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

You're right. Reading the OP again no one appears to have been abusive.
Just some posters being dramatic 'oh how could anyone shout abuse at a poor young mum' etc

We travelled by Clipper boat to get from one side of London to the other recently. We had our disabled mum with us, and even had her blue badge with us. There was a massive queue and staff wouldn’t let us get to the front of the queue. My mum can’t stand for long so it caused her a lot of discomfort.

Ridiculous that two adults with a baby like OP who are well able to stand are being prioritised in this way.

Yes it’s so very dramatic to think that shouting at a stranger in public is poor behaviour, but staff checking in a mother and baby is not.

People in the queue had no comprehension of what was going on. She could have been invited to the front for many reasons. They should have taken their complaints to the airline for allowing or indeed encouraging poor behaviour. Then maybe they’d have got answers. Or they could have shown a little compassion to a mother and baby, rather than let it ruin their day.

That’s a very poor decision. You absolutely should have taken priority and I would expect you to in this situation too.

She wasn't invited to the front. She pushed up, then appears to have brazenly stood her ground while other people who had been waiting their turn loudly complained.

It wasn’t staff, it was another mum.
what about the elderly? A baby is far more able to cope laying in arms or a buggy in a long queue that an 80+ traveller. Should the elderly just cut in front of everybody else too?

Newborns sleep most of the time - so having a newborn entitles a healthy young mum to cut in front of an elderly and frail or disabled passenger? Ridiculous.

No, it is not ok.

Theres no reason why a passenger with a baby should go in front of people that also could have reasons they would like to be at the front of the queue.

for example - the baby can at least be put in a pram, but a pregnant passenger or a passenger with health issues (visible ones or invisible) would have to queue as normal.

Exactly. Where does this attitude stop? As I said upthread should parents with small children be allowed skip supermarket queues, queues in cafes , banks, post offices etc ?
Should they be allowed skip in front of elderly people, disabled people, people who aren't feeling well, people on their lunch hour who only have half an hour to spare?

It's a ridiculous premise. If the mother was struggling on her own with a screaming or puking baby then a nice person might tell them to go ahead or a staff member might ask 'is it OK if I check this couple in first'? Most people are reasonable in these situations.

But a couple just doing a 'coming through, coming through, we've got a baby' are bound to annoy and upset people.

@Toomuchtrouble4me Errr, I didn't say that, did I? What I said is that a polite and decent human being would permit someone more encumbered than them - eg a mother with a newborn - to cut in front. This could also apply to a mother with toddlers, someone with a disability, an elderly person, or anyone that looked like they could use some help. To do otherwise is churlish and selfish. Basically, just use some common sense and be a decent person.

I think most people do. But a young couple with a small non crying baby and no other toddlers, who are already in a priority queue don't really need extra priority.

For goodness sake, elderly and disabled are able to book assistance and be moved with priority through check in. Demanding and hurling abuse that anyone with a baby should be treated rhe same or we are all selfish and churlish to a bunch of what is likely predominantly mothers on line is ludicrous

we have all traveled with infants, young kids etc, we can fucking queue to check in and don’t need special treatment

Well said 👏There are a lot of selfish people on this thread.

Even if baby is peacefully sleeping in its pram?

I am the first to get up or disabled people / elderly/ pregnant women / parents wit babies on a train but I don't think situation warranted queue jumping.

Why are people selfish because they didn't think this particular couple, in this particular situation should have pushed to the head of a priority queue?

The mother wasn't on her own. Her husband was there to help.
The baby wasn't crying or being sick.
She wasn't also struggling with a toddler.
The baby was small enough to be in a sling or pram.

Why exactly do you think she needed extra priority in the priority queue?

I don't get why a parent with a 3 months old should get priority. What do they do but sleep or look around? If it was screaming, fair enough, but otherwise I don't see why it makes someone more of a priority than anyone else who paid extra to be a priority.

Um, no. Another mum with a baby told her she could jump the queue. At all other places she'd been invited by the staff.

Ah, so we should only reserve kindness for sick or distressed children? Maybe the baby was due a feed or a change? Do we ignore the baby’s needs until it cries, then do something to assist?

The airline made the decision to invite the other woman with a baby through and then let this mum through too. The first mum probably thought she was being kind to a fellow new mum by sharing that the airline were letting babies through, she may have been told to tell the other lady by the staff. We don’t know. The OP was grateful of the offer she hasn’t posted anywhere about being brazen or anything else she has been accused of. The first few months with a newborn are hard, why would anyone begrudge a family that extra support. My experiences of priority check in are that the queues are small and fast, but even if I’d been waiting a while it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest if a family with a baby go through, I’d probably smile at the cutie and wish the parents luck!

But whether we think the decision to let her through is correct or not isn’t my point. As I’ve repeatedly said my issue is people shouting at a mother (or father etc.) and baby in an airport. Shouting comments at her about there not being a baby class are entitled. Thankfully I don’t associate with anyone who would behave in such a way. And yes I will say that those people on this thread who have sunk to insults, expletives and posted that they are happy she was shouted at, are selfish and need to question why they are so angry about something that didn’t affect them in the slightest. One post has been removed it was that aggressive. It’s a bit much!

We should only expect priority in an already priority queue if our child is distressed in some way yes.

People calling down the queue and questioning why they thought there was a special exception for babies was perfectly understandable. If anyone was abusive that was a different matter.

But it doesn't change the fact that this couple shouldn't have pushed ahead and shouldn't have continued to argue and insist on being checked in first.

Priority boarding is different because everyone has an allocated seat on the plane generally and is seated in the departure lounge. You skipped the check in queue which I think is unreasonable unless you were having an emergency with the baby eg nappy change needed! Two able adults with one non mobile baby are far more able to
queue than a large percentage of the general population. Of course people are going to be annoyed if you’re slowing them down in the queue for no particular reason

Just wait your turn!!!

If staff tell you to come to the front, then that's fine, but just a random woman telling you too isn't on!

Kids shouldn't be used as an excuse to get your own way. And at 3m, they're hardly any trouble and waiting in line is perfectly doable!

And I say that as a mum of a 2 year old, 1 year old and another on the way!

I’ve been invited to board first with young children but never to cut the queue at check in or security, I don’t think that’s a common policy

Seen this so many times. I have friends and family member with visible and invisible disabilities, as do I. More often that not we’re refused if we enquire about moving to the front of queues in an emergency, but in the next breath we see a mum and baby/toddler being led through with big smiles.

No wonder so many parents equate being a parent with having a disability - they’re treated better than those who have one!

OP States another mum invited her to jump the que not a member of staff.
If a member of staff told OP they could jump the que the rest of the que would have nothing to moan about & staff member would tell them to mind their own business.
I’ve never heard of babies or kids in tow at airports allowing you to jump a que either.