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 all end up on the plane and everyone can avoid sitting near you so all good

Your are so right. It might seem harder than traveling before kids, but my goodness it's a doddle compared to travelling for the next 5ish years.

Traveling with toddlers especially, can be a special firm of hell. Having down with a 6 week old with a 2yo older child, the difference was huge. One slept in the sling. The other stripped half naked and ran through the terminal with us in pursuit!

With boarding... the time I waited until last I had to turf people out of our seats who had seen an empty row and thought it was free despite boarding still happening.

Check in... if you were then going ahead of people with disabilities/elderly it was rude.

Gatwick used to have a separate Security area for young children and those with disabilities. It made travel with two children and just me so much easier. Not for the queuing... but the staff seemed to understand children better

Its funny, people are a lot nicer to you when you are pregnant than when you are struggling with a baby. Overall I was offered a seat more with a bump or taken to the front of the queue vs wearing baby, and I know which one done my back in more!
I’ve been standing in a queue at the airport alone, jiggling baby in carrier, and juggling a pram, nappy bag and luggage. Sometimes I’ve had the airline staff pull me to the front and let me check in and move on quicker, other times people are less helpful.
One guy working in the gate made me fold my pram up (that goes in the luggage rack) really early and then have to hold the baby in my arms and the pram and the hand luggage while standing on a staircase! After about 10 minutes I went back up the stairs and told him it was ridiculous and dangerous to make me queue on the stairs while holding a 5 month old in my arms when the plane wasn’t boarding yet made him open the seating back up for me again.
Some airports let me wear the baby in a carrier through security, others made me take baby out, and take babies cardigan off all while standing up before going through the scanner.
Its such a mixed bag.

Absolutely not ok to jump the queue at check in! So what if another passenger said it was ok, where were your manners??

Boarding is completely different, but check in? No you should have waited.

At check in? No, I think that's really cheeky! I've been moved up the queue at the airport a couple of times, once when I was pregnant in the security scan queue by a security officer, and a few months later was boarded early when with our young baby by the attendants, but never had it offered at check in. And I wouldn't expect to. Checking in is totally different- if you are by the gate to board the plane then you aren't going to miss your flight so it doesn't really matter when you board, but check in can be really stressful if you are in a rush or have lots of paperwork to go over (visas/covid vaccine etc) with the check in staff. I would not be impressed if someone with kids jumped the queue at check in, even if the staff said it was OK.

How are so many people missing the fact she pushed in the queue at check-in.

I missed it, I just assumed it was at boarding.

You shouldn't have pushed in, it's not a thing to push in because you have a child. Of course they just let you because to tell you that you couldn't would cause further disruption.

You are stuck with people on a plane for hours, sometimes longer if you end up in the same place.

You should always follow rules in airports.

Tbh, I think anyone flying with children under 8 should have their own section of the plane, away from the rest of us, with their own entrance. And no, I wouldn't mind if they were allowed on the plane first. My heart sinks when I’m seated and a family with young kids sits behind me.

You can’t jump the queue at the behest of another customer.

Airports do sometimes call people with mobility issues and young kids to board early, so what you do if you need help is ask the staff.

You would be lower priority than someone walking on crutches for example. A baby is not a fast pass.

You shouldn't be pushing ahead of people at check in.

not the point of the thread, but I don't see why getting to the front of the queue was such a desirable thing to do anyway .... Everyone on a plane getting through the airport, onto the plane and through the journey takes a certain amount of time. For a large proportion of it you will be waiting about. If you get through the queue quicker, it just means you do more waiting at another point.

Quoting my earlier post to say I misread and thought this was specifically about boarding. I’ve never seen anyone queue jump at check in - that’s properly cheeky and I’m not surprised other passengers were annoyed with you OP!

DS can’t queue so when we’re flying with him we go to the Special Assistance desk and get fast tracked. I think parents with young children can go there too if needed. Queue jumping is really rude though.

