These privileges pushed the airline to reconsider when its longstanding ‘first-come, first-served’ approach failed on Southwest Hawaii flights among others. With mounting pressure from passengers and investors, it will pivot to try better serving Hawaii and beyond.
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I think SW should mandate proof for preboard handy cap placard or those with an obvious physical disability that choose to preboard
Agree with below. They should be designated to back rows because they will obviously be last off the plane with a wheelchair. If they choose not to deplane with a wheelchair, fine. But they sit in back with the rest. Not a punishment, just efficiency.
Who says people in wheelchairs get their 1st choice of seats? They can sit in the last rows of the plane. Families can board 2nd and sit back there too.
SW boarding and no luggage fees are the main two reasons I fly sw. I. A loyal customer (over 30 yrs straight) snd I own a fair amount of LUV. I check in on the very second within the 24hr rule. I used to grab an a now I’m usually a b 39
I do use the preload since I had kidney cancer and need an isle seat for bathroom. Access. I love southwestand think that any changes will be met with fewer flights from me. You can’t watch live TV as it buffers continually and charging for each flight instead a d of w4 hours is a waste of money as the internet has never worked fully for not even one flight. I’ve wasted maybe $500 on your lousy internet. Youf employees are your best asset!
Due to my disability and lack of assigned seating, I have not flown with Southwest in about ten years. I don’t need a wheelchair and have not used one to board a flight, but I live with severe chronic pelvic pain and need easy, quick access to a lavatory and it is better to be able to select an aisle seat in business/first class if I can afford it. I walk slowly, and putting a roller bag in a bin takes me a lot of effort, and people behind me often have no patience. Assigned seating works best for me, and the boarding process is more relaxed. There are many “invisible” disabilities (not wheelchair bound), yet they are real and limit ability; perhaps the current Southwest no assigned seating policy encourages them to use this service. Sure, there may be some who are abusing the system, but I expect most are dealing with a disability. Let’s not determine disability because a person does not appear to need a wheelchair.
I have multiple disabled people in my family, including a brother who is an amputee (which most people can’t tell when he wears long pants).
all if these disabled family members need a wheelchair only to board or to catch a connecting flight. this is because they move slowly and don’t want to hold up boarding. when they arrive at a destination, they can move at a snails pace and not hold anyone up, and they all prefer to be ambulatory if possible.
all of us quit flying Southwest years ago, because of the hatred toward the disabled by entitled jerks worried that the disabled may be getting an advantage. the change may get me to fly them again, but don’t count on it.
the concept of open seating was a cool quirk, but I won’t miss it.
BTW money is no object and we always pay for the best seats we can get, so we always have good seats no matter how the plane boards.
Are u bragging or complaining?
I know! Right? lol 🙂
I’m all for assigned seats but how will this stop wheel chair abuse?
I am a person who truly does use a wheelbase when I must stand for ANY Length of time. I try to sit close as if I must go to the bathroom I must have walls to assist. What will you do with persons who need a chair???
This blog writes a bit too much on Southwest.
They are bleeding cash, and a lot of that has to do with their Hawaii operations. Anything unsustainable eventually comes to an end.
Open seating is actually one of the reasons I like flying Southwest! While I certainly have witnessed “miracle flights” on many Hawaii to Mainland and vice versa trips, it doesn’t seem to be a huge issue. In my humble opinion, the open seating policy actually encourages people to be very prompt for boarding (if your seat is assigned, why hurry to the gate?), so it seems that any delays caused by wheelchair use are probably offset by other customers being prompt. Let’s face it, the main reason for the change is so SW can start charging for premium seats. It seems that the best approach would be to assign premium seats and allow standard coach seats to remain open seating.
Yes , I love southwest and will never fly Hawaiian Air.
This policy change is a real problem for those who truly need a wheelchair. It is hard for a disabled person to traverse the aisle to get to the back of a plane. To get someone out of an inner seat is another problem. Maybe Southwest should have requested medical records before moving drastically to make a change like this that will affect those most in need. This is why my husband and I have always flown SW, but now we will have to rethink our travel. By the way, we don’t always take the cheapest way to travel on SW.
