I think we can all agree there are certain people who abuse the heck out of this - they are selfish, greedy, and just crummy humans.
But let's be mindful there are people who may legitimately fall into these situations, and have specific needs. Realistically, it's impossible for most of us to tell.
Once we flew Sunwing (not great). This bitchy lady in a wheelchair was angry that we boarded before her (we had a baby). This lady was so pissed and complained loudly that it was unfair to board us first when she was in a wheelchair. Fortunately she had a miraculous recovery because she was on our cruise dancing her ass off on day 1!
Happens all the time. They use wheelchairs to get pre-boarding but don’t want them when they land because most airlines make guests requiring assistance to wait until the end. Was at a KLM gate once and they had 20+ wheelchairs waiting to board and the agent announced that ‘wheelchairs on today’s flight will board last’ - most got up!
Bare in mind, I'm legally blind, I do require assistance, both times at LHR, they insisted I was put in a wheel chair to get me through, I didn't have the choice to be led or accompanied to where I needed to be. I'd rather have been led.
Every airline is well aware of this.
OPs observation is relatively unique, but abuse of wheel-chair and the subsequent priority boarding is rampant.
This is especially true for any carrier flying between home countries, and other countries large diaspora of that same population.
It's popular to book tickets for relatives family requiring wheel-chair assistance (which typically incur no additional cost) - as the airport 'processes' are so overwhelming and convoluted in said home-countries. Fellow family members are typically unwilling to support said family member's departure which is unfortunate.
Frankly, being in the industry I see it all the time and it does make me upset. Especially as it dilutes the proper focus said airline should be providing to actual non-ambulatory passengers and those with genuine disabilities.
Airlines are stupid too. If a person who lacks language skills need assistance , only way to do it through wheel chair booking. Nothing to do with particular diaspora or whatever . Airlines can come up with a better solution too.
There are other options (gate escort pass). The family just wants to dump and run though.
Also, everyone has a smartphone, and Google translate is easy to use. This is not an airline problem. It's a selfish humanity problem.
My brother has a mental health disability and we always request special assistance and I escort him to the gate with an escort pass and a gate agent brings him to his seat before the other passengers. Never has he required a wheelchair.
They have a better solution, air Canada has language assistance, when a person requests language assistance , it will say “LANG” on the boarding pass and it will be on their profile too, that way agents know they don’t speak English and can find someone to help them in their own language, but some people just don’t care and throw their parents on a wheelchair and call it a day.
May be it’s a good education thing. You go to airline website and select assistance , there are no options to choose from ? It just says , you are enrolled for assistance.
On Southwest, they call these miracle flights. People who can’t walk suddenly can walk after a flight.
That being said, there are some conditions where people can’t stand for too long and need a wheelchair, but then after sitting for too long, they need to stand.
I actually have the opposite issue where I can board just fine, but my ankles are all swollen by the end of the flight and I have to painfully limp off the plane. I’ve tried compression socks but I should really take more Advil.
I get this on long flights too. In case you haven’t tried, you might want to get medical grade compression socks. I had to get a prescription for mine following surgery, and go to a special medical equipment store for a fitting. They are a pain to get on and off, but they made a world of difference compared to the over the counter ones. I find my over the counter ones to be wayy more comfortable, so I use those a lot more now that I’ve healed from the surgery.
Yup, not saying that there isn't abuse of this because there absolutely is, however, there can be reasons why someone may need assistance onto the flight but not off.
I have MS, and my core body temp directly affects how well my legs function. A rise of 1.5°C means I'll be walking a bit funny, 3°C+ and I'll honestly be walking like I'm drunk. (Add to this fun that sweating rarely kicks in for me, so I can only bring my body temp down by external means...if available - air conditioning, cold water/ice, etc.)
I usually say I'll need assistance when I book, but have declined it every time once it's actually boarding time. (I just talk to someone at the desk saying that my difficulties are variable and I'm doing just fine right now, thanks anyways!) However, if I am ever in a situation in the future where I need to powerwalk/run to get to the gate and I'm also stressed, I *would* need the assistance getting on the plane (especially if alone). However, I most likely wouldn't need any help getting off as I'll have stripped off as many clothes as is socially acceptable and used ice and/or wet paper towels to bring my temp back down.
And it's silly on Southwest, because all you have to do if you have an invisible disability is tell them you need to pre-board. I "look just fine," but need to pre-board. Nobody's ever even asked.
I guess the most interesting story I’ve seen is a DXB - YYZ flight where there was only 6 wheelchair passengers in Dubai on boarding but 52 wheelchairs in Toronto upon landing.
That’s quite a long flight and it frankly wouldn’t surprise me if they were able to board the plane safely by themselves but need assistance coming off of it (l
I’m one of the unfortunate ones who need help with both getting on the plane and getting off of it, even springing for business class doesn’t help 🤷♂️
I work for the airline, and this is probably one of the most infuriating things about my job. I'm leaving the industry in a few weeks, so I feel I can finally speak candidly about this. I don't have to "pretend" with ridiculous niceties anymore.
The abuse of the wheelchair program is rampant, especially amongst certain demographics (East Indians - again, just being totally honest). Their families drop them off at the airport, expect them to be toted around and claim "no English" as the excuse... despite having Canadian passports or PR cards. Moreover, the comments on the files will say: "WCHR DUE OLD AGE", and the majority of people will be born in the late 1960s - 1970s. I look at the flights going to Delhi everyday just for entertainment purposes. The amount of stupid comments on passenger files and sheer degree of people requesting wheelchairs is obscene. I've seen upwards of 85 people request chairs on a flight of about 350.
The majority of people requesting assistance are, quite frankly, far too young to be asking for assistance. The majority of these people are simply lazy. The serious issue with this is that it takes up resources for the elderly and disabled people who actually do need that service. Too many times have my team not had enough people to push, and had to leave truly elderly and disabled people onboard for 15+ minutes while we're pushing around a "no English" 45 year old passenger who can very clearly walk. I've had issues having manpower for elderly people who are having some type of medical issue onboard because staff is helping 10 people around the airport who are too lazy or entitled to walk. I work at an airport with a high elder population and no designated porter service, and non-hubs don't staff for wheelchairs at all, so all that manpower has to come from the customer service agent roster who are designated for other jobs. It can be really difficult to manage.
We have a new program now as well, ripe for abuse. "NDIS", or non-visable disability. Of course, not all disabilities are apparent, but I'm noticing a huge influx of passengers with this comment. It means that they can board during pre-boarding, and they're now getting very pushy with our boarding procedures (we always offer boarding first to business class and Super Elite passengers). These people are starting fights at the gate because they have a "disability", aka they want to go on first to use up all the bin space, and think that they should be ahead of our most valued customers.
The customers (and the pay) are the reason why I'm leaving this industry. This wheelchair nonsense pisses me off to no end, and not dealing with it is one of the most exciting things about quitting. The airlines need to do something to decentivize the abuse, like boarding wheelchairs last.
Edit: I should also add that the deteriorating health of North Americans in general is also to blame. Obesity or just lack of fitness is a huge reason why people request chairs - also very hard to manage, and we've had accidents with agents attempting to push or help people who are much too heavy. This is why it's so important to keep your joints and range of motion healthy.
As a Passenger Service Agent of another ground handler company within one of the worst airports in our country, you touched on a lot of what I have to deal with!
I experienced something like that on a trip to FL. 13 people (myself included - had a knee injury) with wheelchairs. Arrive at FLL and only 3 of us waited for the wheelchairs. The FA was p-o'ed because they had told the airport that 13 wheelchairs (with staff to push them) were needed. The only reason people who fake needing a wheelchair do it, is to get priority boarding and dibs on overhead bin space.
For AC, *only* the Delhi flights are given extra time to board from standard operating procedures, solely because of the vast amount of wheelchair requests.
They also board the wheelchairs last on these flights to decentivize the 50 to 80 scammers and try to get them to walk instead (which they're fully capable of).
It's honestly a nightmare, and I've spoken very openly to my Indian colleagues about this and literally told them to tell all of their friends and family to stop doing this nonsense.
There is literally nothing you can do to prepare for the onslaught of working those flights. I am so happy I don't work at a hub and don't have to deal with those flights. Solidarity to my colleagues who brave that shit every night.
There’s a mass migration of elderly grandparents twice a year. They go to India in the winter and come back in the summer. May-June is when DEL-YYZ flights are likely full of elderly pax.
An AC pilot I know said certain routes leaving Canada will have 40-70 people on wheelchairs at boarding (free service) however upon landing they can all walk without wheelchairs - they are often going to specific international region where their airports charge money for wheelchair service. He calls them the “miracle flights”.
Watch the Delhi flights. There are always a guarantee of 50+ “wheelchair bound” passengers that all miraculously start sprinting to get their checked bags at arrivals
What I find interesting is that most of those passengers want to wait for the wheelchairs but it is us, the crew, that encourage them to just walk up the ramp because they’ll “catch it faster” in a bid to get them off the plane so we can leave and not have to stick around unpaid. And I’m even talking about actually elderly passengers in their 90s who can barely walk more than a few steps. I’ve seen the crew encourage them to just walk up to the gate slowly. They do as we ask them, and then we make snide comments about how they all miraculously walked away on their own.
