Philliefan33
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2014
- Messages
- 1,677
Getting ready to board our connecting flight home after a week away. I’ve noticed more people needing pre-boarding in a wheelchair on this trip. So far we’ve had 12, 9, and 8 passengers boarded with wheelchairs for the three flights on this trip.
We are flying on Southwest. In each case, the passengers who were unable to walk themselves down the jetway are sitting in aisle seats when I board. Sometimes they have family members sitting in their row, sometimes those seats are to be filled by passengers boarding later.
It occurred to me that if I had to sit in a row, blocked in by a passenger who is unable to board on their own, my safety is jeopardized. In the event of an evacuation, my exit is blocked (especially since many of the passengers needing wheelchairs are also very large, blocking my way out)
Have we just had a string of flights with an unusual number of motility-challenged, or is this a growing trend? Are airlines concerned about having so many seat-bound or slow-moving passengers clogging the evacuation?
(I realize that if my plane falls out of the air it’s not going to make a difference if a large, immobile passenger is between me and the aisle. I’m also still nimble enough to jump over the seats in a pinch)
We are flying on Southwest. In each case, the passengers who were unable to walk themselves down the jetway are sitting in aisle seats when I board. Sometimes they have family members sitting in their row, sometimes those seats are to be filled by passengers boarding later.
It occurred to me that if I had to sit in a row, blocked in by a passenger who is unable to board on their own, my safety is jeopardized. In the event of an evacuation, my exit is blocked (especially since many of the passengers needing wheelchairs are also very large, blocking my way out)
Have we just had a string of flights with an unusual number of motility-challenged, or is this a growing trend? Are airlines concerned about having so many seat-bound or slow-moving passengers clogging the evacuation?
(I realize that if my plane falls out of the air it’s not going to make a difference if a large, immobile passenger is between me and the aisle. I’m also still nimble enough to jump over the seats in a pinch)