Airlines - passengers needing physical assistance
 

On a recent flight I was sitting next to an elderly lady who had needed physical assistance to board the plane. She had given the flight attendant the wrong row number and as she had such difficulty moving it was decided to move the passenger who was supposed to be in her seat to another row. She was sitting in the middle seat and I was in the aisle and throughout the flight she gave multiple broad hints that she would prefer the aisle. I would have offered to switch seats with her, but I was changing flights, had a small time window to switch and knew I'd be booking it to catch my next flight. I am not sure what the typical procedure is for a passenger who needs assistance to board a plane, but it did occur to me that it would make sense for such a passenger to be in a window seat so toher passengers aren't climbing over them to board or exit. Does anyone know if htere are procedures such as that?

From my experience passengers needing physical assistance to board are usually placed in an aisle or bulkhead seat towards the front of the plane.

Her travel agent or herself should have gotten a aisle seat during the initial booking. But if all aisle seats were all already assigned, there may be little they can do.

Depending on the model of the plane, bulkhead seats may also be on an exit row, and they shouldn't be taken by a passenger who can't handle open the emergency exit door.

I believe FAA regulations prohibit people from being in an exit row who are unable or unwilling to handle the exit door in an emergency so nobody who is disabled should EVER be seated there.

Usually, if the airline is notified in advance, either by a TA OR the passenger themself, appropriate help is provided. However, two weeks ago when returning from Franfurt on a Lufthansa flight there was a passenger who was allowed to VERY SLOWLY move down the jetway and also down the aisle of the plane using a walker and this caused considerable delay. Why someone, a flight attendant, gate agent, etc., did not call for wheelchair assistance for this person I'll never know. When we arrived in the US the same situation occurred in reverse (she was seated in the forward part of the economy section) and a lot of people had to wait for her to again use her walker to exit the aircraft...groan! And all of this could easily have been eliminated and the passenger herself spared considerable exertion.

Just another reason to love Southwest...they allow "those needing assistance" to board first, giving them first choice of seats.

This also ties in with the "overly large" thread, where someone suggested putting all the families together in one section. That pretty much happens naturally on Southwest, as those traveling with kids also get to board early and tend to congregate at the front of the plane. Others boarding later can keep their distance if they so choose.

It is against FAA regulation to sit someone under the age of 16 or an infirm passenger in the exit row.

Bulkhead and exit rows are not the same thing.

A stretch 767 may have several bulkheads and emergency rows but they do not coincide.

Bulkhead is usually reserved for special needs and Frequent Flyers.