Flying Delta - Do they pre-board?

[Buckimion]

I'm flying Delta in June to LA with my family. I haven't flown with them in a while...

I usually walk with a cane. Most airlines I fly on do not have pre-assigned seating and I usually get to preboard. On Delta we have assigned seats toward the middle of the plane. (per our request.) With these assigned seats, does anyone know if we still preboard or will wait until our row is called?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Yes, Delta does preboard people with disabilities and small children.

 

[SueM in MN]

Tell them you want to preboard when you check in and also when you get to the gate.
What we have found recently is that (even with a child with a wheelchair), many of the airlines assume that if you want to preboard, you will ask and they don't do a general "anyone with special needs can preboard at this point" unless someone has asked. One of the reasons that was explained to us was that some people with disabilities who did not want to preboard felt they were being singled out because of their disability.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We are flying Song Airlines. Since they are a subsidiary of Delta, does the same apply? DS is autistic and we'd like to preboard. He wouldn't handle the hustle and bustle of getting on the plane with a long line of people pushing us.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

PLEASE check the airport that you (if you ) are making any connections. We go through Atlanta and they DO NOT use a jet way! We have had terrible trouble getting DS off and on th plane.They did no let us pre-board they boarded us last and it was a horrible experience. Check with the airport directly and make sure they use jetways so you dont have to use stairs, cross runways etc.....

 

[TiggerCate]

We flew Delta once about 8 years ago when DS wasn't even two and they didn't preboard. I don't think that's their officialy policy, but I was ticked off.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

We have flown Delta twice and both have not been good experiences. (Somewhere here is a huge, long thread about it) Well, I guess I can't say that. The people at DELTA were great it was the Delta connections that were horrible!!!! As I have said before no Jetways, stairs, no pre-boarding, people who did not know how to use a lift, we had to walk outside in a snowstorm, wheelchair left in the rain.......call the airport direct to make sure they have pre-boarding and jetways. We called Delta and were told that it was their policy to pre-board but we never checked the airport (Atlanta and Cincinatti) and they don't pre-board what they did was wait and board you at the end.........so you dont have to wait on the plane???? HUH??? Odd I thought but, oh well. All I can say is people on the plane were NOT happy that we needed extra time with the lift for DS and then time to strap in DD car seat etc. They would have been better to pre-board. CALL AHEAD!!! Have a great vacation.