I paid 60 extra dollars to board a flight first on southwest not long ago. The flight was from Baltimore to Orlando. That flight is always full of kids going to the attractions. I like sitting in the front and getting off before the children. There were so many wheelchairs I was in 5th row after they all boarded. I hope this happens to all flights.
Now address the large person issue! They should buy 2 seats and not inconvenience another passenger. Have a size gauge right there at boarding. If you are to wide, you have to buy another seat. It’s not shaming or anything of the sort. Being considerate of the (majority) other passengers.
As the sister of a very physically disabled sister, I am completely opposed to anyone who does not have their own wheelchair to board early. It is very unfair and as usual this always someone to ruin a good thing. If you can walk from parking your car through the parking lot and then need a wheelchair. You should have your ownor charge for a rental of $50 because if you really need a wheelchair you’ll pay the $50. And anyone who boards on a wheelchair must stay until the plane is emptied of passengers for safety reasons.
Most disabled people can’t afford an extra 50 dollars
Southwest is my choice of airline travel. In fact. It’s the only airline I’ve used for several years.
I have a handycap plackard and always board by walking aboard. I
Do so between wheelchairs. Why
Change a system that has worked for
Years, because a few
People get upset!, better to reserve a few rows for the wheelchairs. And the walk-on’s, move back a few rows!
Yes, I’ve seen people jump out of wheelchairs and almost run down the ramp. I don’t understand what a hawaii or long flight has to do with it?.
Just keep doing the good job ur airline in known for, there will always be some who would complain, even if u hung themwith a new rope.
It is unfortunate that wheel chair is is abused. The handicapped may be the ones who lose out. I don’t mind the change in boarding so much as also charging for luggage. I have for years flown Southwest exclusively. This may change.
Mach Speeds should have been implemented years ago!
, The argument about fuel consumption..?
Starbucks CEO Commuting 2000 miles a day…
Tell me now, that we live in an equal and free country!
The world is screwed, politicians are willing to kill women and children in the name of the environment!
Environmentalists that never pick up a piece of rubbish!
The label of environmentalist is too widely used and self important people can pat themselves and brag how great they are! Typical for the dilluaional hypocrisie we live in!
Traveling from Hawaii to Nashville this summer I brought my service animal for the 1st time…
I was boarded 1st, but in a connecting flight, there were a dozen wheel chairs! So, not only does the handicap board first, their companions also…
I feel it is a privelage to board first, and the grown men and women, the self important, holier than though, in everyone’s business type people… Correcting and turoring everyone along the way on how to be… As smart as them!
Liars, cheats and thieves! It is a sad spectacle to have some old white dude trying to be disabled, the pilot and attendant,staring at everyone to be sure we follow the SOP! We Are Some Real Know-It-All, In The Business of being the smartest in the room…
Just ask them!
Pre Boarding has become a hot mess. They don’t even play it off that they are handicap. I have noticed this for the last two years. I am handicap and can walk in with a cane. I have to now struggle with non handicap people pushing to get on. It use to be few people waiting patiently to get on. I won’t be flying anymore because it has become complicated. I’m not surprised at Southwest decision.
Anyone claiming a disability should have medical verification from a physician.
It just never made sense to board wheelchair dependants first they take longer and suffice it to say should be boarded last. They(wheelchaired) piggybacked off the families with children first tradition.
As a person with disabilities, I travel in a wheelchair, my own. About half of the flights I use are Southwest. I have never in my travels seen a fellow passenger with disabilities that I suspected was faking it.
What I have seen is contempt for disabled passengers, possibly prompted by the frequency of travel writers highlighting this scam. I have had obscenities yelled at me, fellow disabled passengers, and airline flight crew about being (add in the vulgarity) fakers.
I have had threats of physical violence, of being thrown out of my wheelchair off of the jetway.
