Was this handled correctly?

[clanmcculloch]

This isn't a vent. I want a real answer (yes a non-pixie dust one) about how this should have been handled including what I should have done differently (I know I should have done a few things differently.

DD12 has Asperger Syndrome which is a high functioning form of autism. She generally does really well with travel but I do insist on sitting with her just in case something triggers an autistic meltdown (I've managed to nip a few in the bud very quickly before anybody could have possibly been disturbed; never had anything worse happen).

We fly SWA. Since the inception of EBCI I always pay for it to ensure good boarding positions which will ensure seats together. I like the stress free nature of EBCI so I consider the $80 RT for our family of 4 to be part of our cost for our trips. It's always worked well for us.

Well, DD10 broke her ankle 2 weeks before our recent trip and the doctor didn't want her putting much weight on it. I called the airline to find out about wheelchair help through the airport (I rented an appropriate sized wheelchair from an offsite company in FL for WDW). That went really smoothly.

For our return flight, we got boarding positions A43-A46 which normally is fine since it's easy to get seats together with this. Well, with the wheelchair we needed to pre-board. When they called the pre-boarding the GA told us only 1 person could accompany the pre-boarder. I hadn't heard this before so I wasn't prepared for it. I told the GA that DD12 is autistic and asked if she could board with us and have DH go to our regular boarding position and he said no. I've been told in the past that DD12's issues associated with her autism qualify her for a blue pre-board sleeve but I didn't think to ask for one ahead of time because I didn't know she wouldn't be able to board with us and at that point the GA wasn't going to budge even when I told him about her autism. This sent her into near meltdown mode but she was trying to hold herself together.

So DD10 and I board while DH and DD12 go to their boarding positions even though it was extremely difficult for DD12. Well, when DH and DD12 approach the GA, the GA said DD12 had to hold her own boarding pass (we've always handed them over as a group of 4 BPs) and wouldn't let her board unless she was holding hers. Unfortunately, DH had given me hers and she had mine and being rather obsessive compulsive due to her autism and already being close to a meltdown, she was completely confused and near tears because how was she supposed to hold hers when hers wasn't there. Somehow DH convinced her to hold my BP so they could get on the plane but at this point I had to focus all of my attention on just trying to calm her down. The GA didn't care that it wasn't her BP, just that she was holding one which really doesn't make any sense to me.

If in the future we have a member of our party who needs to pre-board (something I hope doesn't happen, but in the what if scenario) then I'll also ask for the blue sleeve for DD12 to join us. What I'm wondering is if this was how it was supposed to work? I really do want the REAL answer, not some pixie dust answer (I know I can count on the regulars here to give me the real rules). What could I do differently and what should the GA have done differently (if anything)?

Thank you!

 

[dburg30]

I think what you will get is it all depends on the mood of the GA.. We'll sit back and see, but if they are having a bad day, well, sadly you may have caught some of it.. But as far as boarding goes, the GA is pretty much God at that point.. I am curious to see some of the experienced replies though...

 

[jlewisinsyr]

SWA is within its rights to only allow one person to board with the person with disability, so they are correct in their statement. If SWA had pre-assigned seats they probably wouldn't care, but due to the nature of their seating format they prefer only the person with disability and a companion.

The boarding pass piece is just for a lack of a better word, stupid. This was just a GA being difficult. I've handed GAs (granted not SWA) boarding passes for my traveling party many of times, without each one of them holding one. There is no requirement that each person must hold their own boarding pass.

I think you handled the situation the best you could, and I'm not one to give "pixie dust" answers. I cannot comment if the autism would qualify, but I'm thinking you shouldn't have an issue getting preboarding.

 

[Deesknee]

I'm sorry I don't have any helpful information. I must say though, that was the most diplomatic way of asking a question I have seen in a long while. Kudos to you for being so unbiased in stating the issue. Wishes for a quick recovery for your wheelchair bound daughter. Blessings to your family. Hope you get helpful info here.

 

[PlutoPony]

Suggest posting this over on SW forum of Flyertalk and you'll get a non-pixie dust, real world answer. There are some real SW experts over there as well as several employees who post regularly. It WILL get back to the appropriate parties if SW employees acted inappropriately.

FWIW, I think you handled it well and drew a GA having a bad day.

 

[DebbieB]

I thought that if you claimed a disability that required early boarding that they could not question it.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts and support.

I'm sure DD10 will heal just fine. Hopefully when we see the doctor tomorrow we'll hear that the boot comes off and she can put weight on it again. This was just a different experience for us travelling with a physical challenge. We're used to dealing with DD12's autism but this was new for us.

Re Flyertalk: Would that be the Soutwest Rapid Rewards area under Airline Programs? I'm not seeing a regular airline section. My only experience with flyertalk is reading threads that had links posted over here so navigating over there is new to me.

re claiming a disability: Because we didn't approach the GA ahead of time to request a blue sleeve for DD12 I'm not sure if this falls under the rules involving claiming a disability. I said something at the gate as we were preparing to board. I hadn't realized before that point that only 1 person would be able to board with DD10. This is one of the things I'm not sure of as far as if the GA did anything wrong or not.

