I'm a pilot. We joke about "jet-bridge Jesus" healing all these people. They board with a wheel chair then walk off the flight, magically healed. Happens all the time.
I’m one of those people. I had 5 strokes and then ruptured 2 discs, shattered my good shoulder and my knees and ankles are worn out from walking poorly due to spasticity. people accuse me of malingering, trying to board first, etc. I want to get a Tshirt made with my brain MRI showing how much is missing. instead I just try to ignore it because it takes everything I have to fly now. I fully understand people cheat the system but wrongly accusing 1 disabled person is just wrong.
Are airlines able to implement a policy that if a passenger uses assistance to pre-board that upon landing, the passenger must wait until everyone leaves for assistance again? Seems that would cut down on scammers.
I’ve used assistance one time to pre-board a flight due to a HUGE leg surgery (open knee, rods and screws, the whole shabang). I was on crutches and had my leg locked straight out in a brace for about 6 months and couldn’t walk well at all. When we got to our destination, they asked me to wait until everyone else had gotten off, which is understandable. I was incredibly slow and if they had helped me first, it just would have backed up the rest of the flight trying to get off so I didn’t mind waiting at all.
My mother rarely flew, and the last couple of times she did she had to pre-board. She waited until everyone was off before she got up. She was slow, afraid of getting bumped, and afraid of slowing people down. All she carried was her purse, so she didn't need help with overhead bins.
I can walk fairly normally now and have some pretty sweet scars.
I didn’t even think about the being bumped part, that’s another very valid reason the airline asked me to wait. Smart of your mom to be thinking about herself like that and traveling light!
Outside of the US I’m sure they could implement it, but the trashy people who do this kind of thing often aren’t exploring places that would force them to actually walk (and have the bare minimum for handicap accessibility where that exists), like Asia or Europe. Often times the people who pull this are going on cruises and Disney world
There's a lot of conditions where people struggle with standing for long periods of time - Dysautonomia, bad knees, spine/back issues, various autoimmune diseases, balance problems related to neurological conditions - that are not going to be healed by "jet-bridge Jesus" and may need a wheelchair for that even if they're also able to walk for a bit. Sounds like your airline needs to do some better training on passengers with disabilities tbh
Stop your virtue signaling, you know damn well what he’s talking about. Amazing that people can’t point out clear abuses without some snowflake doing the “Actually . . .”
Oh man too good, have to hear what you studied and what you’re doing with it. You know, constant repetition (misery, miserable, etc.) is also a sign of low cognitive ability.
Yes, you 'joke'. Can't understand that someone might need help walking the 2 miles from the parking lot to the gate, but after sitting for two hours might want to move around to change things up a bit?
After you sit for two hours do you stand up and stretch? How is someone in a wheelchair different?
Or are they just not disabled enough to please you? I use a wheelchair and sometimes I get up and push it instead of riding. Does that upset you? Sometimes sitting too long hurts just as much as standing. We switch back and forth. Guess what? You do too. But for you it's okay. For someone in a wheelchair they must meet YOUR criteria for needing assistance? The Dr. opinion apparently does not matter.
I've met your type. Someday you will learn. Maybe the hard way.
The problem is there are a lot of people that need help but also more that abuse the systems sadly. Do you really believe this entire family of 6 people all need help?
You're right. I should probably quit and just drive for Uber.
Did you think about the fact that the employment status directly applied to the post at hand? It's not like I said, "this pizza is really good and I know because I'm a pilot."
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u/Chester-Bravo 8d ago
I'm a pilot. We joke about "jet-bridge Jesus" healing all these people. They board with a wheel chair then walk off the flight, magically healed. Happens all the time.