Once upon a time, the dilemma used to be comfort animals on a plane. Now, it’s wheelchairs.
Travel :
In case you never noticed while flying, airlines traditionally allow travelers in wheelchairs to board the airplane ahead of everyone else. Usually, there are 1 or 2 elderly passengers who require additional time to store their luggage and take their seats so as not to hold up the boarding process. However, on my recent flight from Newark to Miami, the number of passengers in wheelchairs was a whopping 22!
Were 22 passengers legitimately too frail and handicapped to board the plane on their own along with the rest of us without the assistance of a convoy of wheelchairs? Um… no, particularly since a huge majority of these travelers were miraculously cured of their ailment once the flight landed and they were seen scampering around spryly at baggage claim.
In the words of Jay Ratliff of THE HILL, airlines have a “four-wheel problem.” People are gaming the system in order to get on board ahead of everyone else — just as they’ve been gaming the system by pretending their pet was a “comfort animal” that needed to travel with them inside the jet for free (as a means of therapy).
“As we study the question of why more wheelchairs are being requested, immediately 2 questions come to mind: Are we seeing a growing number of passengers with physical limitations flying? Or is it simply that shrewd but unethical passengers are trying to find new ways to board the plane before everyone else?” Ratliff asked.
“The answer seems clear to me when a flight with 25 passengers who require assistance to board turns into an arriving flight in which only 5 need the service,” he added. “In the airline industry, we call these ‘Jesus flights’ because so many passengers seem to be healed during their flight.”
Yes, airlines have allowed dogs, cats, pigs, and even miniature horses to travel on a plane as “comfort” animals. Now, they’re allowing any Tom, Dick, or Harry to demand a wheelchair, get pushed to the gate by an airport employee, then be ushered onto the plane before even the first-class passengers as a free perk.
So, what’s the easiest solution to end this growing number of unnecessary wheelchairs on so many “Jesus flights?” The answer is too simple.
Airlines should reverse their strategy.
Instead of allowing those in wheelchairs to board first, handicapped passengers should be asked to board last.
If a person is legitimately handicapped, they won’t care if they board first or last. They simply want real assistance from the airline to get to where they need to go at any point in the boarding process.
By removing wheelchairs as the golden ticket for first-class service, those who don’t really need a wheelchair will lose their incentive to fake their need for one.
Problem solved!
OK WASSUP! discusses Travel News:
Wheelchairs have become a problem for airlines.
Wow! I did not know that kind of foolishness is going on! Unfortunately, I can’t say that I’m all that surprised. A sad truth is, a lot of people today have absolutely no shame about the things they say and do.
I like your solution DJ. It will probably come to that.