Is preboarding travelers with disabilities a good thing or not?

I understand how loading last might deter people who don't really need help to board. It's not just not knowing where you'd get a seat but where your overhead bag might end up I.e. not overhead! We flew to Duba a couple of years ago and a family had requested a wheelchair for a child, who ended up not appearing to actually need it, meanwhile my assistance wheelchair didn't arrive. It was fairly clear they hoped to get through security quicker. You can only board last if the seat you'd have gotten on a board first basis is still available and overhead baggage is guaranteed.

Maybe the airlines need to rethink how boarding is done for handicapped people. I have MS and currently board early. I have never encountered these issues on any airlines. However, we now fly first class and board first anyway. When I could still walk even with a cane or walking sticks I never had any trouble. I don’t think it’s the airlines it is more likely unhappy passengers.

Simple solution. Just like having to have your physician complete a form for handicapped plates or a placard to park in a handicapped spot, create a handicap card for early boarding that you need to have your physician sign off on.

happy to read your words Ed and then often appalled at the number of people who fake disability to help ease the boarding procedure. It reminds me Of people who park in handicap spaces At the store because they have a placard hanging from their mirror that belongs to Grandma, who's not even in the car with them.. and the guy in New York City who actually asked me how he could get one of those nifty disability parking passes like I had so I told him I would gladly trade him my pass and my MS for his mobility and less stressful life.

Thank you for this article, Ed. It highlights why consultation with of people with lived experience across a range of functional levels is so important before changes are made. I'm a person with MS who is not a wheelchair user and will admit that when I read the first part of your story I was thinking boarding last sounds like an appropriate solution to distinguish the people who really need time/assistance/modification from those who do not. Having read to the end now, it is clear that it is not an appropriate solution or at least needs a lot more thought.

As I was pondering the issue further, it also occurred to me that having people with a disability board last makes a spectacle of their board experience, which is not appropriate either.

I have MS and can walk but only slowly and, more and more, with difficulty. I have used the wheelchair service at airports for about 10 years. Once the wheelchair didn’t meet my flight upon arrival so I decided to try to walk to baggage claim and fell down. I have never been aware of anyone faking a disability to get early boarding but I haven’t flown since Covid hit so maybe things have changed since then. I have experienced someone taking advantage of a wheelchair that was there for me so that I had to wait to deplane until another chair arrived. Having disabled passengers board last is a cruel idea. Most of us would have difficulty maneuvering down the aisles with canes if we are able to walk at all. Sitting closer to the front of the plane doesn’t allow me to deplane quicker; I usually wait until all able bodied people deplane and make sure the wheelchair is there for me. Anyone who would fake disability to gain boarding advantage is obviously a cheat and they exist in all walks of life and activities. To make truly disabled people suffer because others cheat is ridiculous.

My wife has progressive MS and on any vacation, the flight gives her the most anxiety and concern if her power chair will make it in one piece. On a recent flight to Miami, we told the airlines that an aisle chair was necessary, as my wife can’t stand. We always get to the terminal very early and reinforce that an aisle chair is needed. We were reassured that one was requested. When it was time for early boarding, the aisle chair still didn’t arrive. When the aisle chair was located they were doing general boarding. The gate attendant halted the boarding process while she was pushed onto the plane, as other passengers were trying to find their seats and store their luggage in the overhead bins. Unfortunately for this flight, she was in the center seat in a row of three seats. It became a bit of an embarrassing operation as they had to ask the person in the aisle seat to get up and move as well as the people in the row behind so that they could physically lift her out of the aisle chair and position her in the center seat. I should add that the other passengers were kind and understanding, but it brought attention to someone, who doesn’t seek it and just wants to be treated like everyone else. It works best if we are the first ones on the plane and the last to deplane.

I guess I might be mistaken for a Jetway Jesus. My Ms causes fatigue and difficulty walking long distances at times. I use my cane while I travel, and request wheelchair service. It’s particularly difficult for me to stand for extended times ( I also use a wheelchair when I go to museums.)
There is much more standing and waiting when going through security and boarding. But if I know the airport isn’t large and I can get to the baggage claim without assistance that day, sometimes I walk once I get to my destination. We know what works for us and individual, invisible disabilities have a lot of variability.