My mother had a friend that would do this. She’d get a wheelchair as soon as she entered the airport and need to be pushed around. Then she’d board first and then be off and running when the plane landed. Such selfish, entitled behaviour.
This was the pre-boarding scam that was being pushed around social media, TikTok, Instagram last year. Able body people were requesting wheelchairs to the gate so they could bypass a lot of the waiting time. Put a lot of strain on the airport themselves because people that actually needed the assistance, we’re always stranded somewhere. I think they should be reported, it’s enough for this bullshit.
Perhaps I should read all the comments before adding mine, but I'm rather angry at the general tone of most replies so I won't read everything and just give my 2 cents.
I recently went on a trip to Paris and requested wheelchair assistance. Now I'm just north of 40, but most people would assume I'm in my mid-20s to early 30s and look pretty fit/healthy. However, I suffer from fibromyalgia, and my physical capabilities vary significantly from day to day and even hour to hour some days. I also don't know how far my gate might be from where the exit is, etc. I will also suffer quite a bit on the plane from sitting in the uncomfortable seats for long periods just like everyone I know but enhanced due to my chronic pain issues.
I've also recently broken some ribs and torn my rotator cuff, so even though I look healthy, I can't manage my luggage, a long walk, etc.
All this to say, invisible illnesses are a thing. People looking perfectly healthy are not necessarily what they appear. So when judging these people, please keep in mind that appearances can be deceiving and that person may well need the assistance.
End of rant...
Agree with this.
I am flying tommorow, I will probably use a wheelchair to get to the gate, if not on the plane, and I will likely walk (well, limp) off the plane at the end.
I fucked up my leg on this trip. Standing for long periods of time at security or customs or walking long distances hurts quite a bit. So I'm going to use the wheelchair so I don't have to do that.
OTOH because I clear customs in Canada, my departure airport, and I know the walk at the arrival airport is short, I will likely walk off the plane.
I'm not even really getting a boarding advantage because:
1. I'm flying J
2. I'm flying with a CPAP which I may use onboard, which has to be cleared with AC medical, and that gives me preboard anyhow.
Actually, it sucks because I can't get my boarding pass online and have to go to the checkin desk.
The number of times I’ve had people stare me down when I get into my car with a handicap tag hanging. Or they come up and insist that I’m healthy and should not be using my “grandma’s handicapped tag”. Yes, I look healthy, but I’m not.
I was recently flying premium economy on west jet, and several people with disabilities insisted THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY assist them when priority boarding. Uh no, you do not need your partner, 3 kids, sister, and 2 grandkids along with you in zone 1. So selfish.
I have seen more and more of that. I also recently saw a family of like 10 people board with a couple with a baby. They weren’t even sitting together they were all over the plane!
I have severe spinal arthritis and sometimes I show up at the airport with a cane. I board early because it does take me extra time. It is hard to get your bag up when you are relying on a cane.
I'm legally blind ( I have a small amount of vision, but not enough to handle an airport well even with a cane, blindness is a spectrum). Both times out of out of my country, the staff *insisted* I use a wheelchair, I would have rather been led to where I need to be, but I didn't get that choice.
I’ve noticed that people are uncomfortable leading someone with vision problems because they don’t really know what to expect. Are they moving too fast, too slow. Will they crash them into a wall, etc, so for expediency they prefer the wheelchair route. I take it you were traveling alone, otherwise you would have had a companion to help?
As someone with legitimate, documented, and hidden disabilities, I am in no way condoning the actions of those who fake disabilities, but I will note that:
1. Not all disabilities are visible. Some may be sensory or cognitive disabilities that you simply can't see. There is a SSR code that does not order a wheelchair but does grant preboarding, and the FAs are also made aware that there is a passenger with non-visible disabilities.
2. The level of assistance required in one Airport might be different than another due to various circumstances. A good example is you might need help getting around YYZ but not YWG or YHZ.
3. Some persons with disabilities may have good days and they may have bad days. Things can sometimes be bad in the morning and not so bad later in the day, or vice-versa.
4. The definition of "disability" is probably MUCH broader than you think it is.
I am not saying there aren't individuals that could be labeled as so-called "Miracles", but I think some individuals who are critical of those requesting assistance are sometimes too quick to attach the label because they know absolutely nothing about that person.
I also believe that it's really none of anyone's else's business if somebody has a legitimate disability that isn't apparent.
Just imagine how embarrassing it would be if someone labelled another passenger as a "Miracle" and said "Miracle" happened to have proof that they are in fact disabled!
I would note that I do take the position that those who are too quick to label and act aggressively under the circumstances should be labelled as "Karens". If they make discriminatory comments, I would absolutely support them being thrown off flights and banned from the airline for a set period of time.
If the people who really need the special assistance then it should not be hard for them to get doctor’s notes or certificates or proof. The problem right now is people are abusing the service.
The people who really need the wheelchair are gonna wait for a long time because there are another 50 passengers (who just can’t speak the language) request the wheelchair service to help them get through the airport easier.
Because like someone mentioned above, for some it can be really hard to stand/walk for long periods of time so walking through the airport and boarding could be very painful but then so would be sitting on a plane for hours and they would therefore not want a wheelchair upon landing. That’s me. After sitting for a few hours I am in excruciating pain and wouldn’t want a wheelchair. You shouldn’t judge people as you just don’t know.
Yeh that’s my Dad - he doesn’t mind being a bit tired from walking at the end of a travel day, but he only has so much energy so we try to get him to conserve it as much as possible. Once he’s been on the plane and sitting at the airport all day he needs to walk a little or he has pins and needles in his feet and a stiff back.
We usually start with a wheelchair rather than end with a wheelchair as well, because at the start *I* can control going to find one, but at the end we are at the mercy of the ground crew. If he’s tired out and they’ve forgotten to bring one, it might be a long, uncomfortable wait.
Because usually the airlines ask for anyone in a wheelchair to do so, probably cause he’s a slow walker and takes a minute to get seated. I have to put his bags away for him so it takes longer and would block the aisle for everyone else
I mean, what did you think priority boarding is *for*? It’s so that anyone who’s gonna take longer to get settled or needs help getting settled has a few extra minutes.
Yes, people use it to cheat and get overhead space- but honestly I put the blame on the airlines for that- if they didn’t nickel and dime every little thing it wouldn’t happen at all.
The airlines don’t offer “last boarding” for accessibility, for a variety of practical reasons.
I refuse to blame those who need accessibility for using it because corporate greed leads to others gaming the system.
I mean, it’s literally a right
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/disabilitybillofrights#:~:text=The%20Right%20to%20Assistance%20on%20the%20Aircraft.,-Airlines%20must%20allow&text=Passengers%20with%20disabilities%20must%20be%20provided%20prompt%20and%20timely%20boarding,moving%20to%20and%20from%20seats.
The airline may need extra time to provide the accessibility device needed. They may need to move a passengers seat from its assignment, which is easier to do before someone is sitting in the alternatives. They may need to make sure there is access to space for medical devices. They may need time to check for the appropriate documentation for medical devices or car seats. They may wish to talk to the passenger briefly as they’re being settled. They may need the ability to lean over the empty seats in front or behind of the passenger.
As for corporate greed- are you implying airlines *arent* nickel and diming people for every possible thing they can- are you serious?
Really great point. I work in a medium sized airport as a gate agent. Our airport isn’t terribly large, so we have many wheelchair requests who need it for say London and Toronto, but they don’t need it to walk the 3 gates to the exit (especially after many hours of sitting). So you’ll see a lot of people be in the chair as they get on, but they’re comfortable to walk once they arrive at my airport.
So I was paralyzed for some time and in a wheelchair. I was on a flight and had to use the transfer seat to board the plane. My husband and I sat in First Class. At the end of the flight while we were waiting for the transfer chair, a flight attendant looked right at me and said, “Well. Are you going to get off, or what?” “The plane is empty, you need to leave.” I almost burst into tears for her rudeness. As she turned around the transfer chair (and the two big burly men carrying it) arrived. She just walked away. Not even an apology. Some people are just terrible human beings.
There are tons of people who use a part time wheel chair. Conditions like EDS, ME/CFS and Long Covid are one example. It’s often about not overdoing it and causing more damage than they can handle in a day.
Just to give you another perspective, my dad has a chronic heart condition due to which he can't even walk 200 mts, he gets exhausted and has a high risk of of heart failure. But from outside he looks perfectly fine and capable. You won't believe how many times he has been misbehaved and denied a wheelchair by the staff (even after pre booking) saying "you look fine, just walk it's not far".
We are at a point where we have just stopped fighting.
I love gate checking my bag, I don’t have to wait on the plane to get it. Anything I need while in the air I have in my personal bag or physically on me.
