Originally Posted by
GoSpurs
I'm sure I'll get slammed for this, but families of 4-6 would likely have trouble getting preferred seats together on most legacies as well that have assigned seats if their trip was planned after seat assignments were picked over. The implied concept that they should just freely stroll onto the plane ahead of most everyone else regardless of any planning or effort on their part isn't really fair to the rest of us. If they get their As like the rest of us, then great for them. No complaints from me. In many years of flying Delta, I can't think of once that a three or four year old was forced to sit by themselves away from their parents or siblings. These things have a way of working out.
1) Many legacies set aside blocks of seats for gate assignment just to deal with the "family of 4-6" issue. No guarantee, but it does somewhat improve the odds. And yes, I've seen the issue crop up, but at least it (usually) can be dealt with at the gate prior to boarding, rather than standing in the aisle of the aircraft. (At least the family knows what to expect when they board, and can plan accordingly).
2) Which brings me to my second comment on this subject: I'd rather not see a delay on-board while a FA deals with kindly asking other passengers to accomodate the family or while the family stands in the aisle trying to figure out how to divide group up so they can control the kids. I do note that many restaurants set aside larger tables for larger groups and tend not to seat parties of two at a six-top when the place is crowded and there's a line waiting.
So, my biggest negative on the family issue is the possibility of delays