I have had American airlines forget to board me, forget the aisle cart, and delay the flight. Also American airlines changed gates at the last second before boarding and left my 99 year old mother at the old gate where she missed her flight.
People with disabilities have enough problems living, let alone traveling without travel writers focusing hatred on them. Try living every day and doing everything in a chair.
thank you for telling us how it really is. I have several disabled people in my family but none have traveled Southwest in years because of the disrespect shown to the disabled.
Now, we are even starting to see this attitude with other airlines, mostly because every wheel chair user who is at all ambulatory has been branded a fake.
My brother (an amputee) walks fine on his prosthetic. but for safety reasons, he gets wheeled on, as he has been pushed to the ground and trampled in the rush to board. when he gets up to use the restroom onboard, people have no shame in calling him out as a faker and a fraud, because he can walk. He often has to roll up his pants and show them to prosthetic leg to shut them up.
we have a society of horrible people now. and I think the internet has played a big part in it.
What’s all the fuss? We all get there at the same time!
I Luv Southwest don’t change a thing.
Remember the saying.”Be careful what you wish for.”
For one, all the times I’ve flown Southwest, I never ran into anyone doing this – wheelchairs or any type of abuse of the preseating policy. And two, who cares about the Hawaii route? You’re going to change a policy most people flew the airline for because of one route? I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
Interesting, because I’ve seen it many times as well. Also when I’m able to board other passengers have backpacks, clothes etc in seats to save them. I for one am glad SW is changing this policy. After all, paying $25 to “upgrade” to boarding A group still doesn’t guarantee you a decent seat nor does it always mean you will be in the A group. It makes more sense to just be able to pick the one you want, your paying anyway.
True SW patrons follow the rules.
Unfortunate that a few disrespectful customers have enough say so that rules have to be changed to accommodate their unwillingness to comply with rules.
Caught in a lie throw them off.
Wheelchair users should be the last to board and off. If first on they should be sent to the back seats. all seats should be designated not a free for all. People who pay for privileges should always be first or give them their money back.
To target wheelchair users in this way would be discrimination and probably illegal. As a wheelchair user for the last 13 years, I haven’t seen abuse of the airline policy.
While I board first, I’m the last to get off the plane. I’m fine with that. I just hope my personal wheelchair actually got stowed in cargo on my plane, wasn’t damaged, and is available for my use at the other end.
Please be kind.
One way I see that Southwest could modify its boarding procedures with assigned seating but still keep the open seating policy is to limit the number of miles that open seating is used on flights. For longer flights, say 2.5 hours or 700 miles, for instance, they could convert the flight to assigned seating from open seating.
Hawaiian did this in the 80s when they opened for interisland and were assigned for transpacific flights. So the model is there if Southwest wants to hybrid their boarding processes. Of course, it would increase costs somewhere. But since the airline chose, several years ago, to move from short point-to-point flights to long-distance domestic and international flights, procedures should probably change too.
cheaters gotta ruin it for everone
This is an interesting subject and it hits very close to home with me. As a devoted American Airlines customer, I recently had a trip where American wasn’t going to work so I booked on Southwest. I was blown away by how many so-called ‘handicapped’ customers boarded before me. WTH??? I had never seen such a thing. It seemed like 1/3 of the plane was quote ‘handicapped’. I made a vow to myself to never fly this airline again because I’m not going to play this game. I just want to sit in the seat that I’ve purchased. Perhaps I’ll give Southwest another try someday now that this is changing, but I definitely wasn’t in the mood to repeat that performance. I believe Southwest runs a fine company but that was completely ridiculous.
Btw, I have always been delighted with my SW seats, and don’t want the change to assigned seats!
My friend is coming tomorrow and she needs a wheelchair both for getting on, and off the plane. Are they going to give her a hard time now?
The customer need a letter from your doctor this would avoided this situation.
No they won’t.
You just ask for extra assistance when ticket is booked or tell them at the check in desk. They are very cordial.
