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Airlines that do not offer the pre-boarding of kids/infants

Airlines that do not offer the pre-boarding of kids/infants

Old Sep 9, 2010, 8:41 am
  #46  
 
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Southwest has a good solution for this. They prioritize boarding by the age of the baby. They were announcing "...for families with babies who do not yet walk..." That's a good criteria.

The other annoying aspect of preboarding were the families who were simply disorganized. I've seen them gathering up their things and dragging to the aircraft, with simmering fellow passengers all around them eager to get themselves on board too...

That's why I recommend at least trying what I used to do. I would stand up in the front, with everyone and everything ready to go and often I was simply gestured to go with the UM's and handicapped passengers. I'm not sure if I had less than three small kids and another parent whether that would have worked as well lol!

Wouldn't it be completely valid for a family with a small baby(ies) to be informed that preboarding will take place and that they must be ready at that time or miss out? Also, having a cut-off, say age 3, would work. I'm almost always alone when I fly with three closely-spaced children and honestly, I really didn't need to preboard, even with a car seat, once the littlest was around 2 1/2-3.

The only sticky issue is with open seating and on my last flight, I coughed up the silly 3 Euro fee for priority boarding because I simply can't herd three kids on that quickly and secure seats together in the ml. This is an option open to anyone so no criteria needed.

If you are concerned, have you considered just boarding last? That way, you aren't blocking the aisles or getting in anyone's way.

I really discourage this because as a Flight Attendant, I had this happen too many times. If you get on last and there is a seating problem, you have given yourselves NO time to sort it out. What I can recommend, a luxury I never have is when two parents are flying, send one with most of the gear on first. That parent can make sure everything's okay and then the other parent trots on board with just the kids at the end.

But someone here gave the most excellent tip of not separating any diapered children from the diaper bag, even if it's only going to be for a few minutes. I wish I could give credit where due but the poor poster had a very unfortunate experience and amusingly recounted this, to save anyone else from making this very-easy-to-make mistake lol!
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Old Sep 9, 2010, 9:29 am
  #47  
 
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I like being able to pre-board. When we had just one child, I would leave the baby with DH while I pre-boarded to install the car seat. Now with 2 kids (1 yo and nearly 5 yo), that is a bit tricker and I think its just easier for all 4 of us to board at the same time.

My biggest issue with not being able to pre-board (or boarding after elites, 1st class/ect...) is that is so hard to walk down the airplane isle carrying a car seat and a diaper bag without bumping into the people sitting on the isle. I try to carry the car seat above the level of the seats and my diaper bag is usually a backpack, but still its tricky. And, if I leave DH to board later with the kids, I'm going to need to carry some of his stuff too.

Boarding the plane is one of the most stressful parts of flying for me. I think I worry too much about getting in other people's way. If I'm not with DH (who is super impatient), I'll won't even attemp to de-board until nearly everyone else is off the plane.

I've had pretty good luck getting allowed to pre-board - when I ask.
maurene is offline  
Old Sep 9, 2010, 12:11 pm
  #48  
 
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Originally Posted by Eclipsepearl
Southwest has a good solution for this. They prioritize boarding by the age of the baby. They were announcing "...for families with babies who do not yet walk..." That's a good criteria.
Not sure what you are talking about here. WN has preboarding for families with children, ages four and under, between the A and B boarding group. GAs do all kinds of crazy things, but WN does not have a policy to board the family group by the child's age, as in youngest first.

I used to fly WN quite a bit, and it was crazy the way families took advantage when they allowed them to board before everyone else! I sometimes would count groups of 10+ with older children who obviously needed no help. IMO, they ruined it for themselves.
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Old Sep 10, 2010, 7:39 am
  #49  
 
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I'm just going by the way they announced it in Oakland and I believe Austin too. This could have been an experiment (airlines will try out various things to see what works). It was also summer so they had a TON of families. They might use this "walking" criteria for when there are over a certain number.

I think age 4 is very generous but what would be a way to deal with a party of 10 on the same reservation with just one three year old?

I'd like to see families with car seats let on first!

so hard to walk down the airplane isle carrying a car seat and a diaper bag without bumping into the people sitting on the isle. I try to carry the car seat above the level of the seats and my diaper bag is usually a backpack, but still its tricky.