OP I think most of the people on this thread haven’t travelled with a baby/toddler recently (if ever). Whenever I’ve been at an airport with a pram I’ve been called forward at every stage - bag drop, security and boarding. So if a fellow parent were to tell me that a staff member had indicated to come forward, I might have followed. You could have checked with a staff member yes. But really I think you were just unlucky with some aggressive pricks in the queue with you. How were they to know you hadn’t heard the staff member telling the other lady to come forward?

People on Mumsnet love being combative. Just ignore and have a lovely break.

FYI I once used my baby to get into a lounge for free, how’s that for “gobsmacking”?! 🤪

Sorry; but I think YABU.

I travelled on my own last week with DS3 and DD6 weeks. Despite them being complete angels on the flight, we were met with a long queue at passport control at Stansted (half term, and it’s the queue for families). DD was fussing, DS was misbehaving terribly as he was bored and hungry (throwing his shoes, laying down flat on the floor, messing with the extendable barriers etc). It was pretty awful but there was “solidarity” with other parents around me, helping with his shoes etc. A kind lady about 50 people ahead of me, so like 3 “rows” of the queue offered for me to go ahead but I really in all good conscious couldn’t - yes it was difficult and I was on my own and my baby was probably the youngest in the queue, but everyone in that queue had families and bored children and it just wouldn’t have been fair.

OP I think most of the people on this thread haven’t travelled with a baby/toddler recently (if ever)

eh, its mumsnet, not Reddit, I’d guess most have 😂

I can't imagine what sort of know head would shout at someone with a tiny baby for going to the front of the queue. Even if I thought you were just pushing in I'd just feel relieved I wasn't you to be honest.

A baby screamed for a few hours on our night flight recently. Quite a few passengers were making arsey comments but I didn't see any of them offering to go and help stop the baby crying. I felt sorry for the mother but had my own child asleep on my lap so couldn't offer up any help.

Despite the very many posters saying they have recently travelled with babies and children? 🧐

As a side note, having travelled on a plane probably 20 times alone before the first year I actually don’t board the plane first.
The less time in a confined plane seat with a baby or toddler the better!
Always last on.

I don't think you're being unreasonable. You boarding first will make the whole boarding process quicker for everyone. What I really don't understand is why everyone else without babies is so desperate to board quickly? To do what? SIt in cramped aeroplane seats for longer? I'd much rather board last.

Don’t they ask that people with children board first? Like wheelchairs and people needing assistance? I was always ushered to the front when I had babies. I most definitely would not shout at anyone with young children boarding before me. Christ, flying with children is a nightmare.

In fact, I honestly don’t get the rush to get on or off a plane first. Now that my kids are older, we time it so we swan on at the latest possible moment. The only concern would be if you have carry on, but they tend to tell you at checkin or whilst boarding if there’s room for your bag. If not, backpacks and the likes can go under the seats. Half the time the plane never leaves on schedule so basically you’re just sitting in a awkward seat waiting for take of. We’re also the last leaving the plane. I have rarely gotten off any plane to see my luggage waiting on the carousel. So what’s the rush 🤷‍♀️

@sheepdogdelight I like to get through check in and security quickly as I usually have a lounge booked (that I’ve paid for), so I can feed my own DC before we get on the plane. They/we usually have a few bits of shopping we’d like to get as well. Some books, magazines, snacks, a duty free eyeliner, or bloody DH who always forgets his sunglasses, needing to buy those.

We won’t spontaneously combust without them, of course, but it’s the start of a holiday for us which I’d rather not miss as I keep getting moved further back down the check in queue by babies.

Er no ... we have booked airport assistance when we travel with my 2 autistic children.. and we got no assistance or fast queuing at all for check in, where we had to queue with everyone else with my VERY distressed boys crying and rolling on the floor, I couldn't take them to the side as DH couldn't manage all the cases and I needed help with the boys. We got help through security (after initially being told to join the very long family queue as they were short staffed 😡) and priority boarding but nothing at check in UK. Did get check in help in Italy !

So surprised at how many people aren’t reading this right and thinking a/it’s boarding when it’s not it’s check on and. B/it was a member of staff who pulled her out the queue and suggested jumping, when no, it was just another mum.

Pretty entitled. The other passengers have paid for priority too. If you can't effectively manage an infant in an airport, then don't fly.