Posted on 05/24/2012 6:54:41 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
As if it wasn't hard enough traveling by air with children, United Airlines won't be offering early boarding to families in coach with small children.
United quietly made the policy shift in late April and joins other airlines including American Airlines and US Airways that have dropped family pre-boarding.
The airline says the move was "to simplify the boarding process and to reduce the overall number of boarding groups," United spokesman Charles Hobart told USA Today.
Previously, families with small children flying coach were allowed on aircraft before general boarding -- a convenience for parents to get their children and their things stowed before the crush of passengers. But now, as more airlines charge for priority boarding, passengers are more willing to pay to guarantee space in the overhead bins for their luggage --space that could be taken by early boarders.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Personally I would rather board last with kids.
Booking seats at the rear of the craft gets you on first in general by-section boarding, and thus more chance to find a spot to stow your carry on. Often those are the seats that book last. I can see people who want to catch connecting flights at the destination wanting to get out of the plane ASAP and sitting as far forward as possible, though.
It can work the other way, with passengers not wanting to have to shove by kids who, fascinated with the plane’s interior, dance around obliviously in the aisles.
Children should be stretch-wrapped in the lobby before they are taken on board and stowed in the overhead compartments.
Let’s face facts, the early boarding for families did not get them seated any faster.
If you were in the group following such families, you were still waiting for them to get organized in the aisle.
Only as long as they fit the measurement requirements. Otherwise, under the seat.
Too many priveleged classes around.
The white guys who work for a living still board last, though.
Not that it matters.
Too many privileged classes around.
The white guys who work for a living still board last, though.
Not that it matters.
>> Children should be stretch-wrapped in the lobby before they are taken on board and stowed in the overhead compartments.
ROFL! ESPECIALLY on international flights!
Are you a fellow business traveler by chance?
“Children should be stretch-wrapped in the lobby before they are taken on board and stowed in the overhead compartments.”
There ya go... I am cranky when it comes to flying these days and I have to do it often. Children boarding last would be a great solution!
Just a note... those that book the rear seats and board first will most often dump the carryons right in the front so that the front seats need to dump those carryons in the rear.
>>Children should be stretch-wrapped in the lobby before they are taken on board and stowed in the overhead compartments.<<
Bull. This is lib crap. We need children to pay for the social security and debt that this generation has given them.
Shrink wrap the parents who DON’T watch those kids.
I’ve traveled with my kids tons of times. I’ve gotten compliments on how good they are. It’s the parent’s fault and not the kids.
In fact, I would volunteer to keep the kids amused and quiet if they would shrink wrap the parents.
Oh sure, and find seats all together ...?
remember these planes are flyign almost fully booked these days
Personally I would sooner be the adult who buckles my kid in and puts an oxygen nask on their face in a disaster
But maybe some folks OK with their kids a row or 2 away from them, and someone else gets to babysit
I can see the stews are going to end up reshuffling a lot of people and delaying everyone as they try to find places for folding strollers and families that need to sit together
I vote “Bad idea”
white guys who work for a living and travel a lot should be smart enough to checkin 24 hours ahead of time and pre-select their aisle seats
at least it got them seated together
Now you get to wait in the aisle while families all try to find seats together or figure out how to split up the kids
Children don’t bother me. Its the people who haven’t showered in a week, drunk, need two seats but only buy one, or just won’t shut the heck up that bother me.
I fly a lot and HATE it.
I’m confused.
Don’t you have a seat number on your tickets anymore?
When we flew, I booked us all together. Dad had one child and I had the other or in a plane with three seats, I sat between the kids and Dad was across the aisle.
Isn’t that how it is anymore?
“This is lib crap. “
You have an extreme “nature vs. nurture” position. Extreme positions are usually wrong positions.
If you had been my parent, I’d had you stripping the booze cart of every bottle over 80 proof by the end of the trip.
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