Originally Posted by
JBord
Isn't it logical that the best way to fix the problem is to not have anyone behind the parents with small children? No holding up lines, no swimming upstream. Take your time to get situated with no pressure of 70 people behind you and a flight attendant asking for people to move out of the aisle so we can depart on time? That has to be a better experience for the families. The same reason some airports created "family" security lines for those with children who need more time.
Others may not concur with me, but having flown a couple of hundred thousand miles with my kids when they were small, I would say very definitively that the answer to your questions is "For the love of God, NO!"
The underlying assumption that you make is that there is no pressure when you're last to board. That's just not true, because everyone's trying to get the aircraft off the gate as quickly as possible.
It's actually far worse to be last, because you know that you're holding up departure, and everyone is staring at you, wondering what the heck is wrong with those parents that they can't simultaneously control their kids, stow their bags and install the car seats. I've had gate agents take the PA and ask flight attendants to find out how long it was going to take for us to install a car seat. Meanwhile, as others have pointed out, you're trying to go down the aisle, typically striking every person on the aisle with your bags, your seat, your children, etc.
It is far better for everyone to be able to go through that process when nobody is around you.
Originally Posted by
Visconti
This sure seems like the case with some on here.
I'm just astounded by the lack or courtesy and reciprocity. I find it astonishing there are those here who find it unacceptable that even if I were to concede that on 99% of the flights everyone else can have the run of the plane; but, expect, during those rare times when I must work, to board first after paying for a full F fare.
But you weren't boarding first under the old regime with a full F fare, anyway. Nowhere does UA promise that you're getting on first. You were already behind disabled people, uniformed military and GS passengers. You didn't quit flying UA over those groups, one of which (uniformed military) constitutes the single group of people *least* likely to require extra time for boarding. Why are kids the straw breaking the camel's back?
Originally Posted by
Visconti
If I'm an entitled jerk, I can't even come up with an adequate enough colorful metaphor to label the "because I have young children, I'm more important than you even if you've paid whatever and need to prepare for the preparation of your life" clique.
It's not that parents with young children are somehow more important than you. It's that you're *not* more important than they are. Your F ticket or your 1K status buys you certain rights, but they don't buy you first person to board privileges.
What is it about parents with children two and under, who are not capable of taking care of themselves, and who are not capable of carrying their own bags, let alone a car seat (which they are entitled
*by law* to have on board), that pushes you over the edge. That group of passengers
needs extra time for boarding. Just like someone on crutches
needs extra time for boarding, because (take it from me - 2x ACL loser) you can't get down an aircraft aisle on crutches as fast as you can on two legs.
By contrast, you
want to board early. You may be flying someplace for the presentation of your life - I totally get it - been there, done that, all the time. I
want to be focusing on my work as soon as possible. But if 1, 2 or 5 minutes delay for families to board actually made a material difference in the preparation of your presentation, then you
needed to be on an earlier flight or you should have been preparing differently for your presentation.
And that's why I and others have been freely calling people names over this, because you're putting your
wants over other people's
needs.
Originally Posted by
JBord
I may just not notice it, but I rarely see people trying to jump the line upon landing, unless we're late and it's obvious they are trying to make a connection (both of which are a common occurrence if your home base is ORD like me
).
I can't ever recall seeing a family with car seats doing it, and although I've seen plenty of "disabled" people walk off the plane normally, I don't recall anyone trying to squeeze through the line.
For all the things to complain about in air travel today, deplaning seems to be at least slightly more civilized.
Agreed.
With kids, as others have posted above, it's just easier to deplane. You have tons of time during the descent and taxi to pack things up.
Plus, it's a lot easier to remove a car seat than to install it. The NHTSA says that nearly half of all child car seats are installed incorrectly - that's because they're a royal PITA to install.
Greg