Originally Posted by
pseudoprime
Recently did IAD-MSY-IAD with 6mo twins. Preboarded in my last month as a United 1K. Honestly, in the time it took us to break down the stroller, bag it and the car seat at the end of the jetway, half the plane had already boarded. If we had to board last, I think everybody on the plane would have been waiting for us to juggle everything. Oh, well -- next time, we'll at least have had more practice!
Which is why I always broke everything down prior to boarding so I could just do the heavy lifting (stroller, carseat, a couple bags). Stroller at the end of the jetway, then board with carseat into the seat, kids waiting in an empty adjacent aisle (or stacked behind me as I put in the carseat if no other empty seats are around), wife putting away the bags, then get everyone seated.
It's all about thinking about how you're going to get boarded before you do it. People don't plan so they struggle.