Southwest moving to assigned seats

[dioxide45]

Pedro is the one who insisted it had changed based on his experience. He provided a date of that change, just wondering where he got the info.

Probably just a one off situation.

 

[PigsDad]

Boarding agents are human
ADA people with legitimate needs are being overrun by seat gamers at SWA
In lieu of being subject to a complaint/twitter attack by a legitimate ADA customer
The boarding agents are just letting the gamers in without a challenge

Their hands are tied -- by law, they cannot ask what their disability is or ask for any proof of the disability. There is plenty of blame to go around, and Congress owns a portion of it by not putting provisions in the law to prevent these scammers.

Kurt

 

[pedro47]

Pedro is the one who insisted it had changed based on his experience. He provided a date of that change, just wondering where he got the info.

I did not said Southwest changed its policy . I only stated this incident is what happen on our return flight from FLL to Virginia In April 2024.

 

[emeryjre]

Their hands are tied -- by law, they cannot ask what their disability is or ask for any proof of the disability. There is plenty of blame to go around, and Congress owns a portion of it by not putting provisions in the law to prevent these scammers.

Kurt

You are correct
Congress seems to have problems agreeing and doing anything legislative these days
I guess relying on the seat gamers to act with respect to the intent of the law is asking to much

 

[TolmiePeak]

Their hands are tied -- by law, they cannot ask what their disability is or ask for any proof of the disability. There is plenty of blame to go around, and Congress owns a portion of it by not putting provisions in the law to prevent these scammers.

Kurt

What could they ask for? A piece of paper that is easily fabricated?

 

[WaikikiFirst]

all this over order of boarding a plane???????????????????????? Problems. Problems.

 

[Luanne]

I did not said Southwest changed its policy . I only stated this incident is what happen on our return flight from FLL to Virginia In April 2024.

Pedro you said "
Not true in FLL this passed April 2024.
wheel chair passengers boarded first"

I read it to mean that SW had passed a new policy. I guess you meant to say this past April 2024.

 

[x3 skier]

Cabo is unique (in my experience). Instead of going through the gate area to the jetway then on to the plane - in some semblance of order - you go outside to a waiting shuttle bus that takes you the the plane. Zero semblance of order. In fact complete chaos. So in Cabo we won't fly home on Southwest.

We experienced this in Puerto Vallarta. Since we were in Group A, it wasn’t that big a deal since the Bus had only 50-60 people in the Bus and the plane holds over 180 or so people so at worst, we had 120 open seats. As it was, we were in the first 20 or so up the air stairs and got the ones we wanted. All the other times we boarded at the gate in Puerto Vallarta so no problem as it was the normal procedure.

No clue how SWA will implement this next year so in the meantime, we’ll keep flying SWA until it gets better defined.

 

[PigsDad]

What could they ask for? A piece of paper that is easily fabricated?

Simple -- a national registry that could be easily accessed by service providers that need the information. The technology is relatively simple, but the government is totally incompetent, so it will never happen. Another solution, though not perfect, is a government-issued ID w/ some anti-counterfeiting technology.

And before people jump on my back, I'm not saying the nature of a person's disability needs to be disclosed; just a simple way to provide a verified method to see if a person is or is not eligible for disability status. This would also keep all of those "comfort pet" owners from claiming service dog status.

Kurt

 

[TolmiePeak]

Simple -- a national registry that could be easily accessed by service providers that need the information. The technology is relatively simple, but the government is totally incompetent, so it will never happen.

Kurt

Freely sharing private medical information with everyone? So insurance companies could get ahold if it and deny you coverage?

 

[PigsDad]

Freely sharing private medical information with everyone? So insurance companies could get ahold if it and deny you coverage?

Read my edited comment above. I added it because I just knew someone would go there. Thanks for not disappointing!

Kurt

 

[Ken555]

I had a similar issue with boarding on a Vueling flight a few months ago. I had priority boarding as part of my ticket so I checked in first, then they had everyone wait outside for a bus at which point no one cared who had priority or not, so all of the priority passengers boarded with and after others. It ultimately didn’t matter since we had assigned seats, but it was definitely not what should have happened.

Airlines just don’t care, so why do some of you act surprised?

 

[davidvel]

Simple -- a national registry that could be easily accessed by service providers that need the information. The technology is relatively simple, but the government is totally incompetent, so it will never happen. Another solution, though not perfect, is a government-issued ID w/ some anti-counterfeiting technology.

