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

See I don't think this is correct because if you invite someone to go in front of you, unless they are directly behind you then you are inviting them to push in front of the people between you and them. If you do this, you (the inviter) should be prepared to move to the very end of the queue.

But she WASN'T invited by staff, she followed another woman who said it was okay.

She wasn’t queuing to board.

It wasn't the staff. It was another queue jumper.

This was check in not boarding, boarding is as it takes longer to get settled with a baby so they let parents on first so it doesn’t hold everyone up,

I don’t think it’s ok no, but I’d not have said anything.

I found travelling with a baby and queueing far easier than travelling with toddlers or even infant age.
I also found it far easier than I do queueing now as I find standing still brings on back problems.

So, no I don't think, (nor did I when I had one) that having a baby entitles you to go to the front of the queue.

How embarrassing, no I wouldn’t have jumped the queue 🫣 I’d have been annoyed at you too

We started queuing at Nice airport and a stewardess came to get us and moved is to the front.

I suspect she was just queue jumping and wanted you to do it with her, By the time the lady at the counter commented you were already jumped to the head of the queue anyway

i fly often for work, there is no priority check in as you’ve kids , only at boarding.

I don't see why you should jump the queue at the check in.

It is usually when boarding the plane only that the airline staff will first prioritise people with mobility issues/disabilities and then they will call for people travelling with babies/toddlers.

You can and should queue like everyone else to check in your luggage. If you want to avoid the queues simply make sure you get there early enough.

Other passengers probably loathe us. We look like two adults and two teenagers sharp-elbowing our way to the front. However DS1 has multiple complex disabilities including autism and can’t cope with queueing or crowds. So we are lucky enough to be fast tracked through the airport and then one of the first on the plane, so he can settle in the window seat and not get stressed out by strangers close to him. Either DH or I could take him on his own into the plane and the other two of us wait to board with everyone else, but we’ve always been told we can all priority board together. We are used to priority boarding with others with disabilities and also families with very young children, so I actually thought this was the norm. On reflection though OP’s situation does seem a bit cheeky if she/DP didn’t check with airport staff first.

Essentially you got priority priority boarding, so you jumped in front of people who had paid. That pissed them off, because people who pay for priority boarding believe that they should get priority treatment over any other class of passenger.

Meh.

I learned quite quickly with a little one that you actually want to board last, being trapped in your seat while the rest of the plane sorts themself out is super-stressful.

Well we had no reason not to believe the other woman that staff told her to go straight at the front of the queue and in the end they did check us in early.

God this screams new parents, baby might be your world but the actual world doesn’t care that you’re now parents. You don’t get to queue jump at check in unless invited by staff to do so.

How are so many people missing the fact she pushed in the queue at check-in. This is different to boarding. It means other passengers having to spend longer in the queue to check in/drop their hold luggage. If the OP actually waited her turn then others would have been through to the lounges/shops/cafes quicker. Which is obviously more pleasant than standing in a queue. Imagine a flight to somewhere like Florida with all the parents pushing in then a child free passenger could easily end up waiting 2 hours to check-in.

As an aside, you might want to re-think that. Earlier this year our flight was a flight attendant short and about 20 people were held back from boarding. It was very clear that if she hadn't made it on time, those people were going nowhere.

I've always been quite casual about boarding. Not any more.

I’d always be happy to let people with children , older people , people with disabilities go ahead , why not , makes no difference in the long run!! It’s a good thing to help people.
The only thing that grates on me a bit is that people with newborns receiving so much more help than those with older kids. A toddler or a dc at years was a billion times more work when I travelled than one small, immobile baby , I have 3 dcs and that was the easiest age by a long way to travel with .

One of you could have checked with the staff.

it is necky but as you say you got ahead of the others so go you.

It does make a difference if by the time you board everyone has used up all the overhead storage which is very common ime

No you can't queue jump at check in! No wonder people were annoyed with you.

I think it's fair enough parents with small children board first, but to jump the check in queue is outrageous. Presumably the baby was either in a buggy or in arms, not standing to queue.

I'm gobsmacked at this.

*3 years

And actually I found it easier queuing with my children when they were little than I do now when my hips playing up. I’m not bothered about children boarding the plane first but check in or security no thanks, I travel a lot and don’t see that happening.

Fine if I see airport staff ushering people to the front, there’s probably a good reason but just having a kid?

Yeah, imagine the optics if the ground crew had said (as they would have been completely entitled to, btw) 'no, you with the baby, fuck off back to the queue'.

The ground crew was embarrassed and put out, the queuing passengers were annoyed and you've ended up getting a bit of a roasting on MN.

Appreciate this was all a bit stressful for you and what's done is done, but to save face, wait for somebody wearing an actual uniform or something next time.

You’re right…i missed it completely

i always connect priority with boarding so my mind made 2 and 2 equal 5

Boarding a plane, it takes time to settle into your seat with baby and stuff, wouldn't have a problem with that at all and it's not like the plane will leave until everyone in the queue is on. I don't agree with jumping the check in queue though. What if you are a single person waiting to check in, you could be waiting a significant amount of time longer if people with babies and or young kids just kept going ahead of you. I think that's unfair. Then if that person had to do the same in security too, they'd be lucky to get to the gate on time!