Southwest Airlines has come under fire for allowing able-bodied fliers to use wheelchair assistance for early boarding.
During a flight on Sunday, a passenger tweeted that he had counted 30 people boarding early after queuing in wheelchairs.
But it only took two of them to disembark, he wrote – suggesting that 28 passengers were either cured or gaming the system during the flight. He also posted a photo of many passengers who needed help boarding.
Under the tweet, other Southwest customers criticized those who took advantage of the loophole, saying it was unfair to those who are truly disabled, as well as the few who pay for early boarding.
Southwest assigns seats on a first-come, first-served basis, with the exception of some priority passengers.
These passengers include passengers who have paid extra for early boarding, frequent flyers and passengers who require a wheelchair.
Unfortunately, this ‘hack’ has been used as a means to access better seats by those who are not actually incapacitated.
This has led to a proliferation of customers feigning wheelchair access, giving Southwest more wheelchair passengers than any other airline. View From The Wing reports.
A Southwest passenger reported seeing 30 wheelchair users on board. Here is a photo they took of many of them waiting to board the flight to Tampa
The misuse of wheelchairs as a boarding loophole drives up airfares because it is ultimately a service the airline has to pay for, the publication’s experts said.
Those who really need a wheelchair are also forced to wait longer than they would have to without so many others using the service for no real reason.
“Typical southwest flight to Florida!” recent passenger Brian Hudson wrote on X, accompanied by a photo of dozens of passengers waiting in wheelchairs at the gate.
‘I counted thirty pre-boards that needed wheelchair assistance. When we get off the plane, 28 will walk away!’ he added.
Many users were outraged by the scene, with one commenting: “Every day I pray for those motherfuckers to be crippled long before they die.”
Others saw the more humorous side of the situation when one person wrote, “I have always said that Southwest should apply for canonization from the Vatican because they have successfully healed more people in recent years than anyone else.”
Another agreed, calling it a “miracle flight” where passengers “board in a wheelchair and miraculously walk away!”
Southwest responded to Hudson’s post and apologized for the disappointment.
“Pre-boarding is offered to customers who need assistance for various reasons,” a spokesperson wrote in the comments.
“We work hard to maintain the integrity of the boarding process while providing appropriate accommodations for everyone who flies.”
Southwest will transition to an assigned seating model in the first half of 2026
This issue will likely come to an end in the near future as Southwest has promised to move to an assigned seating model.
Although wheelchair passengers can still board early, they will not be given priority seating.
Southwest will launch flights with passengers in assigned seats in the first half of 2026 as the company remodels the airline in hopes of boosting profits.
However, the company promised to let passengers check two bags for free and described the policy as “by far the most important feature differentiating Southwest from other airlines.”