Thanks again!

 

[monarchsfan16]

I have no clue about the preboarding and autism. What I DO know is that when SW went to the new boarding system they did change their policy so that the preboarding person can only have one companion with them. They seem to be enforcing this pretty consistently.

 

[Missytara]

I'm sorry I don't have any helpful information. I must say though, that was the most diplomatic way of asking a question I have seen in a long while. Kudos to you for being so unbiased in stating the issue. Wishes for a quick recovery for your wheelchair bound daughter. Blessings to your family. Hope you get helpful info here.

I was going to say the exact same thing.

Many people who have a bad experience post to rant and rave about something ( over on another board today - phew).

She addressed her post so eloquently and so matter of fact as to what could I do better next time for my family. I am in so much admiration of her.... I wanted to make sure that was not overlooked.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

When they called the pre-boarding the GA told us only 1 person could accompany the pre-boarder.

That is normal procedure.

Well, when DH and DD12 approach the GA, the GA said DD12 had to hold her own boarding pass (we've always handed them over as a group of 4 BPs) and wouldn't let her board unless she was holding hers.

This is absurd.

It sounds as if you just unfortunately encountered a gate agent with an attitude. I hope you got his name; I would be writing a letter of complaint to Southwest.

Asperger's is a valid reason for pre-boarding. Why they didn't allow her to pre-board is a mystery. However, when it became apparent that your older daughter was falling apart, did you try giving her the pre-boarding pass? Seems like your younger daughter with the broken ankle was better prepared to board in the regular line.

 

[pooch]

for your DH to pre-board with DD10 so that you could have stayed with DD12 as it seems you are the caregiver (not implying AT ALL that your DH is not capable of this!!)? Might she have been more comfortable if boarding with you? I have a dear friend whose DD also has high func. autism and, although she knows and is comfortable with me, sometimes only Mom will do!

As to the BP thing, I agree, totally uncalled for!!

 

[clanmcculloch]

After the fact I did consider that things would have gone a LOT smoother had DH boarded with DD10 and I stayed with DD12. Definitely a live and learn moment. I am definitely the one who knows how to work with DD12 much better (I'm pretty sure I've also got Asperger Syndrome but I've learned all sorts of coping mechanisms over the years so I do understand her much better). DH and DD12 are so different in personalities that DH gets frustrated with DD12 while I understand her needs better. I realy wish I had have sent him on with DD10. That would have helped a lot. I really am the best person for getting through to her when she's melting down.

We didn't have a pre-boarding pass per-se. The wheelchair acted as the pass/sleeve/whatever it would be called. There was no pass to hand from DD10 to DD12. Part of me wishes I had just had DD10 hobble down to the plane so we could have all boarded together in our normal boarding positions like usual. Of course then we would have been holding up the line since she moves pretty slowly with the crutches and that wouldn't have been right either. Sending DH with DD10 really would have been best. I wish I had have been prepared for that before. At least I know what to expect if we're in this situation again.

I didn't catch the GA's name. I do have our flight info so maybe that'll be enough to identify the guy. I really wasn't sure if he was being stubborn or following rules. I can definitely understand the reason for the 1 person with a pre-boarder but I just wasn't prepared for it.

You know, the whole "there's no pixie dust on the transportation board" thing just doesn't feel true to me today. You're all being so wonderful!! THANK YOU!!!

 

[dburg30]

You know, the whole "there's no pixie dust on the transportation board" thing just doesn't feel true to me today. You're all being so wonderful!! THANK YOU!!!

No, all the experts are giving the EXACT same answers, it just so happens that you came looking for those answers, not a "boohoo for me, the big meanie airlines ruined my vacation, I want everyone to agree with me" attitude

I also want to thank you for asking the question the way you did, pretty freakin awesome

 

[stacy6552]

The unbiased answer to your question is that nobody did anything wrong. Here's the thing that is often so hard to remember: how we feel about things has more to do with us than the protagonist. Your family was under stress. I'm sure you have a whole system in place to travel as stress free as possible and here you have the broken ankle monkey wrench thrown into it. Yes another agent might have gone above and beyond (like say and agent with a special needs child of her own), but would you have even thought twice the incident under other circumstances? It takes a bunch of tiny tweaks to make something a huge pain in the neck.

And honestly I thought this story was going to get much worse, like they wouldn't let her board either because she was so upset or because it wasn't her boarding pass and she was telling everyone that it wasn't (security). Or you couldnt all sit together and then someone complained about her behavior on her own. So I'm thinking, nice big deep breaths all around, and forget it.

