I hate in when drivers try to pass a train offloading into the street or rage at the passengers getting off for making them stop.
I hate it when I tell customers my store can’t control something, and I still have to take their anger. Yes, I know a lot of our policies are stupid. Go complain to our corporate office, because they’re the ones with all the authority.
Yes, we’re understaffed and can’t give you the service you deserve. I can’t do anything about that, and I’m working as hard as possible. Stop yelling at me about the wait, because all you’re doing is making a hard job harder.
@bevhills, of course I am not talking about those people who have Parkinsons or any other valid reason for not picking up their feet. These “irritations” were not meant to be taken personally by anyone…geez, why is it that some people take offense so easily and it certainly is not necessary to become snarky. FWIW, I have several people in my family with Parkinsons and I work with disabled adults so I’m quite privy to the limitations some people face.
Fair enough…but how do you know from a glance that someone has Parkinsons in the early stages. If you saw me you wouldn’t “know”. Most of the time I am out and about in nice clothes, jewelry and hair pretty much done. I have had a few garments fixed to put my right arm in hiding. The dress I wore to my son’s wedding had pockets.
BTW, that wasn’t me being snarky. I know snarky…can do snarky. Here comes snarky:
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Deleted as derailing the thread. -se
There are also many invisible handicaps–people with heart or breathing conditions CAN walk but they may have very limited stamina. Walking for distances may also cause them to desaturated and can cause them to end up with medical complications.
I get that there are folks who do take advantage if “rules” and “the system,” but there are folks who LOOK great but DO have hidden health issues. I have first hand knowledge if hidden serious medical issues, unfortunately.
It irks me when people expect that we should have visible signs that we have serious medical conditions–limping, in a wheelchair or similar. There are many invisible health issues that can be very serious.
For more color, here is Dietz’s post on another thread. I can easily envision a scenario whereby, for reasons others have indicated, why a wheelchair wasn’t used on arrival - no ramp, no choice right?. Not that it should matter too much as one’s wheelchair use doesn’t impact other passengers.
“OMG…Who knew 26,000 feet altitude had curative properties. You needed wheel chair assistance to get onto the aircraft. You needed help getting your baggage stowed, you needed early boarding. BUT…after only 60 minutes in an aircraft you were able, upon landing, to grab your own overhead bags, shoulder carry your lap top and WALK down the stairs. Yup, this was an old fashioned airport with NO jet gangways. You walked the ramp, walked the stairs and picked up your own checked baggage. This baggage you schlepped - along with your laptop bag over your shoulder and your roller carryon - to a low slung sports car which picked you up at the curb. And, you were able to sling your fat arse into this low slug sports car after throwing your massive baggage into the trunk. ALL without any assistance. WOW…all that healing…in a 60 minute flight. It is obviously a miracle. And you wonder why some of us are just a bit skeptical.”
My pet peeve? Several posts including this one and the shuffling feet one that use fat shaming language. Why the need to reference someone’s weight in either situation? Not relevant.
I’m not an airline professional but there are some flights that are referred to as “miracle flights” for the preponderance of wheelchairs going on that are not needed getting off. Snowbird routes are the most common. Pre boarding is only a real advantage if it means you pre-select your seat, as a Southwest passenger would. I could see other passengers getting upset at suspecting someone is gaming the system this way and I’ve seen discussions about this on flyer talk.
Years ago there was a joke about the New York-Miami flight being called the miracle flight because so many passengers needed assistance boarding but could walk off on their own.
You’re not going to know who is or isn’t legitimate. If it gets on your nerves you can either a) choose another airline besides Southwest where you have a confirmed seat assignment or b) pay up for early boarding.
I doubt B31-B58 missing was due to every person, all 27 of them, hopping in wheelchairs or even requesting to board early.
I am guessing mt flight had more than 29 preboards. I wasn’t paying attention who is pre boarding. I wondered where everybody had gone. Now I know. It was a snowbird route.
On the Disney website I moderate for, the wheelchair, scooter and stroller threads inevitably cause the most arguments (we got rid of the politics thread).
No good can come of discussions regarding those three instruments of transportation.
Other things that people do on CC (and IRL) that are so irritating-any thread about staying fit inevitably devolves into obsessive musings about food. Which makes me hungry, which completely derails the entire idea that it’s a thread about fitness. Nope; it’s a thread about food masquerading as a thread about fitness…
I agree that you can’t look at someone in a wheel chair and know whether or not its use is legit (though in my example, the person admitted she was gaming the system). It’s the same with people who use handicapped spaces. You could go off on someone who actually has a heart condition or some other legitimate reason for having a placard.
You can’t point fingers at individuals but if more than 30 people get pre boarding, you have to suspect some gaming. I don’t fly SW often but I like them for not having assigned seats. The realization of gaming by some people takes some shine off.
I have relatives who cannot walk the long distance in airports so use wheelchairs, but they usually have wheelchairs set at both the departure and arrival airports.
My mother gave up traveling once it became necessary for her to use a wheelchair in an airport. For my part I would feel like I was tempting fate if I pretended to need a wheelchair.
I always thought that people who could not walk the long distances to the gates booked those “airport golf cart” vehicles. I would expect that someone who needs a wheelchair on boarding would also need one upon arrival.
Today: a long line of people at the Express check-out and some woman wants to chat with the checker! I think some people are just oblivious to what’s going on around them or think they are more important than anyone else.
The overconfidence of some people annoys me–and fascinates me at the same time. It seems that those who think they are wonderful and openly brag about themselves usually have only mediocre skills. And the people who truly are great at that same thing are quiet and humble. I just can’t figure out how certain people can be so disproportionately proud of “C” grade performance. Did their parents keep telling them how wonderful they were when they were young, and they always believe it–in spite of plenty of evidence to the contrary? Do they have a different view of reality? I wish they could recognize how merely average they are and keep quiet.