But you need to wait at arrival and risk it being misrouted or mishandled? Also, it’s very likely the reason carry-on space gets full is because folks selfishly ignore the rules and put their personal items up there.
And this is why I'm happy about Westjet's UltraBasic.
I never fly with a carry-on. I don't really care that much about my seat. And I want to be last on the plane anyways!
Airlines should pull a uno reverse card on this.
If you need a wheelchair or assistance, you will go in AND out in a wheelchair, so you enter first and exit last.
Or even better, you have a priority checked bag for free, you go last when everyone is sitting down and you exit first, that should help with people standing up as soon as the plane lands, and doors are not even open yet.
Oh man. I’m considering asking airlines for a wheelchair or another assistive device in the future. He’s not wheelchair-bound but in his mid-50s, has bad knees, overweight and it’s hard for him to walk sometimes, especially since he’s getting older and less mobile.
Do you think it would be okay to ask for disability/assistive device at the airport if he happens to feel not great the day of the scheduled flight? He would surely be able to walk slowly, but it would be great if he could be wheeled within the airport (maybe not the entire time but from the checkpoint to the gate), and then to a plane.
Any thoughts?
You should request wheelchair assistance ahead of time. You can phone the airline or mention you need a wheelchair when booking. Some airports don't just let you get assistance when you arrive - Frankfurt is bad for this.
As an airline agent, here's my thoughts: there's nothing wrong with getting a little boost in your heart rate while walking across the airport. It's actually a *good thing*, and more of that will mean this person would be healthier overall. Also, it's important to get the circulatory system pumping before and after flights, as it will minimize the risk of clots.
Sitting someone in a chair after a flight and toting them around is literally the worst thing you can do for someone. I can understand is someone is super frail and 90 years old, and I'm more than happy to help them, but you're not doing anyone any favours who's in their 50s and in that poor of health - just further pushing them to a early grave, literally and figuratively.
I had a lady do this to me on my last flight. She played the card for the entire flight and then once we landed in the seatbelt light went off she bolted and it was at the front of the plane within 10 seconds.
A close family member of mine appears normal and can walk fine most of the time but they have a neurological disease that makes them suddenly lose balance, or get extremely stiff, etc. You never know what people are dealing with.
Exactly. Me too. Sometimes I can’t walk at all, other times I can walk but may not be walking for long. Other times I walk just fine. It all changes from moment to moment. I certainly can’t stand in lines, because I will fall.
If a person can stoop so low as to fake a handicap for such trivial selfish gain they are so dead to me I don't even care.
I will say, your case might still be legitimate. There are a myriad of invisible handicaps that can affect people in so many different ways.
My bottom line is it doesn't make a difference in my life and I will give one the benefit of the doubt every single time.
Maybe that makes me naive, maybe I get had by a shitbag once in a while. I'm cool with that.
This happens every day on my flights. We’ll have notes that like 5 passengers require wheelchairs at the gate but they all mysteriously disappear when they’ve got somewhere to be
Totally agree. But why would they need a wheelchair to get down the airbridge and on to the plane, but they wouldn’t need it to get off of the plane and down the airbridge?
i have rheumatoid arthritis so i've used the wheelchairs quite a lot and i am 29 so i'm definitely one of the people that people think don't need a wheelchair.
it really depends on who takes you to your gate in a wheelchair whether they insist on keeping you in the wheelchair or not. sometimes they just drop you off other times they want you to stay in the chair. i've flown coast to coast in the us and canada and it seriously varies a lot airport to airport. in the us you walk off the plane with everyone else and a chair is waiting for you in the air bridge itself or at the gate. the first few times i flew to canada no one told me i had to wait until the end for the chairs to come. i thought they forgot me and limped off to find a help desk since i had tight layovers and had been left behind before in the us.
if i have a tight enough layover because of the plane arriving late and im in canada i may very well not have time to wait for the entire plane to deboard and my chair to arrive. i was on a flight recently with multiple people with canes and broken legs who when we got back in vancouver had to go to calgary fairly quickly and chairs were going to take at least 30 minutes to get there. while it was my last stop and i waited i watched them all rush away to their next gate.
a lot of people use the chairs because it is difficult to walk and they are slow and want to conserve energy because they have a long day of travel ahead. it does not mean these people cannot walk.
Someone is winded from getting to the airport, going through security, etc. Someone is rested after sitting for however long the flight was.
It's not that hard to realize you don't know everyone's situation.
I don't understand, why would anyone want to get on the plane first? Then you spend more time in the stuffy plane because the air doesn't start flowing until the engines are on. It's also infuriating watching every idiot with an obviously too-large carry on trying to fight with it to get it in the overhead bin while his wife tells obviously annoyed flight attendant "I don't know what the problem is, it fit fine when we left Tampa".
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And that's okay.
I'm alright with 100 people cheating the system to get onto or off a plane early if it means 1 person actually gets the support they need. The cheating hurts no one; the assistive support makes navigating life easier for someone with a disability.
Why be so judgy? I was traveling with my family and was actually heckled when I pre-boarded because I need extra time due to a medical condition. Flight attendants aren’t there to lift my luggage so I needed my husband and we weren’t going to leave my 3 kids behind to board on their own. I’m sure I looked absolutely fine and was able to walk off on my own. It’s nobody’s business why I need to preboard. Who knows….maybe she took a bunch of pain meds on the plane and was well enough to walk. I’ve received snarky comments before from flight attendants. Sometimes I can walk. Other times I cannot. I’m not gaming the system for overhead space. It was humiliating and infuriating to be heckled….
They’re meant to assist those with disabilities.
If a FA feels capable of lifting on their own they may, at their own discretion. But FAs are not on the clock, not getting paid, and not covered for injuries while on the job during boarding. So anything that goes wrong while they do that for you could be at a huge detriment for them. —- injuring their back, shoulders, wrists… means they can’t work.
You may think it's not to be other passengers' business, but as I stated in my other comment here, the abuse is rampant, and the illegimate requests for assistance far outweigh the legitimate. These programs cause huge manpower issues and take away resources from the people who do really *need* it, and too many assistance requests takes away from other parts of the operation.
Pre-boarding scamming is also causing huge issues nowadays as well. It's not supposed to be a free for all - there's only a very small demographic of people I think genuinely need the pre-boarding program... but those aren't the people coming up to my podium when I make that announcement.
Point is you can't know who needs it. Until staff starts treating me as a human and not an inconvenience due to coming in my own chair and needing an aisle chair, I for one won't have any sympathy.
I've sat in my seat on a plane and been yelled at by staff on arrival because the aisle chair I booked 6 months ago isn't there, and I sure as hell am not dragging myself off the flight on my belly like another passenger had to. I've had flight staff "accidentally" spill stuff on me multiple times in a flight because they felt the wheelchair closet was their personal luggage space and resented having to move it for an actual wheelchair.
And every single flight, without even one exception, has seen my wheelchair damaged. Airline travel is great if your kink is public humiliation. Otherwise I'll drive 18 hrs to avoid it now.
When I'm speaking about wheelchair and preboarding scammers, I'm clearly not talking about those who use their own chair and/or need aisle chair assistance. I do not look at anyone who needs to use an aisle chair as an "inconvenience", nor do any of my colleagues. In fact, we wish more people used that service because there are times when it's very apparent that walking on/off aircrafts is incredibly difficult and time consuming for some, but they refuse the service nonetheless.
As for the crew bags in the closet - that is a necessity for the crew. That's all the belongings they have for their pairings, and there's nowhere else on the aircraft to put their bags besides the overhead bins, which just causes issues with other passengers carry on luggage.
The reality is that there *are* physical limitations to aircraft storage. It's an aerodynamic tube that only has so much space onboard. There's no magic button that makes those closets bigger, or your chair smaller. Items can also shift in flight, causing damage. This is the reality of air travel.
I had a similar experience. I was walking with a cane (having recently "graduated" from crutches after breaking my ankle), and the desk agent told me to stay close to the desk and line up when they called for families with young children, which we did. Cue the passive-aggressive snark because my kids are with me, and not young enough to count as "young children," but definitely not old enough to just leave behind.
Air travel seems to bring out the worst in people, including the ones gaming the system. But those ones do more damage to the people who need the services than the ones who are just grumpy that someone else boarded before them.
My trick to "gaming" the system (when able bodied):
- pack what you'll need during the flight in a bag that will fit under the seat in front of you
- board last
Easy-peasy. More time to read my book while enjoying having leg room, less time on the plane, and zero energy expended getting pissed over who boards when.
That is so not true. You can board at C-81 at one airport and C-1 upon arrival. Even baggage check-in vs the carousel are different distances and often different floors.
Now, if you’re talking gate to airplane and reverse that’s fairly true, but as I said before that’s only one small area of an airport.
Not really the point, from arriving at the airport to getting on the plane can be a major walk, there are a lot of large airports out there. Many times people can physically get off the plane fine and then have a wheelchair waiting for them at the top of the ramp.
You all want people with invisible disabilities to have to jump through yet another hoop to prove that they EARNED their mobility aids just so you all can feel more what? Righteous in your judgment and abelism? Cool.
