Ordinarilly, I am happy to let people in front of me. I think of myself as a flawed, but generally generous and nice person. However, after giving this some thought, I believe that this policy fosters laziness and allows some to take the generous of others for granted. For example- we were not asked if we were willing to allow the late-comers to move to the front of the line- it was imposed upon us. Additionally, at least a dozen passengers took advantage of this offer. Not one said a word of thanks to any of the PAX in line. In my opinion, if you show up 25 minutes before a flight that leaves in the middle of the night when there is no traffic, that's your own fault, and those are the choices you make.

So, what lesson does this teach me or the children who were in line? What it says to them is that the late-comers get a reward- no wait. The people who play by the rules get punished. Why then, in the future, would these same people not perpetually arrive late, knowing the kindness of some stranger or the indifference of an airline will make sure they don't have to wait. This, in my opinion, is wrong.

So much for "cheaters never prosper".