Miracle Flight - San Francisco > Manila

Classic situation. People from low-trust societies taking advantage of a high-trust society, all for a tiny gain like saving 20 minutes, though of course it depends on the airport facilities.

I flew PAL out of LA in September and they boarded the wheelchair passengers last and had them get off last. The wheelchair line shrank by 85%.

Why is it only on the flights to the Philippines? I took a flight from SFO to Thailand not long ago and, no joke, there was only one wheelchair.

When I first came here, I came with a perfectly healthy woman, and when we got off the plane a wheelchair was waiting in the aisle, put her in it, and quickly wheeled her through customs. Back then I thought it was awesome, but now, a few years later, I think it's just a disgusting thing to do.

My mom is in her 70s and she always adds this service when we travel together. Just walking from point A to point B in an airport is physically exhausting for older people. At big airports like San Francisco or New York, it's also a strain on me in terms of managing our time. The reason this service isn't needed as much when landing in Manila is simple: they're already home. They've already gone through the earlier airport and airline procedures, saved their energy, and no longer have the pressure of rushing to another gate or catching a connecting flight. It's not only about convenience. It's about making the trip less stressful and smoother for everyone involved. So before you judge and mock elderly people for using wheelchairs, try getting to that age yourself or travel with them.