[NAGDU] Airlines/preboarding

[Peter Wolf]

Following up on Sandra’s comment…

We do preboard, particularly because we are a two dog family (guide and service).  For the airline, it seems to fit their methods naturally to do pre boards.  But I am very sensitive to this, and wouldn’t care if it was preboard, or just a regular seat halfway down the plane.  

I know that no matter where we are, or in what seat, I am going to have have whole plane load of people behind me, possibly waiting for me.  So.   My dog and my luggage are dialed in.  I extend leash after turning right just inside the door to enter the center aisle, and tell Metukah “lead”.  She tows me down the aisle lightly, two feet ahead of me, and I follow.  At our seat, we duck her in fast.  Standing, sitting or laying, I don’t care, for now.  But she goes in and stays there out of the way.  It might even be in the seats opposite mine.  No prob because no one’s on the flight yet because we are preboarding.   Next, I throw the bags right onto the seats or seat floor, and get out of the center aisle.  Being first aboard, the overhead bins are almost always empty.  Then, if you notice, actually plenty of room to stand in front of the aisle seat in our row, and just slip bags up into the overhead, like a “layover” basketball shot so to speak, even as people walk by in the center aisle onto the plane.  I don’t mean throw them - I find that I can duck my head up from under the bin at the aisle seat and clear the bin, so that I can just reach up and roll in the bag without getting out to block the aisle.  Or, if this is a hassle for any of you, I also just get in the aisle and do it, but be out of the aisle in 30 seconds.  That would be if I’m loading my gear and my wife’s too.  

So for me this isn’t about disability, except that it is nice to have pre boarded; it’s really only a normal courtesy to treat loading in like a mission, clear out fast and let people get boarded! 

Happy flying!
Peter