From the comments I would expect Just that
Yes as long as they keep the 2 free checked bags …
A long overdue change! I have witnessed these “miracle flights” where the passenger is able to miraculously walk again at the end of the flight! Because of the flagrant & common abuse of this, assigned seating is the only proper course of action for all flights, irrespective of the flight duration. This day has been long coming as public resentment of what has been allowed to go on without fairness to the rest of the travelers. When I saw it on a half a dozen SWA flights, I stopped flying SWA. When, they change their seating policy, maybe I will try them again.
I know this is going to sound ‘funny’, but I have a disability but have refrained from requesting a wheel chair because people would not understand it. I have spinal stenosis, a non-curable deterioration of the lumbar region. I can stand for only a few minutes, walk only limited distances. I can usually walk off the plane, as at the end of the jetway I can sit and rest a bit. The problem I have is boarding, walking down the jetway and stopping, and waiting in line. More than once my legs were ready to quit working. My friends say use the wheelchair option, but who wants to look like a jerk exiting the aircraft? It’s a ‘no-win’ situation. Damn the people that use the wheelchair to buck the line!
I’m in the same boat…
12 bolts 2 rods and Noone can see our disabilities…
I travel w/a service animal, so I get on the plane first usually, but flying from Detroit to Nashville, there must of been a dozen wheelchairs lined up, me, I walked right around all the fake people!
Self absorbed w/self importance! You know the guy, walk up and uinreeupt your representative bc they are so important…
my disabled veteran brother who is an amputee also prided himself on not using preboarding or wheelchairs, until a few years ago when he was knocked over and trampled in the boarding rush. If a person is medically frail, preboarding is a good thing.
What’s a shame is a few ruin it for the people who needs it. The same problem with the welfare system
If I see a “saved” seat I want and there isn’t an equivalent seat neare by, I’m taking the empty seat.
I recently spoke with a SWA FA regarding this. For one thing she said those who preboard should be last off as this would speed up the deboarding process. Also I have been unable to find anyone else who flies SWA frequently say they were asked their opinion on changing the process and all said don’t change it. The recent changes with same day change/standby will be a mess-I guess you would get stuck with whatever empty seat is available?
I don’t mean to be cynical.. but the move to assigned seating has very little to do with wheelchair cheats. Southwest is getting a lot of pressure by an investment group that has bought up enough shares to start suggesting that the board be replaced and to improve the stagnant stock prize. They are also have extra legroom seats and probably reduce existing legroom so they can make more money.
The free bags will be the next to go as well.
In the meantime if Southwest really cared about fairness they can prohibit reserving of seats by customers who board early.. that’s a simple fix.. and also reduce the number of people that can accompany a wheelchair person onto the plane..
I agree stop the reserve a seat problem. That’s why I fly Delta
Good for Southwest. I have seen this “Jetway Jesus” happen a lot as those who pay for early boarding have to wait for these abusers. I saw a family of no less than 20 board this way. I’ve seen a few board and block seats for others. So unfair. Glad to see that Southwest is addressing this abuse!!!!
The FAs should make an announcement at the time of boarding that ‘saving seats’ is not allowed, and enforce it!
It is allowed to the extent that people can “try” and save them. SWA doesn’t have a policy one way or another.
Again, if it’s empty and you want it, you can take it whether it’s being “saved” or not.
I have never flown Southwest because of the lack of assigned seats. The fact that people are gaming the system is exactly as I suspected it would be.
I never ran into this all the time I’ve flown SW. Very disappointed they changed their policy.
I think SWA should rethink this. There must be a better way to handle these disgusting fakes. It really takes a lot of nerve to cheat the system this way. How about public shamming? Maybe a doctors note or something? Assigned seating will only raise the price. Why would you want to be like the other airlines?
Great. So when assigned seating kicks in, instead of hearing all the “Jetway Jesus” stories, we’ll be inundated with “I paid for my seats, and when I got on the plane, someone was already sitting there and refused to move. Just like every other airline.
Not sure how much you fly, but with assigned seating, it is impossible to not to get the seat you paid for / selected.
Flash your ticket showing the seat assignment, and the interloper will be banished to their correct seat.
True