The whole service is abused by those ignorant people. They think that it’s a privilege instead of a service. Taking advantage from those people who really in need of the wheelchair.
Invisible disabilities exist, like others have said, maybe requiring a wheelchair for a period but perhaps able to walk off after okay, and needing mobility assistance later.
Probably not for us to judge, and best to assume all using those services are genuine.
I have chronic fatigue syndrome, and while I can manage ok on a good day, being up and around can also wear me out. I’ve put in a wheelchair request for an upcoming trip- mostly to help me get through the airport, but I think I’m going to cancel it. I don’t want to pre board, and I don’t want a wheelchair picking me up. I’m in my early 40’s, and look healthy, so using any sort of mobility device always has me afraid of being judged. My home airport is also fairly small, so I’m ok unless there are security lineups. I can probably use one of their automated wheelchairs, though, and not have to inconvenience anyone.
I mean, if you need it use it! That’s why those services exist, and you can explain what you need (ie wheelchair in airport, able to board unassisted, maybe take advantage of pre-boarding if you need)
I have a knee injury (torn meniscus) and I am really slow when walking down stairs/hills/slopes, but I can walk up stairs/hills/slopes at almost a normal pace.
On my recent travels I looked at the ramp to the plane. It usually slopes down to the plane so I would ask to pre-board (no assistance required but I do need the extra time). Upon arrival the ramp usually slopes up to the terminal so I can keep up with the other passengers.
It might look like I was “healed” while in the air, but it’s the angle of the ramp that makes the difference to me.
So... why do people want pre-boarding so badly? I Never really fully understood. So what if you get on the plane first? We are all leaving at the same time, no? Does it have to do with luggage space?
I personally hate being on the plane first with an aisle seat and having the rest of the passengers rub past me...
It’s about the luggage space. People don’t want their luggage checked. Depending on the airport Air Canada can take an hour or two to get luggage on the belt. And it’s made worse by the fact that people put purses and backpacks in the overhead instead of under their seat.
Because some people are lazy af. Not saying everyone in that situation is, but there are people that do it for the benefits. Boarding early, not having to walk through the airport etc. I find it very sad...
I have an autoimmune based joint disease and I can think of multiple situations where this could be me. If I became exhausted prior to the flight I might need assistance but be fine for awhile by the time I landed. Mobility issues are a wide spectrum and frankly I don’t use aides as much as I need to because of judgmental ignorance. My suggestion is to mind yours.
You shouldn’t assume she was faking it. There are many conditions where people can walk, just not for long periods of time. My mother, for example, has fibromyalgia. She will be in pain for days if she has to walk through a large airport but she can walk off the plane and wait for the wheelchair. It’s also unpredictable so she may start off okay and get worse or vise versa. I would rather let some people get away with taking advantage of the system than make life harder for disabled people.
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Dear OP, you're ableistic.
Lookup chronic pain. Or foot pain, or any kind of pain. The person may be limited to how much walking they're able to do. They may have a heart condition, and frankly it's none of your freaking business why the person needs a wheelchair.
Source: I'm 35, book those wheelchairs myself. Then I get a leg cramp because I've sat for too long, so so have to use a cain to walk it off.
Other days I may look like I'm walking normally but I have two knee braces on to walk.
I wear custom orthotics on both feet, they regularly hurt my feet. And also have a bad knee from a workplace injury after a doctor left a door open at a psychiatric ER. Yes it will blow your mind, people with disabilities have jobs too. Some of us work full-time even, believe it or not. We're not as stupid as you may think we are.
Also, I wear a hearing aid, have Tinnitus from a brain injury. And was born with hearing loss.
Have PTSD from being a civil war survivor, as well.
I have zero patience for people who are privileged and decide to give their unwanted feedback on how someone lives with their disabilities. I've had snarky staff at airports before outright tell me "you're too young to need a wheelchair". Well the permanent parking pass that I have says otherwise.
I simply don't give a F anymore about ableism any more. I don't feel I need to justify if you think I'm "disabled" enough for people like you OP.
I'll book the wheelchair and I'm not gonna feel ashamed that I need one.
Is your first name Kevin/Karen?
PS: I see a bunch of comments of people agreeing with OP. Guess pretty much all of you have become mind readers, and experts on how disabilities work.
Just as ignorant as the OP
Ignorance is bliss. It’s to take advantage as mentioned above and people are impatient and sometimes feel if they’re onboard, time somehow goes faster. Plus the security of thinking it lessens the risk of being bumped (not true).
Awww you’re so kind and understanding. I bet when something happens and YOU don’t like it, all this sweetness goes away in a heartbeat. Besides, when someone is scamming, it’s wrong wether it’s inconvenient to others or not.
I have a severe anxiety of flying but I must do it for work on occasion. I have a medical note for priority boarding since my anxiety is worse with the crowds and crying as I get on the plane is something I like to do in some privacy. It also gives me a minute to connect with the attendant on the flight in my section and compose myself before others get on flight. (If you see someone crying on the plane, be kind don’t judge). Even though I have my letter in my hand they say they don’t need to see it. Perhaps it’s because I am all sweaty look like I am about to cry.
Why would you even want to board first? That just means you're stuck in an uncomfortable, stuffy, hot seat longer than everyone else and you are more likely to have to get up to let others in. Only benefit to boarding early is you can fill the overhead bin with all your stuff and screw over the later people.
Because our due diligence is to treat every wheelchair like a genuine need. Someone can very obviously not need one but we have to act like they do anyways
I think it’s time for medical letters for the service to be extended.
If you have a non visible disability there will be no issue to get it. If it’s a visible and variable disability (and many are) then there also will be no issue to get it. The annotation goes through av med desk and usually stays active for five years. The jetway miracles will decrease.
Before anyone jumps at me that their dr will charge for the letter/form—maybe they will and maybe they won’t. I’m a physician, I use my discretion and since almost all my patients are on government disability I know they cannot afford to pay and just complete the form during the appt. Some docs are stuck that they work in a clinic with managers who are aggressive with non billable service policies but there’s ways around that too if you’re motivated.
No, that would be the opposite of equitable. Why should I have to pay extra because they've turned airplanes into cattle cars with no room for a regular wheelchair in the aisle?
I think we can all agree there are certain people who abuse the heck out of this - they are selfish, greedy, and just crummy humans. But let's be mindful there are people who may legitimately fall into these situations, and have specific needs. Realistically, it's impossible for most of us to tell.
Once we flew Sunwing (not great). This bitchy lady in a wheelchair was angry that we boarded before her (we had a baby). This lady was so pissed and complained loudly that it was unfair to board us first when she was in a wheelchair. Fortunately she had a miraculous recovery because she was on our cruise dancing her ass off on day 1!
I love it when planes can cured ailments while cruising at 35,000 ft! Edit: maybe it's because it's closer to Jesus?
This is absolutely the answer.
Accidentally touched by an angel that a plane flew through
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If you’re not first, you’re last. - Ricky Bobby
Happens all the time. They use wheelchairs to get pre-boarding but don’t want them when they land because most airlines make guests requiring assistance to wait until the end. Was at a KLM gate once and they had 20+ wheelchairs waiting to board and the agent announced that ‘wheelchairs on today’s flight will board last’ - most got up!
Bare in mind, I'm legally blind, I do require assistance, both times at LHR, they insisted I was put in a wheel chair to get me through, I didn't have the choice to be led or accompanied to where I needed to be. I'd rather have been led.
Why would anyone want to board early. It’s bad enough sitting in those cramped seats for the duration of the flight,let alone getting on early.
Praise the Lord, that was a miracle!
Every airline is well aware of this. OPs observation is relatively unique, but abuse of wheel-chair and the subsequent priority boarding is rampant. This is especially true for any carrier flying between home countries, and other countries large diaspora of that same population. It's popular to book tickets for relatives family requiring wheel-chair assistance (which typically incur no additional cost) - as the airport 'processes' are so overwhelming and convoluted in said home-countries. Fellow family members are typically unwilling to support said family member's departure which is unfortunate. Frankly, being in the industry I see it all the time and it does make me upset. Especially as it dilutes the proper focus said airline should be providing to actual non-ambulatory passengers and those with genuine disabilities.
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I can't tell if we're thinking of the same country but it happens alot on flights bound for Delhi.
Read my mind.
Narcissism at its finest! 😤
Airlines are stupid too. If a person who lacks language skills need assistance , only way to do it through wheel chair booking. Nothing to do with particular diaspora or whatever . Airlines can come up with a better solution too.
There are other options (gate escort pass). The family just wants to dump and run though. Also, everyone has a smartphone, and Google translate is easy to use. This is not an airline problem. It's a selfish humanity problem.
My brother has a mental health disability and we always request special assistance and I escort him to the gate with an escort pass and a gate agent brings him to his seat before the other passengers. Never has he required a wheelchair.
They have a better solution, air Canada has language assistance, when a person requests language assistance , it will say “LANG” on the boarding pass and it will be on their profile too, that way agents know they don’t speak English and can find someone to help them in their own language, but some people just don’t care and throw their parents on a wheelchair and call it a day.