A good trick I read on the net and tried with success is to hold the car seat upside down and sideways. If it's light enough (I had a Scenera), you can even drape it over your arm. This way, you don't have to hold it up and it's at eye level with the other passengers (so they can see it coming) and as skinny as you can get it.

If you use a metal luggage cart to transport it (highly recommended and better than one of those expensive Gogo-thingies), see if you can turn it around and strap it sideways somehow. Depends on the model. Doubt this will work on a big Britax though! The Radian and the Sit-n-Stroll, for the record, can be wheeled down the aisle.
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Old Sep 13, 2010, 3:58 pm
  #50  
 
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I imagine the airlines that stopped pre-boarding because the elites don't like it was because of the abuse of the system. Last time I flew on AS there was a family with 1 infant (no carseat even, she was a lapchild) and 5 adults. Why does the whole family need to get on early for that? Plus there were numerous families with the youngest at least 5 or 6 when AS specifically says 2 and under.

Don't get me wrong I'm ok with preboarding, but unless you're installing a carseat, there's really no need to get on early.
firespirit is offline  
Old Sep 14, 2010, 1:02 am
  #51  
 
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Originally Posted by firespirit
Don't get me wrong I'm ok with preboarding, but unless you're installing a carseat, there's really no need to get on early.
I will admit that it is much, much easier, especially if you're alone with a newborn, a toddler and a preschooler, plus car seat on an 11 hour transatlantic with connection!
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Old Sep 15, 2010, 1:46 am
  #52  
 
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Originally Posted by firespirit
Last time I flew on AS there was a family with 1 infant (no carseat even, she was a lapchild) and 5 adults.
I would say gate agents are responsible to prevetn abuse and in this case ask for some of the adults to stay behind.

Affording special consideration to pregnant women, mothers with infants, the elderly, etc. is common courtesy in the real world - but not when it comes to US air travel.
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Old Sep 17, 2010, 1:31 pm
  #53  
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SAS doesn't do it either. When I was asking for infant boarding (we were with a 1 yr old and I was 8 months pregnant), they simply said, 'we have no such thing', then told us to get to the end of line. Also this practice doesn't seem to be practised in Scandinavia where it's supposed to be very children friendly.
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Old Jan 12, 2011, 12:57 pm
  #54  
 
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Recent experience:

IAD-LHR-IAD. No pre-boarding announcement. Walked right up with business class pax and asked to board with no issues on either flight. Some have mentioned that they like to board last. I can't fathom doing that at this point (though my daughter is not yet mobile). I like the idea of splitting up with one parent pre-boarding and getting everything situated.

Personally, I have found that carrying on three bags +/- a car seat is far easier if there are no other passengers in the general area. It takes us about 5 minutes to get the bags where we need them (both in the overhead and at our feet) and to get settled with the little one. 2 to 3 minutes of that is in the aisle... I used to think that pre-boarding was a perk for the parents, but after travelling on an airline that didn't allow it - I now realise that it benefits other passengers much, much more.

My apologies again to the gentleman we abused with elbows from BOS-BWI.
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Old Jan 14, 2011, 1:59 pm
  #55  
 
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Recently did IAD-MSY-IAD with 6mo twins. Preboarded in my last month as a United 1K. Honestly, in the time it took us to break down the stroller, bag it and the car seat at the end of the jetway, half the plane had already boarded. If we had to board last, I think everybody on the plane would have been waiting for us to juggle everything. Oh, well -- next time, we'll at least have had more practice!
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Old Jan 21, 2011, 9:02 am
  #56  
 
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Originally Posted by pseudoprime
Recently did IAD-MSY-IAD with 6mo twins. Preboarded in my last month as a United 1K. Honestly, in the time it took us to break down the stroller, bag it and the car seat at the end of the jetway, half the plane had already boarded. If we had to board last, I think everybody on the plane would have been waiting for us to juggle everything. Oh, well -- next time, we'll at least have had more practice!
Which is why I always broke everything down prior to boarding so I could just do the heavy lifting (stroller, carseat, a couple bags). Stroller at the end of the jetway, then board with carseat into the seat, kids waiting in an empty adjacent aisle (or stacked behind me as I put in the carseat if no other empty seats are around), wife putting away the bags, then get everyone seated.

It's all about thinking about how you're going to get boarded before you do it. People don't plan so they struggle.
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