Originally Posted by
ave1024
He isn't missing out on his A+ boarding position. He chooses to travel with somebody that doesn't have A+. If he paid flights for that person, that person can gain status. He can buy the $40 for the companion. If he is too cheap to pay the $40 if available, then he should board between A and B.
And where do you draw the line like the PP said? One kid? Two kids? Three kids?
The outcome isn't the same because if he boards with family boarding like everybody else does, those are two seats that can be used by people boarding with an A pass. It's out of respect for the rest of the passengers who do follow the rules.
I fly enough where I would gain status if I paid with cash vs. paying with points. I don't bother to get A+ because it would be a wasted benefit as my companion wouldn't have status. So instead I chose to convert my earnings to point and i have the benefit of easy flight changes with points without having to worry about vouchers tied to confirmation numbers. We pick our battles.
He is missing out on his A+ position because, as he noted, if he was with a lap child, he would be able to board at his A+ spot. Instead, he gives WN more money and loses a benefit.
You could easily draw the line at one kid under 2. Because that kid could be a lap child. No gray area, simply black and white. If he boards at his A+ position there are still 2 seats that can be used by people boarding with an A. So the outcome is the same. What I would say is that out of respect for your fellow travelers, don't take the bulkhead row. He can't take the exit row so that's not an issue.
If he purchased EBCI for the kid, got something in the B's, and boarded at family boarding, he'd still be taking two seats ahead of someone that also bought EBCI but was in the B's ahead of the kid. But that's ok because he's following the rules, right? Sucks for the people that bought EBCI and were ahead of the kid but rules are rules. Point being, that the rules aren't perfect and if there is no material difference, which boarding with the kid at his A+ position wouldn't be a material difference, then why preach to people that rules are rules?
Would it make a difference in terms of him getting two seats together if boarding at family? Absolutely not. So that just proves that there's no material difference. So why worry about it? If you disagree with it, fine. If you agree with it, fine. But let's not make a Federal case about it. And if the OA lets him board at his A+ position, then WN - who owns the rules - is ok with it. If the OA turns him away and tells him to board at family, then tough noogies. But either way spending more than half a second thinking about it and going "SHAME! SHAME ON YOU!" is really not using common sense.