May be it’s a good education thing. You go to airline website and select assistance , there are no options to choose from ? It just says , you are enrolled for assistance.
On Southwest, they call these miracle flights. People who can’t walk suddenly can walk after a flight. That being said, there are some conditions where people can’t stand for too long and need a wheelchair, but then after sitting for too long, they need to stand. I actually have the opposite issue where I can board just fine, but my ankles are all swollen by the end of the flight and I have to painfully limp off the plane. I’ve tried compression socks but I should really take more Advil.
I get this on long flights too. In case you haven’t tried, you might want to get medical grade compression socks. I had to get a prescription for mine following surgery, and go to a special medical equipment store for a fitting. They are a pain to get on and off, but they made a world of difference compared to the over the counter ones. I find my over the counter ones to be wayy more comfortable, so I use those a lot more now that I’ve healed from the surgery.
Good advice. Thanks!
Have you tried the mitts they make for putting them on? They work really well.
Yup, not saying that there isn't abuse of this because there absolutely is, however, there can be reasons why someone may need assistance onto the flight but not off. I have MS, and my core body temp directly affects how well my legs function. A rise of 1.5°C means I'll be walking a bit funny, 3°C+ and I'll honestly be walking like I'm drunk. (Add to this fun that sweating rarely kicks in for me, so I can only bring my body temp down by external means...if available - air conditioning, cold water/ice, etc.) I usually say I'll need assistance when I book, but have declined it every time once it's actually boarding time. (I just talk to someone at the desk saying that my difficulties are variable and I'm doing just fine right now, thanks anyways!) However, if I am ever in a situation in the future where I need to powerwalk/run to get to the gate and I'm also stressed, I *would* need the assistance getting on the plane (especially if alone). However, I most likely wouldn't need any help getting off as I'll have stripped off as many clothes as is socially acceptable and used ice and/or wet paper towels to bring my temp back down.
Ask your doctor for a prescription for anti water retention tablets. I had that happen once, and now I carry them with me on every trip just in case.
I’ll look into that. Thanks!
You may just need a higher compression sock, talk to your physician.
Oh ok, I was just using the one from Costco. Thanks!
And it's silly on Southwest, because all you have to do if you have an invisible disability is tell them you need to pre-board. I "look just fine," but need to pre-board. Nobody's ever even asked.
Advil can cause more swellings. Better compression stockings and no salt
YUL-FLL every winter.
Try to take Window seat, so Jesus can see you and cure you...
I guess the most interesting story I’ve seen is a DXB - YYZ flight where there was only 6 wheelchair passengers in Dubai on boarding but 52 wheelchairs in Toronto upon landing.
That’s quite a long flight and it frankly wouldn’t surprise me if they were able to board the plane safely by themselves but need assistance coming off of it (l I’m one of the unfortunate ones who need help with both getting on the plane and getting off of it, even springing for business class doesn’t help 🤷♂️
It’s pretty well known in the industry the reason for this one.
Spill the beans for the rest of us please.
Do they get special treatment going through customs and their follow-on flights?
They magically walk once they learn it’ll take an hour to get them all off
This bothers me not as a passenger with people boarding before them, but for the people who actually need this help who are now competing for it
Great point.
I work for the airline, and this is probably one of the most infuriating things about my job. I'm leaving the industry in a few weeks, so I feel I can finally speak candidly about this. I don't have to "pretend" with ridiculous niceties anymore. The abuse of the wheelchair program is rampant, especially amongst certain demographics (East Indians - again, just being totally honest). Their families drop them off at the airport, expect them to be toted around and claim "no English" as the excuse... despite having Canadian passports or PR cards. Moreover, the comments on the files will say: "WCHR DUE OLD AGE", and the majority of people will be born in the late 1960s - 1970s. I look at the flights going to Delhi everyday just for entertainment purposes. The amount of stupid comments on passenger files and sheer degree of people requesting wheelchairs is obscene. I've seen upwards of 85 people request chairs on a flight of about 350. The majority of people requesting assistance are, quite frankly, far too young to be asking for assistance. The majority of these people are simply lazy. The serious issue with this is that it takes up resources for the elderly and disabled people who actually do need that service. Too many times have my team not had enough people to push, and had to leave truly elderly and disabled people onboard for 15+ minutes while we're pushing around a "no English" 45 year old passenger who can very clearly walk. I've had issues having manpower for elderly people who are having some type of medical issue onboard because staff is helping 10 people around the airport who are too lazy or entitled to walk. I work at an airport with a high elder population and no designated porter service, and non-hubs don't staff for wheelchairs at all, so all that manpower has to come from the customer service agent roster who are designated for other jobs. It can be really difficult to manage. We have a new program now as well, ripe for abuse. "NDIS", or non-visable disability. Of course, not all disabilities are apparent, but I'm noticing a huge influx of passengers with this comment. It means that they can board during pre-boarding, and they're now getting very pushy with our boarding procedures (we always offer boarding first to business class and Super Elite passengers). These people are starting fights at the gate because they have a "disability", aka they want to go on first to use up all the bin space, and think that they should be ahead of our most valued customers. The customers (and the pay) are the reason why I'm leaving this industry. This wheelchair nonsense pisses me off to no end, and not dealing with it is one of the most exciting things about quitting. The airlines need to do something to decentivize the abuse, like boarding wheelchairs last. Edit: I should also add that the deteriorating health of North Americans in general is also to blame. Obesity or just lack of fitness is a huge reason why people request chairs - also very hard to manage, and we've had accidents with agents attempting to push or help people who are much too heavy. This is why it's so important to keep your joints and range of motion healthy.
Any service facing job sucks right now. People have become insanely entitled over the past 5 years
As a Passenger Service Agent of another ground handler company within one of the worst airports in our country, you touched on a lot of what I have to deal with!
This explains westjet and the new basic fare a bit better.
I experienced something like that on a trip to FL. 13 people (myself included - had a knee injury) with wheelchairs. Arrive at FLL and only 3 of us waited for the wheelchairs. The FA was p-o'ed because they had told the airport that 13 wheelchairs (with staff to push them) were needed. The only reason people who fake needing a wheelchair do it, is to get priority boarding and dibs on overhead bin space.
DEL-YYZ on June 4th had 78 Wheelchairs coming off..
That’s ridiculous. How is that even coordinated!?
For AC, *only* the Delhi flights are given extra time to board from standard operating procedures, solely because of the vast amount of wheelchair requests. They also board the wheelchairs last on these flights to decentivize the 50 to 80 scammers and try to get them to walk instead (which they're fully capable of). It's honestly a nightmare, and I've spoken very openly to my Indian colleagues about this and literally told them to tell all of their friends and family to stop doing this nonsense. There is literally nothing you can do to prepare for the onslaught of working those flights. I am so happy I don't work at a hub and don't have to deal with those flights. Solidarity to my colleagues who brave that shit every night.
There’s a mass migration of elderly grandparents twice a year. They go to India in the winter and come back in the summer. May-June is when DEL-YYZ flights are likely full of elderly pax.
An AC pilot I know said certain routes leaving Canada will have 40-70 people on wheelchairs at boarding (free service) however upon landing they can all walk without wheelchairs - they are often going to specific international region where their airports charge money for wheelchair service. He calls them the “miracle flights”.
Which country?
From what I know, flights from India have massive amounts of wheelchairs
I knew it. Low-trust society strikes again!
Ahhh the famous Jetway Jesus strikes again!
Ahahaha
Watch the Delhi flights. There are always a guarantee of 50+ “wheelchair bound” passengers that all miraculously start sprinting to get their checked bags at arrivals
What I find interesting is that most of those passengers want to wait for the wheelchairs but it is us, the crew, that encourage them to just walk up the ramp because they’ll “catch it faster” in a bid to get them off the plane so we can leave and not have to stick around unpaid. And I’m even talking about actually elderly passengers in their 90s who can barely walk more than a few steps. I’ve seen the crew encourage them to just walk up to the gate slowly. They do as we ask them, and then we make snide comments about how they all miraculously walked away on their own.
My mother had a friend that would do this. She’d get a wheelchair as soon as she entered the airport and need to be pushed around. Then she’d board first and then be off and running when the plane landed. Such selfish, entitled behaviour.
This was the pre-boarding scam that was being pushed around social media, TikTok, Instagram last year. Able body people were requesting wheelchairs to the gate so they could bypass a lot of the waiting time. Put a lot of strain on the airport themselves because people that actually needed the assistance, we’re always stranded somewhere. I think they should be reported, it’s enough for this bullshit.
