To think that it is ok to jump the queue when with an infant?

[Eole]

DH, DC (3 months) and I were flying for the first time today to see family, long expected break!
We had booked priority, lounges and everything we could to relieve a bit of the stress.
Priority queue was quite long to check in luggage and we started queuing nicely.
Another mum came along and told us we could jump the queue which we did gladly as baby started stirring a little bit.
However it enraged some of the people in the queue, literally shouting that it was very out of order and that was no such thing as baby class, and what is wrong with you people etc.
Interestingly, every other step in the airport (security, customs, boarding) we were invited nicely by the staff to jump the queue.

So YANBU, of course you can jump the queue when with an infant
YABU no, you should queue like everyone else

Wrong. If you don’t check-in on time, then yes, the plane will leave without you.

As other PP have said, airlines now check-in for several planes from one large queue. If passengers with children kept pushing in at the front, then people without children wouldn’t get to check-in on time.

But nobody has “pushed in” and certainly not in such great numbers people who have arrived on time for pre-paid priority check-in would miss their flight, so your argument has no relevance to this situation or my comment. Check-in staff assessed the situation and offered to check in two women with babies first. If people were unhappy with this, complain to the airline. Shouting abuse at a woman with a baby because airline staff have made a decision to check her in first is sh*tty behaviour whatever spin you put on it.

No she didn't another MUM told her she could queue jump

Read the OP properly. Check-in staff had nothing to do with the OP’s queue jumping. Another Mum apparently told her it was OK to do so. It was nothing to do with the airline staff telling her that she should.

I have thank you, I’ve also read the thread properly. Staff informed the other mum that it was okay, then said staff then checked them both in. So the other mum was actually being kind to another passenger. But you’re right, shame on her. Shame on them both. It would be so much better if we all agreed that shouting abuse at two mothers with babies, for taking up an invite by airline staff, was perfectly reasonable and rational behaviour 🙄 If everyone with children of all ages was pushing in as you said, fine. But that’s not what happened here. Airline staff are generally pretty hardline. If they were doing wrong they have been told to move to the back and wait.

Dunno why people keep comparing this situation to people with a disability... Having a baby is not a disability! People with disabilities would probably have paid for the priority check in, anticipating they need the faster check in, and OP and the other mother would've come along and decided they took higher priority so jumped the queue...

I haven’t said “shame on her” in any of my posts. I also didn’t say that “everyone was pushing in”.

And people wonder why babies get so upset on planes. But they won't let them go ahead and get settled before everyone. Of course it's fine. Absolutely ignore them. An adult does not take priority over infants unless they're very elderly or disabled.

@StripeyMow actually planes can and do leave people behind. If they haven't got through security in time to board then they will be left. And you're more likely to have this happen if you have every bloody parent being as selfish as the OP and pushing to the front of check in.

For the thousandth time. OP is not talking about the boarding queue. She's talking about the queue to check in/baggage drop.

People with young children and those with mobility issues should get priority boarding.

Flown 7 times this year and every single time it was a pleasure to see a lane dedicated to young families . Staff were walking along the line and directing people to the family lane.
Suck it up peeps , you probably only waited an extra 10 mins but guess what , that small bit of time they save allowed them to sooth fractious children and thereby giving they’re travelling companions a child scream free flight. More power to your elbow mums and dads, finally getting the recognition deserved for travelling with young children . “No such thing as baby class”. Wtf !

Thou... I don't think priority through security queue should be given.

Yabu. We're going on our first flight with DS in a few weeks. He will be 8 months old. We will be waiting our turn, because that's the right thing to do.
Tbh I'm going to delay getting on the plane as late as possible without causing delays to others. I cant see why its so good to be on the plane first... the less time wasted with a baby in close proximity to others the better.

This.

Staff inviting two parents with babies to the front of priority check-in is not going to cause people to miss a plane. That’s not “every bloody parent” nor is it being “selfish” to follow the instructions of staff and nowhere does it say she was “pushing to the front”. What a vivid imagination you have. I still stand by my comment that there is no justification for people to behave like yobs and shout at a mother and baby. People should take it up with the staff if they don’t like what they do. I’m sure they too would advise that if you were shouting and balling that you were being a selfish cretin too.

I think it depends on the queue.

In some airports there is a general check in queue and a priority for business class/card holders. I think even with kids you queue in the general queue here.

Other airports have a general queue and a priority queue - where it states it is also for those requiring special assistance (which typically includes children). In this case you get the back of the priority queue.

If you are already in a priority queue, I can't see any circumstances where you jump to the front of it unless invited by staff. Everyone in that queue has priority (for whatever reason - they have a disability, they have paid for priority, they have airline status). I have never known people with children to jump to the front of any priority queue.

Otherwise what is the point of a priority queue? I would never pay for priority travelling alone if parents could skip to the front - you would be forever in the queue and better off in the general check in queue.

Starting to wonder if it’s a reading comprehension thing .

it wasn’t staff it was another mother,if she even existed, and she was only accepted for check in when she got to the top of the queue, going ahead to the top of a queue is pushing in in most folks book. Having a baby doesn’t mean you get to jump the queue. End of.

Exactly this. What a world we live in where people try to justify shouting abuse of a mother and child, because they had to wait an extra 5-10 minutes whilst two people checked in babies.

It’s kind of ironic that people shouting abuse on this thread (and in the queue) are calling the OP selfish.

“Starting to wonder if it’s a reading comprehension thing.” Yes me too 😉

If the babies were screaming and crying I could understand being called to the front. But that doesn't seem to have been the case here. Another mum presumed, for whatever reason, that they had the right to go first and the staff, put in an awkward situation, eventually agreed.
I don't think anyone should have been abusive but I can certainly understand people complaining.
Are you going to start skipping to the top of supermarket queues?
ATM queues?
Bus queues?
And expect people to say nothing?

Having a baby or being a woman doesn’t give you the right to behave badly and not get called out on it. We can argue if shouting what’s wrong with you people , there is no baby class etc is abusive or simply addressing unacceptable behaviour when you see it, but either way if you behave badly you should get called out on it.

If you read this she was already in the priority queue so that should be enough there should be no need to jump the priority queue unless people with children were called forward.

It is a comprehension thing. Op stated she was in a priority check in queue. On the advice of another traveller, she then proceeded to jump to the front of the priority check in queue. I can see why this annoyed people. They all also had priority.

I would not have said anything but would think it was an almighty cheek to take yourself to the front of what is already a priority queue on the advice of a fellow passenger. If all parents did this - anyone without children in the priority queue would be waiting endlessly.

In this circumstance, the only acceptable way to go to the front would be if invited by staff, or if you felt unable to queue due to the baby - to ask staff if you could jump to the front.