend on the wheelchair service and could not fly at all without it. The wheelchair service is not just for those who can’t walk at all, it is for those who can’t walk through a huge airport. Just because you don’t know why someone is in a wheelchair doesn’t mean they don’t need it. Trust me, using a wheelchair in an airport is not a bed of roses. It is embarrassing and limiting.
Evert state has a handicap program which provides handicap license plates and placards. These placards are free and can be easily obtained from the state’s motor vehicle department with a doctor’s certification form. This is the same place you get your driver’s license and state ID cards. Many people who would require a wheelchair already have them. A person requesting a wheelchair could simply give their placard ID number. Instant approval. Of course, there are still those who would abuse this also, but isn’t that true of any system used? Make it a Federal crime to do so.
Come on, why penalize society ‘s most vulnerable citizens for the transgressions of a few. Penalize the wrong doers, not the ones abiding by the rules. Having to use a wheelchair is embarrassing and limiting enough, please don’t make us feel like a burden or a criminal.
I have never been treated with anything but respect and patience by airline employees and other passengers when I have used the wheelchair services. I don’t think there is as much abuse as you make it seem. Most of the ones using it are the elderly or obviously handicapped. And remember there are hidden handicaps. just because you don’t know why a person is having to use a wheelchair, doesn’t mean they don’t.
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While having everyone needing assistance sit in the back may should great, everyone that truly needs assistance can not get their wheel chairs down that way and, if you can not use your legs, it is best to transfer a wheel chair person to the bulkhead seat.
I think the solution is to limit the number of non-ambulatory passengers to each flight. Airlines do that for passengers with therapy animals and other qualifying events. It really does not stop a person wheel chair bound from getting their flight because people want what they want when they want it and find their own way down that ramp.
I recently flew to Ft Lauderdale from BWI. My husband and I flew business select and were numbers 2 and 3 to board. I usually do not worry about the people that need assistance to board because everyone has their own needs. However, I did find it funny when the transportation support did not arrive that the gate in a timely fashion. The gate announcer said, “any pre boarder that does not need a wheel chair to board and can walk down the gang way unassisted, my board now”. You should have seen the number of people that stood up and walked down the ramp. If there is a way to get past the rules, people will find a way.
Good article and ideas. I have never been on a southwest that deplanes off both ends but I guess it is possible. Ryan air does this all the time – if you don’t use the ramp but rather steps.
I appreciate the idea but unworkable for a variety of reasons including that they may be traveling with a minor they will need to accompany, or want to sit with other family members, etc and, as others pointed out, will be considered discriminatory no matter the justification.
My mother is 90 and has requested wheelchairs from time to time because she has had problems in mobility and she also has a handicapped parking placard. Sometimes someone may not be feeling well and need the wheelchair. It happens. It’s a shame that people are abusing something that many people legitimately need.
The solution, I think, is to just end the scam by fixing the whole system: Assign seats in a manner that’s not first come first served. I would say the same with basic economy that penalizes people for bringing a carry-on bag: It’s a policy that encourages gate agents at budget airlines to penalize people for a too large “personal item”. These economics set up these silly games so the economics needs to be fixed.
Unfortunately, while I think you are doing your best to address the needs and privacy of wheelchair users in this scenario, I need to remind you that we also have to deal with connecting flights. Also, I fly regularly and have never been to a U.S. airport that uses the back exits to deplane.
Add to that the reality that far too often, we have to wait for attendants with wheelchairs and that adds extra time for those catching a connection.
If they do show up, we can’t always count on them to be as determined to catch a connection as we are, either. I once had someone just give up on getting me to my gate for a connection that he could have made easily. It was the last flight of the day to my destination and because he refused to even try, I ended up hobble-running across the airport (I have arthritic knees) to catch my flight.
Mainly the point I am making is that we are already at the mercy of wheelchair services, the quality of which varies wildly depending on the airport. Asking us to give up even more because others abuse a service we need is punishing us for being disabled.
I know that’s not what you mean to do, but that would be the result of it all the same.
I am also frustrated with the people who abuse wheelchair services because it takes resources away from those who need them most. And those resources are already thin. I wish I had a solution or that other people had an ounce of shame for taking wheelchairs from others.
Also, I fully agree that tipping for wheelchair service, while something I do when someone goes above and beyond for me, amounts to little more than a “disability tax.” I think making us sit in the back much the same, unfortunately.
And don’t get me started about needing a cane and trying to walk through tiny aisles past 20+ rows of seats. Not fun at all. But that’s another story about how airlines are already completely terrible at serving disabled folks.
Also, are there bathrooms in the back of the plane? Most people who need a wheelchair, need it because the cannot walk far. The las time I walked to a gate, I was in pain for days afterwards. I didn’t use a wheelchair because I was embarrassed. I got over that. Plus, I don’t see any abuse when I’ve travelled.
To those that need to be carried from there wheelchair to an airline seat in the back of the plane, this is NOT a solution: not for the caregiver carrying an adult with dead weight, nor for the disabled traveler who forfeits all rights to dignity. An actual solution would be to allow a person to board the plane in their wheelchair and remain seated in the comfort and safety of their own custom adapted wheelchair.
I have a leg condition where I use a wheelchair to fly. I usually fly Delta or United, but have used Southwest as well. I think the fix is to assign seats. On Delta, I had called to upgrade my coach seat to comfort plus, and the agent advised since I had a disability I could have comfort plus for free. All I had to do was inform them what my condition was. No documents from a Physician. At Unuted I wasn’t given the free upgrade but was allowed to board first, as I was on Delta. Having assigned seats takes away the free for all at Southwest and will probably deter scammers if they know requesting a wheelchair and boarding early won’t necessarily get them a better seat.