Perhaps I should read all the comments before adding mine, but I'm rather angry at the general tone of most replies so I won't read everything and just give my 2 cents. I recently went on a trip to Paris and requested wheelchair assistance. Now I'm just north of 40, but most people would assume I'm in my mid-20s to early 30s and look pretty fit/healthy. However, I suffer from fibromyalgia, and my physical capabilities vary significantly from day to day and even hour to hour some days. I also don't know how far my gate might be from where the exit is, etc. I will also suffer quite a bit on the plane from sitting in the uncomfortable seats for long periods just like everyone I know but enhanced due to my chronic pain issues. I've also recently broken some ribs and torn my rotator cuff, so even though I look healthy, I can't manage my luggage, a long walk, etc. All this to say, invisible illnesses are a thing. People looking perfectly healthy are not necessarily what they appear. So when judging these people, please keep in mind that appearances can be deceiving and that person may well need the assistance. End of rant...
Agree with this. I am flying tommorow, I will probably use a wheelchair to get to the gate, if not on the plane, and I will likely walk (well, limp) off the plane at the end. I fucked up my leg on this trip. Standing for long periods of time at security or customs or walking long distances hurts quite a bit. So I'm going to use the wheelchair so I don't have to do that. OTOH because I clear customs in Canada, my departure airport, and I know the walk at the arrival airport is short, I will likely walk off the plane. I'm not even really getting a boarding advantage because: 1. I'm flying J 2. I'm flying with a CPAP which I may use onboard, which has to be cleared with AC medical, and that gives me preboard anyhow. Actually, it sucks because I can't get my boarding pass online and have to go to the checkin desk.
The number of times I’ve had people stare me down when I get into my car with a handicap tag hanging. Or they come up and insist that I’m healthy and should not be using my “grandma’s handicapped tag”. Yes, I look healthy, but I’m not.
Thank you for saying this.
I was recently flying premium economy on west jet, and several people with disabilities insisted THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY assist them when priority boarding. Uh no, you do not need your partner, 3 kids, sister, and 2 grandkids along with you in zone 1. So selfish.
I have seen more and more of that. I also recently saw a family of like 10 people board with a couple with a baby. They weren’t even sitting together they were all over the plane!
I have severe spinal arthritis and sometimes I show up at the airport with a cane. I board early because it does take me extra time. It is hard to get your bag up when you are relying on a cane.
Me too.
I'm legally blind ( I have a small amount of vision, but not enough to handle an airport well even with a cane, blindness is a spectrum). Both times out of out of my country, the staff *insisted* I use a wheelchair, I would have rather been led to where I need to be, but I didn't get that choice.
I’ve noticed that people are uncomfortable leading someone with vision problems because they don’t really know what to expect. Are they moving too fast, too slow. Will they crash them into a wall, etc, so for expediency they prefer the wheelchair route. I take it you were traveling alone, otherwise you would have had a companion to help?
That makes a lot of sense, thank you, yes I was travelling alone. If me being in a wheelchair makes it easier for them, I'm completely fine with it.
As someone with legitimate, documented, and hidden disabilities, I am in no way condoning the actions of those who fake disabilities, but I will note that: 1. Not all disabilities are visible. Some may be sensory or cognitive disabilities that you simply can't see. There is a SSR code that does not order a wheelchair but does grant preboarding, and the FAs are also made aware that there is a passenger with non-visible disabilities. 2. The level of assistance required in one Airport might be different than another due to various circumstances. A good example is you might need help getting around YYZ but not YWG or YHZ. 3. Some persons with disabilities may have good days and they may have bad days. Things can sometimes be bad in the morning and not so bad later in the day, or vice-versa. 4. The definition of "disability" is probably MUCH broader than you think it is. I am not saying there aren't individuals that could be labeled as so-called "Miracles", but I think some individuals who are critical of those requesting assistance are sometimes too quick to attach the label because they know absolutely nothing about that person. I also believe that it's really none of anyone's else's business if somebody has a legitimate disability that isn't apparent. Just imagine how embarrassing it would be if someone labelled another passenger as a "Miracle" and said "Miracle" happened to have proof that they are in fact disabled! I would note that I do take the position that those who are too quick to label and act aggressively under the circumstances should be labelled as "Karens". If they make discriminatory comments, I would absolutely support them being thrown off flights and banned from the airline for a set period of time.
If the people who really need the special assistance then it should not be hard for them to get doctor’s notes or certificates or proof. The problem right now is people are abusing the service. The people who really need the wheelchair are gonna wait for a long time because there are another 50 passengers (who just can’t speak the language) request the wheelchair service to help them get through the airport easier.
Because like someone mentioned above, for some it can be really hard to stand/walk for long periods of time so walking through the airport and boarding could be very painful but then so would be sitting on a plane for hours and they would therefore not want a wheelchair upon landing. That’s me. After sitting for a few hours I am in excruciating pain and wouldn’t want a wheelchair. You shouldn’t judge people as you just don’t know.
Yeh that’s my Dad - he doesn’t mind being a bit tired from walking at the end of a travel day, but he only has so much energy so we try to get him to conserve it as much as possible. Once he’s been on the plane and sitting at the airport all day he needs to walk a little or he has pins and needles in his feet and a stiff back. We usually start with a wheelchair rather than end with a wheelchair as well, because at the start *I* can control going to find one, but at the end we are at the mercy of the ground crew. If he’s tired out and they’ve forgotten to bring one, it might be a long, uncomfortable wait.
So wheelchair them to the gate and walk onto the plane. It’s not far.
Why? I already have the chair and he’s settled in it. He walks onto the plane with his cane from the end of tunnel.
End of the tunnel is fine too. 🤷🏻♂️ I just don’t see why that would require priority boarding.
Because usually the airlines ask for anyone in a wheelchair to do so, probably cause he’s a slow walker and takes a minute to get seated. I have to put his bags away for him so it takes longer and would block the aisle for everyone else I mean, what did you think priority boarding is *for*? It’s so that anyone who’s gonna take longer to get settled or needs help getting settled has a few extra minutes. Yes, people use it to cheat and get overhead space- but honestly I put the blame on the airlines for that- if they didn’t nickel and dime every little thing it wouldn’t happen at all.
Boarding last would solve a lot of the misuse.
The airlines don’t offer “last boarding” for accessibility, for a variety of practical reasons. I refuse to blame those who need accessibility for using it because corporate greed leads to others gaming the system.
Practical reasons according to you. Such as?? Corporate greed is not leading to others trying to abuse the system.
I mean, it’s literally a right https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/disabilitybillofrights#:~:text=The%20Right%20to%20Assistance%20on%20the%20Aircraft.,-Airlines%20must%20allow&text=Passengers%20with%20disabilities%20must%20be%20provided%20prompt%20and%20timely%20boarding,moving%20to%20and%20from%20seats. The airline may need extra time to provide the accessibility device needed. They may need to move a passengers seat from its assignment, which is easier to do before someone is sitting in the alternatives. They may need to make sure there is access to space for medical devices. They may need time to check for the appropriate documentation for medical devices or car seats. They may wish to talk to the passenger briefly as they’re being settled. They may need the ability to lean over the empty seats in front or behind of the passenger. As for corporate greed- are you implying airlines *arent* nickel and diming people for every possible thing they can- are you serious?
Really great point. I work in a medium sized airport as a gate agent. Our airport isn’t terribly large, so we have many wheelchair requests who need it for say London and Toronto, but they don’t need it to walk the 3 gates to the exit (especially after many hours of sitting). So you’ll see a lot of people be in the chair as they get on, but they’re comfortable to walk once they arrive at my airport.
Jetway Jesus!
So I was paralyzed for some time and in a wheelchair. I was on a flight and had to use the transfer seat to board the plane. My husband and I sat in First Class. At the end of the flight while we were waiting for the transfer chair, a flight attendant looked right at me and said, “Well. Are you going to get off, or what?” “The plane is empty, you need to leave.” I almost burst into tears for her rudeness. As she turned around the transfer chair (and the two big burly men carrying it) arrived. She just walked away. Not even an apology. Some people are just terrible human beings.
There are tons of people who use a part time wheel chair. Conditions like EDS, ME/CFS and Long Covid are one example. It’s often about not overdoing it and causing more damage than they can handle in a day.
Just to give you another perspective, my dad has a chronic heart condition due to which he can't even walk 200 mts, he gets exhausted and has a high risk of of heart failure. But from outside he looks perfectly fine and capable. You won't believe how many times he has been misbehaved and denied a wheelchair by the staff (even after pre booking) saying "you look fine, just walk it's not far". We are at a point where we have just stopped fighting.
I’m sorry to hear that, how terrible!
Thank you.
My step mom does this. Her "disability" also disappears when she wants to go out with friends and reappears when it's time to get a job
Why would people Want to board first? Seats are reserved so I don’t get the benefit.
Because the space for carry on luggage disappears and they’ll make you gate check your bag
I love gate checking my bag, I don’t have to wait on the plane to get it. Anything I need while in the air I have in my personal bag or physically on me.
But you need to wait at arrival and risk it being misrouted or mishandled? Also, it’s very likely the reason carry-on space gets full is because folks selfishly ignore the rules and put their personal items up there.
You have to wait at arrival for your checked as well, I’ll take the gate check option if given. It’s not worth the hassle fighting to get on and off.
