1 infant 12 folks tag along to pre-board
 

When does it become too much?

Well one, this group went early and did it before the new family and infants stage which is now after First/Diamond. I don't mind that too much to be honest since I think Delta is the only one to put families after F anyway.

I think the gate agent was just overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that came up. They were all wearing matching shirts and acted like a family and I absolutely believe they were related to the infant. But 12 people besides the infant came up and the gate agent let them all through? I don't know the exact cut off but I do know they were breaching the good faith "code" at that point.

well, what would be the consequences of "too much"? If we knew that, then we could tell you. Were you denied overhead space? Were you delayed in getting to your destination? Did they eat all the biscoff while everyone else was in the gate area?

Not that I believe it was kosher for 12 people to tag along with 1 infant, but I've never seen being on the same PNR as a requirement for multiple people to board together.

I don't even consider blaming Delta or the GA, these type of people abuse the system and there is no stopping them. They are the same people that merge at the last minute even though there is clearly a line of cars they could have got behind, they believe they are more important than everyone else. They probably double dip too.

There are apologists for these people too, they say how dare we judge them. I was even told to mind my own business when venting my frustrations previously about this same issue. They say there is no "rule" of how many people can board with small children they aren't doing anything wrong. But I do not agree, they are clearly taking advantage of the situation. The spirit of offering to board families that need more time is to give them more time to get settled. The poor single parent with diaper bag, stroller and a kid that can't walk, the two parents with a bunch of kids and all their belongings. I feel for those people, they do need more time.

The families where the able bodied adults outnumber the infants 4 to 1, or in this case 11 to 1, need no additional time. They are just taking advantage of the system, plain and simple. They don't conform to social rules about being polite. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

IMO 12 is way to many.

You have to put yourself in the GAs shoes, he/she may be thinking if I say something am I going to be on tonight's news because I was so awful to this family? Unfortunately this is the current climate we live in and it ain't getting better.

Same could be said for the T&A group. Extra Time and Assistance that is.

There is no infant or military ID required to board during the ETA group...besides the wheelchair assists. There are plenty of people who just jump at that opportunity to not stand in the gate area anymore.
We understand when we see elderly or people with cast or limp, but there are plenty of others that 'seem' capable, but board early.

So unless there is a written code of ethics on the matter, I don't think there will be any 'control' over it other than each person's own integrity.

On a different airline, I asked for early boarding for my elderly parents. The gate agent asked if both my parents needed assistance, and I said mostly just my dad. He did not need a wheelchair but he just would not survive being jostled during the mad rush to board. My mom was alright. The gate agent said only my mom could accompany him, and I would have to wait with the other able-bodied passengers. If they needed assistance with luggage, staff would take care of it instead of me. FYI, we were on the same PNR. I thought that what she did was completely fair. This was 5 years ago in SFO.

Unfortunately this is a somewhat common occurrence, but we'll never know for sure if they were stretching the rules and violating the intent, or had a valid reason.

As for infant/family group being after first, I believe that southwest also does family boarding after the A group.

Ya know, you're SUPPOSED to merge at the last minute, like a zipper. The DOT in our state even posts updates on Twitter reminding drivers to do that since it's more efficient and technically keeps traffic moving more quickly.

That being said, I agree on the rest of the post...

That was my recent experience, but they would only allow the two parents; not the grandparents travelling with them (including me).

In our state (MN), the zipper only applies in construction zones.

What is a zipper merge?

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/zipperme...rmergecrop.pngWhen a lane is closed in a construction zone, a zipper merge occurs when motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area, and then alternate in "zipper" fashion into the open lane.

Well, seats are assigned (this wasn't WN).
The real question is how much baggage did these dozen people carry on?