Originally Posted by
LWT3
My wife and I will be flying with our 2 year old out of FLL going to Charlotte next month on an A321. And then from Charlotte to Detroit on a Bombardier CRJ-900. I'm interested in advice about when to show up at the gate and when to board for both legs of the flight. I thought it would be wise to board late, hopefully letting my daughter burn off some energy in the terminal rather than make her sit on the plane for an extra half hour, but I'm reading posts up thread saying if you don't board early you risk not getting overhead space even in business. Thoughts?
Regardless of cabin, this is a very valid concern. I've always split forces with Mrs. EnPremiere. One takes care of boarding as early as your status/class of service allows with the overhead bag while the other is busy keeping the little miscreants active until around the last group or at the tail end of the boarding process. You'll still spend a little time on the jet way but it beats expending your/their energy in a seat for the entire boarding process. Ideally when they're very young, timing your flights for nap is helpful and if you're open to it, a screen can make it easier to distract 'em.
I've also resorted to bringing crayons on board and asking for a stack of Barclay's applications to keep everyone (both young and old) happy with creative, thoughtful doodles in the blank spaces. You can then send them away in hopes that they'll be recognized for their artistic achievements by Barclays. Having no artwork returned to date must must mean that they are much appreciated and undoubtedly gracing some highly visible hallway or fridge at the Barclays' application processing center.