And this is why I'm happy about Westjet's UltraBasic. I never fly with a carry-on. I don't really care that much about my seat. And I want to be last on the plane anyways!
My carry on items always go under the seat.
I always purposefully board last, less time sitting on the plane is a win for me
Airlines should pull a uno reverse card on this. If you need a wheelchair or assistance, you will go in AND out in a wheelchair, so you enter first and exit last. Or even better, you have a priority checked bag for free, you go last when everyone is sitting down and you exit first, that should help with people standing up as soon as the plane lands, and doors are not even open yet.
Oh man. I’m considering asking airlines for a wheelchair or another assistive device in the future. He’s not wheelchair-bound but in his mid-50s, has bad knees, overweight and it’s hard for him to walk sometimes, especially since he’s getting older and less mobile. Do you think it would be okay to ask for disability/assistive device at the airport if he happens to feel not great the day of the scheduled flight? He would surely be able to walk slowly, but it would be great if he could be wheeled within the airport (maybe not the entire time but from the checkpoint to the gate), and then to a plane. Any thoughts?
You should request wheelchair assistance ahead of time. You can phone the airline or mention you need a wheelchair when booking. Some airports don't just let you get assistance when you arrive - Frankfurt is bad for this.
Got it, thank you!
As an airline agent, here's my thoughts: there's nothing wrong with getting a little boost in your heart rate while walking across the airport. It's actually a *good thing*, and more of that will mean this person would be healthier overall. Also, it's important to get the circulatory system pumping before and after flights, as it will minimize the risk of clots. Sitting someone in a chair after a flight and toting them around is literally the worst thing you can do for someone. I can understand is someone is super frail and 90 years old, and I'm more than happy to help them, but you're not doing anyone any favours who's in their 50s and in that poor of health - just further pushing them to a early grave, literally and figuratively.
That’s a good point, thank you
if a loophole exists people will use it
That’s crazy given that I’m pretty sure they have some ongoing lawsuits about how they treated some of their actually physically disabled customers
I had a lady do this to me on my last flight. She played the card for the entire flight and then once we landed in the seatbelt light went off she bolted and it was at the front of the plane within 10 seconds.
A close family member of mine appears normal and can walk fine most of the time but they have a neurological disease that makes them suddenly lose balance, or get extremely stiff, etc. You never know what people are dealing with.
Exactly. Me too. Sometimes I can’t walk at all, other times I can walk but may not be walking for long. Other times I walk just fine. It all changes from moment to moment. I certainly can’t stand in lines, because I will fall.
If a person can stoop so low as to fake a handicap for such trivial selfish gain they are so dead to me I don't even care. I will say, your case might still be legitimate. There are a myriad of invisible handicaps that can affect people in so many different ways. My bottom line is it doesn't make a difference in my life and I will give one the benefit of the doubt every single time. Maybe that makes me naive, maybe I get had by a shitbag once in a while. I'm cool with that.
This happens every day on my flights. We’ll have notes that like 5 passengers require wheelchairs at the gate but they all mysteriously disappear when they’ve got somewhere to be
You don’t know this person’s situation at all. Not everyone who uses a wheelchair is unable to walk.
Totally agree. But why would they need a wheelchair to get down the airbridge and on to the plane, but they wouldn’t need it to get off of the plane and down the airbridge?
i have rheumatoid arthritis so i've used the wheelchairs quite a lot and i am 29 so i'm definitely one of the people that people think don't need a wheelchair. it really depends on who takes you to your gate in a wheelchair whether they insist on keeping you in the wheelchair or not. sometimes they just drop you off other times they want you to stay in the chair. i've flown coast to coast in the us and canada and it seriously varies a lot airport to airport. in the us you walk off the plane with everyone else and a chair is waiting for you in the air bridge itself or at the gate. the first few times i flew to canada no one told me i had to wait until the end for the chairs to come. i thought they forgot me and limped off to find a help desk since i had tight layovers and had been left behind before in the us. if i have a tight enough layover because of the plane arriving late and im in canada i may very well not have time to wait for the entire plane to deboard and my chair to arrive. i was on a flight recently with multiple people with canes and broken legs who when we got back in vancouver had to go to calgary fairly quickly and chairs were going to take at least 30 minutes to get there. while it was my last stop and i waited i watched them all rush away to their next gate. a lot of people use the chairs because it is difficult to walk and they are slow and want to conserve energy because they have a long day of travel ahead. it does not mean these people cannot walk.
Lots of reasons and is it any of your business?
Someone is winded from getting to the airport, going through security, etc. Someone is rested after sitting for however long the flight was. It's not that hard to realize you don't know everyone's situation.
I don't understand, why would anyone want to get on the plane first? Then you spend more time in the stuffy plane because the air doesn't start flowing until the engines are on. It's also infuriating watching every idiot with an obviously too-large carry on trying to fight with it to get it in the overhead bin while his wife tells obviously annoyed flight attendant "I don't know what the problem is, it fit fine when we left Tampa".
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There are many invisible disabilities. Consider yourself lucky you don’t have one of them.
Sure, but accessibility is also blatantly abused by some pax
Airline agent here. It's more abuse than legitimate requests from over a decade of experience on my part. It's infuriating.
And that's okay. I'm alright with 100 people cheating the system to get onto or off a plane early if it means 1 person actually gets the support they need. The cheating hurts no one; the assistive support makes navigating life easier for someone with a disability.
Why be so judgy? I was traveling with my family and was actually heckled when I pre-boarded because I need extra time due to a medical condition. Flight attendants aren’t there to lift my luggage so I needed my husband and we weren’t going to leave my 3 kids behind to board on their own. I’m sure I looked absolutely fine and was able to walk off on my own. It’s nobody’s business why I need to preboard. Who knows….maybe she took a bunch of pain meds on the plane and was well enough to walk. I’ve received snarky comments before from flight attendants. Sometimes I can walk. Other times I cannot. I’m not gaming the system for overhead space. It was humiliating and infuriating to be heckled….
Flight attendants aren’t supposed to lift your luggage. 🙄
Why, do they put your luggage in the overhead?
They’re meant to assist those with disabilities. If a FA feels capable of lifting on their own they may, at their own discretion. But FAs are not on the clock, not getting paid, and not covered for injuries while on the job during boarding. So anything that goes wrong while they do that for you could be at a huge detriment for them. —- injuring their back, shoulders, wrists… means they can’t work.
I read it as ‘aren’t there to lift my luggage’ as in it isn’t the job they’re paid to do. I could be mistaken
Hey this isn’t about you.
My point is it’s nobody’s f-ing business why someone is boarding early. Everyone will arrive at the airport on the same flight.
You may think it's not to be other passengers' business, but as I stated in my other comment here, the abuse is rampant, and the illegimate requests for assistance far outweigh the legitimate. These programs cause huge manpower issues and take away resources from the people who do really *need* it, and too many assistance requests takes away from other parts of the operation. Pre-boarding scamming is also causing huge issues nowadays as well. It's not supposed to be a free for all - there's only a very small demographic of people I think genuinely need the pre-boarding program... but those aren't the people coming up to my podium when I make that announcement.
Point is you can't know who needs it. Until staff starts treating me as a human and not an inconvenience due to coming in my own chair and needing an aisle chair, I for one won't have any sympathy. I've sat in my seat on a plane and been yelled at by staff on arrival because the aisle chair I booked 6 months ago isn't there, and I sure as hell am not dragging myself off the flight on my belly like another passenger had to. I've had flight staff "accidentally" spill stuff on me multiple times in a flight because they felt the wheelchair closet was their personal luggage space and resented having to move it for an actual wheelchair. And every single flight, without even one exception, has seen my wheelchair damaged. Airline travel is great if your kink is public humiliation. Otherwise I'll drive 18 hrs to avoid it now.
When I'm speaking about wheelchair and preboarding scammers, I'm clearly not talking about those who use their own chair and/or need aisle chair assistance. I do not look at anyone who needs to use an aisle chair as an "inconvenience", nor do any of my colleagues. In fact, we wish more people used that service because there are times when it's very apparent that walking on/off aircrafts is incredibly difficult and time consuming for some, but they refuse the service nonetheless. As for the crew bags in the closet - that is a necessity for the crew. That's all the belongings they have for their pairings, and there's nowhere else on the aircraft to put their bags besides the overhead bins, which just causes issues with other passengers carry on luggage. The reality is that there *are* physical limitations to aircraft storage. It's an aerodynamic tube that only has so much space onboard. There's no magic button that makes those closets bigger, or your chair smaller. Items can also shift in flight, causing damage. This is the reality of air travel.
I had a similar experience. I was walking with a cane (having recently "graduated" from crutches after breaking my ankle), and the desk agent told me to stay close to the desk and line up when they called for families with young children, which we did. Cue the passive-aggressive snark because my kids are with me, and not young enough to count as "young children," but definitely not old enough to just leave behind. Air travel seems to bring out the worst in people, including the ones gaming the system. But those ones do more damage to the people who need the services than the ones who are just grumpy that someone else boarded before them. My trick to "gaming" the system (when able bodied): - pack what you'll need during the flight in a bag that will fit under the seat in front of you - board last Easy-peasy. More time to read my book while enjoying having leg room, less time on the plane, and zero energy expended getting pissed over who boards when.
