I have to agree that flying with an infant or toddler on WN is much better that a legacy. My wife recently flew with our 2 1/2 year old SAN-TUS on WN last month. Due to a malfunction with the railroad crossing safety gates in downtown SAN which crippled traffic on I-5 both directions and getting to Harbor Drive, we arrived at the airport 20 minutes before departure. The CSR at the ticket counter personally escorted my wife and daughter through security and to the gate, where the end of the B group was boarding. The CSR then arranged for the GA to allow them to board before the Cs (they both had As and would have been pre-boards without traffic doubling our hour drive to the airport). Once at the aircraft door, one of the FAs helped my wife with the car seat, while my wife carried our daughter and diaper bag. The CSR had already taken care of gate checking the stroller. The FA stayed with my wife, who headed immediately to the back of the aircraft so as to not tie up the rest of the boarding process, until our daughter was safely in her car seat in the window. All of this was done without asking for help at the ticket counter since the CSR realized that help was needed to make the flight and not have to move any passengers so they could sit together. Through out the flight, the FAs all came by to see if my wife or daughter needed anything, ensured that my daughter's water was the first drink served, and provided wings and a flight-certificate. Of course, my daughter is an old flying pro, with a first flight at one-month and first RR ticket at 10-months. Yes, we have always bought her a ticket so that we were guaranteed a seat for her car seat. Once at TUS, the stroller was set up and waiting with the RA as my wife and daughter deplaned.

Opposite story, wife's friend is flying alone with her almost 3-year old and 6-month old on DL, SAN-ATL-CHS. They arrived at SAN 90-minutes early and spent 30-minutes in line to check-in with bags and dog due to only two TAs working non-elite line. Security was another half-hour, so they arrived at gate just as boarding began. She appoarched GA with both kids, stroller, and bags in hand and asked to pre-board. GA looked at her BP and told her to wait for her boarding group since it was currently first class and medallion level boarding. She then waited patiently for her boarding group, trying best to keep a handle on nearly-three year old and baby in stroller. When group was called, she had to do her best to avoid being trampled by ensuing rush to board. At the GA podium, was met with a hassle about not previously getting a gate-check tag for stroller and was told to wait by the GA until the end of boarding group when she, the GA, could get to them. Again she waited patiently until the break between boarding groups when the GA begrudginly filled out the gate-check tag and then told her to hurry up and board so that she, the GA, could get to the next group. Once through the door of the aircraft and carrying baby and trying to herd toddler all while carrying diaper bags, the FA chided her for not pre-boarding and asked her to quickly get to their seats since they were running behind on boarding. This able-bodied, male FA did not make any attempt to help, or even offer. Once in ATL, by the time she managed to get off the plane and receive her gate-checked stroller, which did not come up until most everyone else had deplaned, her approximate 45-minute connection time shrank to 30. At the connection gate, she ran into the same reaction on pre-boarding, gate-checking the stroller, and lack of assistance from the FAs. In CHS, the stroller again did not come up until all of the pax had deplaned.

I will let everyone make the decision for themselves as to which was the better flying experience and representative of airline commitment to customer service. But for my family and me, this WN flight has always been representative of our flying with a child, and sadly the few legacy flights with our daughter have been similar to the DL flight. As for MikeyZBT, if you dislike WN so much, why do you waste your time here in this portion of FT instead of the board for your coveted DL, where you have your elite status?