 

[maxiesmom]

The boarding pass piece is just for a lack of a better word, stupid. This was just a GA being difficult. I've handed GAs (granted not SWA) boarding passes for my traveling party many of times, without each one of them holding one. There is no requirement that each person must hold their own boarding pass.

When I flew Air Tran last year, they made MANY announcements that each passanger must hold their own boarding pass. And they clarified this to say that yes, even your child must hold their own. The reason given is that it speeds up the boarding process.

Having said that, I think it was pretty rotten of the GA to not let your daughter board with you. Sounds like a jerky person, or at the very least, someone having a bad day.

 

[bookgirl2632]

So sorry to hear about your bad experience. It sounds to me like you got a GA in a particularly bad mood. It's too bad he had to take it out on you and your family.

I would suggest that you write a letter to SW or call them, detailing what happened. Even if the GA didn't do anything wrong, he clearly handled the situation in an insensitive manner. He knew about your daughter's condition and should have realized that he was going to exacerbate the situation with his actions. While I understand why he wouldn't let her pre-board with you, he should have at least relaxed the whole "hold your own boarding pass" thing. I mean, that's just ridiculous.

SW needs to know about any potential problems with their GA. If he was just being unreasonable, they would want to know that. A friend of mine spoke with SW recently, due to a problem far less serious she had on her latest flight. She wasn't expecting anything from, only wanting to inform of the problem she experienced. They apologized and offered her a $25 credit towards a future flight, thanking her for contacting them. She was surprised with the great customer service, never really expecting it at all.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've never had a SW gate agent require each of us to hold our own pass. Ever.

When I flew Air Tran last year, they made MANY announcements that each passanger must hold their own boarding pass. And they clarified this to say that yes, even your child must hold their own. The reason given is that it speeds up the boarding process.

But how? The three of us stand there, Robert hands it GA takes and scans it, I hand it GA takes and scans it, Eamon hands it GA takes it and scans it, we all go down the ramp.

vs The three of us stand there, I hand three to them, they scan the top, scan the middle, scan the bottom. Made even faster b/c I usually fan them out so that they can beep beep beep super-fast, then we all go down.

The logic just isn't there for me. Except that I guess not all people are as prepared...but in THAT case it is so that all boarding passes are OUT and to in pockets, carryons, etc etc. So that they are all out in hands instead of forgotten about. And that makes sense, but the AT guy overstating it isn't logical to me.

That said, I'd follow whatever they said, but that's hard when you either have a little one or someone like the OP's daughter who wanted to have it exact but couldn't b/c the passes had been accidentally swapped.


Those after-the-fact "oh we should have done it that way" thoughts (like the thought of you staying with the 12 yo and hubby taking the injured girl on) are so hard.

 

[disfan07]

I agree with the PPs that the whole thing about everyone holding their boarding pass is absurd.,..to a point. I think it's crazy in your situation because it was only two people. I can see it becoming a problem with a big group though when they want to make sure everyone has a boarding pass for their flight.

I think where the confusion came in was not mentioning the autism and preboarding until you were at the gate. I'm not saying it was your fault at all. It seems liek it was all just a misunderstanding/confusion all over. I preboard because I have a peanut allergy so I request preboard so that I can wipe down the seats/tray tables, etc without holding up everyone else who is trying to get on. I always mention this when we check in and again at the gate well before we board and that is when I get the blue pre-board slip.

Personally, I dont believe that anyone was really "wrong". I think that the GA handled the pre-boarding situation by the rules (only 1 person, need pre-board slip, etc). Now, I think that the GA who said that your DD12 couldnt board wihtout holding her own boarding pass was uncalled for but not necessarily "wrong". Once again, they were going by the rules.

 

[bookwormde]

No SW violated the FAA FARs in this case. Getting a blue card if a formality that SW has in place to help things move smoothly but as soon as you idnentified your child as having a disability and needing to prebopard they must accomidate your child at the gate.

Please call SW and ask to file a "Informational complaint", the disabilites trainers really appriciate this so they can improve their programs and target areas where compliance has been an issue.

bookwormde

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks to all of you for posting the way you have. It's nice to see.

In any case, to the OP...
I have also seen GAs have each person hold their own BP. My dd has been taking hers for years now...pretty much since she was 4 or so. But, I'm sure that various GAs may handle things differently. And therein lies the problem.
I have been asking for consistency when boarding. IF an airline says that only one person may board with a 'disabled' person, then so be it..but that should be the rule for everyone. It shouldn't change based on the airport you're at.

Could you have done things differently? Sure. But you reacted based on previous experiences. If you had known things were going to shake out as they did, you would have changed places with your dh..but, you acted based on previous experiences.

Could the GA have handled things better? Yes, absolutely. I would contact SW and give the details, as you gave them here. It's not that you would be looking for something from SW....it's that they need to realize that consistency is key here. Passengers need to know what to expect so that they can adhere to SW rules while making things work for their own family and special situations. I would think a brief email/lettter, outlining the situation, with no elaboration, would be perfect.