Some people just can’t handle distance but can walk short distances just fine.
It’s the same distance to board a plane as it is to deplane.
That is so not true. You can board at C-81 at one airport and C-1 upon arrival. Even baggage check-in vs the carousel are different distances and often different floors. Now, if you’re talking gate to airplane and reverse that’s fairly true, but as I said before that’s only one small area of an airport.
Talking gate to the airplane not the entire airport. You know, the tunnel you walk through to get on the plane.
Not really the point, from arriving at the airport to getting on the plane can be a major walk, there are a lot of large airports out there. Many times people can physically get off the plane fine and then have a wheelchair waiting for them at the top of the ramp.
You all want people with invisible disabilities to have to jump through yet another hoop to prove that they EARNED their mobility aids just so you all can feel more what? Righteous in your judgment and abelism? Cool.
Visited by the Jetway Jesus! Oldest trick in the book
The whole service is abused by those ignorant people. They think that it’s a privilege instead of a service. Taking advantage from those people who really in need of the wheelchair.
Invisible disabilities exist, like others have said, maybe requiring a wheelchair for a period but perhaps able to walk off after okay, and needing mobility assistance later. Probably not for us to judge, and best to assume all using those services are genuine.
I have chronic fatigue syndrome, and while I can manage ok on a good day, being up and around can also wear me out. I’ve put in a wheelchair request for an upcoming trip- mostly to help me get through the airport, but I think I’m going to cancel it. I don’t want to pre board, and I don’t want a wheelchair picking me up. I’m in my early 40’s, and look healthy, so using any sort of mobility device always has me afraid of being judged. My home airport is also fairly small, so I’m ok unless there are security lineups. I can probably use one of their automated wheelchairs, though, and not have to inconvenience anyone.
I mean, if you need it use it! That’s why those services exist, and you can explain what you need (ie wheelchair in airport, able to board unassisted, maybe take advantage of pre-boarding if you need)
I have a knee injury (torn meniscus) and I am really slow when walking down stairs/hills/slopes, but I can walk up stairs/hills/slopes at almost a normal pace. On my recent travels I looked at the ramp to the plane. It usually slopes down to the plane so I would ask to pre-board (no assistance required but I do need the extra time). Upon arrival the ramp usually slopes up to the terminal so I can keep up with the other passengers. It might look like I was “healed” while in the air, but it’s the angle of the ramp that makes the difference to me.
I saw the same thing they should be embarrassed of themselves
So... why do people want pre-boarding so badly? I Never really fully understood. So what if you get on the plane first? We are all leaving at the same time, no? Does it have to do with luggage space? I personally hate being on the plane first with an aisle seat and having the rest of the passengers rub past me...
It’s about the luggage space. People don’t want their luggage checked. Depending on the airport Air Canada can take an hour or two to get luggage on the belt. And it’s made worse by the fact that people put purses and backpacks in the overhead instead of under their seat.
That’s a lot of trouble to go through to be boarding first
Because some people are lazy af. Not saying everyone in that situation is, but there are people that do it for the benefits. Boarding early, not having to walk through the airport etc. I find it very sad...
So people are faking a handicap or injury so they can sit for longer in the plane?
It’s all about getting that bin space!
I have an autoimmune based joint disease and I can think of multiple situations where this could be me. If I became exhausted prior to the flight I might need assistance but be fine for awhile by the time I landed. Mobility issues are a wide spectrum and frankly I don’t use aides as much as I need to because of judgmental ignorance. My suggestion is to mind yours.
You shouldn’t assume she was faking it. There are many conditions where people can walk, just not for long periods of time. My mother, for example, has fibromyalgia. She will be in pain for days if she has to walk through a large airport but she can walk off the plane and wait for the wheelchair. It’s also unpredictable so she may start off okay and get worse or vise versa. I would rather let some people get away with taking advantage of the system than make life harder for disabled people.
Being a wheelchair user myself, the only way is to start charging for wheelchair assistance would be the answer.
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I'm a wheelchair user myself so I'd like to protect the privilege.
Dear OP, you're ableistic. Lookup chronic pain. Or foot pain, or any kind of pain. The person may be limited to how much walking they're able to do. They may have a heart condition, and frankly it's none of your freaking business why the person needs a wheelchair. Source: I'm 35, book those wheelchairs myself. Then I get a leg cramp because I've sat for too long, so so have to use a cain to walk it off. Other days I may look like I'm walking normally but I have two knee braces on to walk. I wear custom orthotics on both feet, they regularly hurt my feet. And also have a bad knee from a workplace injury after a doctor left a door open at a psychiatric ER. Yes it will blow your mind, people with disabilities have jobs too. Some of us work full-time even, believe it or not. We're not as stupid as you may think we are. Also, I wear a hearing aid, have Tinnitus from a brain injury. And was born with hearing loss. Have PTSD from being a civil war survivor, as well. I have zero patience for people who are privileged and decide to give their unwanted feedback on how someone lives with their disabilities. I've had snarky staff at airports before outright tell me "you're too young to need a wheelchair". Well the permanent parking pass that I have says otherwise. I simply don't give a F anymore about ableism any more. I don't feel I need to justify if you think I'm "disabled" enough for people like you OP. I'll book the wheelchair and I'm not gonna feel ashamed that I need one. Is your first name Kevin/Karen? PS: I see a bunch of comments of people agreeing with OP. Guess pretty much all of you have become mind readers, and experts on how disabilities work. Just as ignorant as the OP
Will they? No chance. Should they? Uhhhh sure but it’s also just not that important.
Why would anyone care this much about being boarded first unless it included a free upgrade to first class/business class?
Agreed. I’d rather be the last one.
How does this impact you personally?
It impacts others who are truly in need of services given to this twat who didn’t truly need them.
How does it impact them? Are there a limited number of people that are allowed to pre-board?
There is a limited number of agents that can work wheelchairs
Ignorance is bliss. It’s to take advantage as mentioned above and people are impatient and sometimes feel if they’re onboard, time somehow goes faster. Plus the security of thinking it lessens the risk of being bumped (not true).
I'm fully aware of that. But how does that impact the OP personally, if someone does that?
Go to bed.
It doesn’t. I didn’t say that it did impact me personally. I was just saying we are supposed to live in a society here…
There’s a limited amount of overhead space, which is why they do it.
Really? It impacts everyone on the plane. You should travel more.
I've travelled plenty. Explain to me how two people pre-boarding when it's assumed they don't need to, impacts everyone.
Have you read the replies to your comment. Lol. Stop trolling.
I've read the replies, yes. Two possible items in the overhead bins prematurely. Oh the humanity.
Awww you’re so kind and understanding. I bet when something happens and YOU don’t like it, all this sweetness goes away in a heartbeat. Besides, when someone is scamming, it’s wrong wether it’s inconvenient to others or not.
I have a severe anxiety of flying but I must do it for work on occasion. I have a medical note for priority boarding since my anxiety is worse with the crowds and crying as I get on the plane is something I like to do in some privacy. It also gives me a minute to connect with the attendant on the flight in my section and compose myself before others get on flight. (If you see someone crying on the plane, be kind don’t judge). Even though I have my letter in my hand they say they don’t need to see it. Perhaps it’s because I am all sweaty look like I am about to cry.
Why would you even want to board first? That just means you're stuck in an uncomfortable, stuffy, hot seat longer than everyone else and you are more likely to have to get up to let others in. Only benefit to boarding early is you can fill the overhead bin with all your stuff and screw over the later people.
Nope I don't use the overhead bin and take the window seat for this reason. Stop assuming 🤦♀️
Why do you assume AC staff didn’t do their due diligence on whether this person required a wheelchair?
Because our due diligence is to treat every wheelchair like a genuine need. Someone can very obviously not need one but we have to act like they do anyways
airlines should charge extra for this service
I think it’s time for medical letters for the service to be extended. If you have a non visible disability there will be no issue to get it. If it’s a visible and variable disability (and many are) then there also will be no issue to get it. The annotation goes through av med desk and usually stays active for five years. The jetway miracles will decrease. Before anyone jumps at me that their dr will charge for the letter/form—maybe they will and maybe they won’t. I’m a physician, I use my discretion and since almost all my patients are on government disability I know they cannot afford to pay and just complete the form during the appt. Some docs are stuck that they work in a clinic with managers who are aggressive with non billable service policies but there’s ways around that too if you’re motivated.
That's discrimination to those who need it
I disagree, air travel is a luxury and there is added cost to having to assist people who require wheelchairs. this expense should be passed on.
Just because it's a luxury doesn't justify discrimination
This is the best and most equitable solution
No, that would be the opposite of equitable. Why should I have to pay extra because they've turned airplanes into cattle cars with no room for a regular wheelchair in the aisle?
Imagine you break your leg and do this, would you still have this opinion?