Question about qualification for preboarding (2024)

FAQs

What qualifies you to preboard? ›

Preboarding is available prior to general boarding for Customers with disabilities who need a specific seat to accommodate a disability, need assistance boarding the aircraft, or need to stow an assistive device.

All U.S. carriers and gate agents should aware of the preboarding rules, but if you have a disability such that you need extra time or assistance to board, have self-identified this need at the gate (ideally ~30 minutes or more before boarding) and are denied the opportunity to preboard (or preboarding occurs after ...

When a Customer requests to preboard, our Employees will ask 1) do you need assistance boarding the aircraft? and/or 2) do you have a specific seating need to accommodate your disability?

There are zero qualifications for pre-boarding other than needing extra time, so in essence anyone could just walk up to the gate, claim they need extra time, and get on the plane.

purchasing a higher fare class (first class, business class, etc.); having a co-branded credit card with the airline that offers priority boarding as a perk; being a corporate traveler with an eligible travel agreement with the airline, etc.

Preboarding starts right after a successful job offer is accepted by the candidate, continuing until their first day at work. This interactive phase acts as a bridge between recruitment and actual onboarding, enhancing employee engagement and preparing new hires for their roles.

Your Southwest boarding group is determined upon check-in. The earlier you check in, the earlier your boarding group. Typically, you'll check in for your flight online beginning 24 hours before the scheduled departure time or anytime thereafter.

Seniors don't automatically get any preboarding benefit due to their age.

Southwest allows preboarding only for customers who 1) need a specific seat on the plane, or 2) need assistance boarding the plane. If you find that having a specific seat helps with your anxiety, that would be a way for you to preboard.

Under FEDERAL LAW, (The Air Carrier Access Act) you self-declare as an individual with a disability and present where you check in your luggage as such. Do not answer any other questions about "needing extra time", only the question about whether you need assistance to board.

Can I preboard if I have diabetes? ›

People with disabilities, including diabetes, are always allowed to preboard flights.

If I have a disability, am I allowed to board the airplane before passengers without disabilities? Yes. If you self-identify as a passenger with a disability who needs additional time or assistance to board the airplane, the airline must allow you to board the airplane before other passengers.

Preboarding is the step before onboarding, when new hires get to meet the organization and take care of some bureaucratic details before their first day. The preboarding process usually covers simple things: tax forms, health declarations, insurance paperwork, and anything else that can be handled over email.

Early boarding is available if you need more time or assistance boarding. You must identify yourself to the gate agent to request early boarding.

What qualifies as a disability for airlines? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a disability can be a mobility, cognitive, hearing, or vision impairment. The 1986 Air Carrier Access Act prevents airlines from discriminating against passengers because of these disabilities.