And before people jump on my back, I'm not saying the nature of a person's disability needs to be disclosed; just a simple way to provide a verified method to see if a person is or is not eligible for disability status. This would also keep all of those "comfort pet" owners from claiming service dog status.

Kurt

Yes, the DMV requires medical documentation for a parking placard. Can you imagine if anyone could walk into a DMV and say "I'd like a HC placard" and the workers couldn't ask any questions or require documentation? It is absurd, and anyone who defends the current law/policy/practice does not care about truly disabled people.

 

[dioxide45]

Yes, the DMV requires medical documentation for a parking placard. Can you imagine if anyone could walk into a DMV and say "I'd like a HC placard" and the workers couldn't ask any questions or require documentation? It is absurd, and anyone who defends the current law/policy/practice does not care about truly disabled people.

Medical placards for vehicles is also heavily abused. Anyone that can badger their medical provider enough can easily get one. I am certainly not a fan of any kind of "federal registry".

 

[beejaybee]

Freely sharing private medical information with everyone? So insurance companies could get ahold if it and deny you coverage?

In some states the government is already demanding hospitals release information regarding certain medical procedures so there goes that privacy guarantee under HIPAA. Why couldn't the same criteria used for obtaining handicap parking placards be used for obtaining handicap boarding access?

 

[TolmiePeak]

In some states the government is already demanding hospitals release information regarding certain medical procedures so there goes that privacy guarantee under HIPAA. Why couldn't the same criteria used for obtaining handicap parking placards be used for obtaining handicap boarding access?

Won't high income residents just have their procedures done in states that value privacy?

 

[pedro47]

Pedro you said "
Not true in FLL this passed April 2024.
wheel chair passengers boarded first"

I read it to mean that SW had passed a new policy. I guess you meant to say this past April 2024.

Sorry. I should had said “past.”

 

[pedro47]

Yes, the DMV requires medical documentation for a parking placard. Can you imagine if anyone could walk into a DMV and say "I'd like a HC placard" and the workers couldn't ask any questions or require documentation? It is absurd, and anyone who defends the current law/policy/practice does not care about truly disabled people.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia you need a statement and a reason for a HC placard from a medical physician. Yes! The DMV in Virginia requires medical documentation for a parking placard.

 

[Luanne]

In the Commonwealth of Virginia you need a statement and a reason for a HC placard from a medical physician. Yes! The DMV in Virginia requires medical documentation for a parking placard.

Same in New Mexico.

 

[davidvel]

Medical placards for vehicles is also heavily abused. Anyone that can badger their medical provider enough can easily get one. I am certainly not a fan of any kind of "federal registry".

That is true, but not a reason to open it up completely to anyone that claims a need.

 

[Superchief]

I used to fly Southwest a lot but never liked their seating system. The Early Boarding cost kept increasing and seat availability decreased due to all of the people who board early. The EB cost is also higher than preferred seating cost for other airlines. Their standard seats has a little more legroom, but I expect that will change. With the seat assignment change, I will again consider flying SW as long as the total costs are competitive with my other options.

 

[PigsDad]

The EB cost is also higher than preferred seating cost for other airlines.

Where have you seen that? Extra-legroom seating on other airlines has always been much more expensive that the EarlyBird on Southwest. Are you maybe thinking of the A1-15 upgrade price which is more than EB?

Kurt

 

[PcflEZFlng]

I flew Southwest recently, as the last leg of a long journey from Europe. I knew the boarding window would open in the middle of the night local time while I was still overseas. Sure enough, the next morning my boarding position was B48, so I bought the A1-15 upgrade to get on early and be able to stow my carryon backpack (which had all my clothes and gear) in the overhead. The SW flight was packed and everyone was bringing aboard their roller suitcases. The $45 was well-spent.

 

[PigsDad]

I've never had an issue stowing my overhead luggage or getting an aisle/window seat as long as I am in the B boarding group. I may have to be toward the back of the plane, but that is not a big deal to me. The only time I have had issues is if I'm in the C group.

Kurt

 

[davidvel]

I've never had an issue stowing my overhead luggage or getting an aisle/window seat as long as I am in the B boarding group. I may have to be toward the back of the plane, but that is not a big deal to me. The only time I have had issues is if I'm in the C group.

Kurt

If you are on a flight that has people coming in and continuing, it can be much harder.