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Airlines offer preboarding to passengers who are hard of hearing

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A reminder that if you tell the gate attendants when you are about to board a plane that you are hard-of-hearing (), they will let you “pre-board”! I have never found staff less than fully accommodating! This is very helpful, as it is often hard to understand the loudspeaker instructions about zonal loading, lining up, etc. It’s a small compensation for being HOH!!!.

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Yes I used it when I had to fly, but my last flight was Thanksgiving 2010. I now refuse to fly. I am claustrophobic and my hearing loss makes it even worse. And now with the mask requirements there isn’t anyway I can fly. I had issues breathing on a plane way back then.

I had never heard of this. Because of my hearing loss I never travel alone since I have to depend on my wife to hear the instructions. Way back before my hearing was this bad I once got on a wrong plane and went to Columbus, OH instead of Richmond, , and missed an important meeting.

I wonder if they would let my wife pre-board with me? I’ll try it next time.

I haven’t been on a plane since April, 2019.

Every time before boarding a plane, l always tell the gate agent that l have hearing loss and can not understand their PA system. They let me in along with any passengers on wheelchair. My last flight was in 2003. I never had any issues other that when air pressure in plane increases and my ears pop. Due to the Delta variant, l will not board any plane except private jet sharing which is very expensive.
I remember one time the plane l was waiting arrived and boarded the plane and sat down on seat. Turns out l was on the wrong plane, my plane arrived late! I went back to the gate.

I haven’t been able to travel alone for a long time, either, because I can’t hear the PA system nor any instructions on board. A few years back, hubby and I booked an overseas flight 6 months in advance. We didn’t pay the extra to ensure we were placed together, because we just expected it to be a given, that far in advance . To my dismay, upon check-in, they had placed us separately - I soon figured out that this is a deliberate move, by some airlines, to induce customers to pay the pre-selection fee. Hubby was protesting that we had booked 6 months earlier, to no avail. Then I advised them of my deafness and “innocently” inquired if I should have let them know when we booked. Before we knew it, we were issued boarding passes, seated together, in PLUS class, no less. The same scenario worked for the return flight. They were lovely flights! However, the more budget airlines don’t seem to officially be very accommodating for deaf people. Other times we have had to suck it up and pay the extra. I do find that fee to be a form of passive extortion, and it should be policy to waive it for passengers with disabilities.

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