Some airlines no longer let babies and small children board first

[royalcassel]

What's that all about ? Has anyone else had this experience recently ? I found it quite challenging. Surely it's better for the little people to be seated first to enable everyone else to board quicker ?

I board last with our kids. Less time on the plane is better...

Some airlines also allow gate checking for non-cabin approved buggies, which might what OP was referring to - basically they stick it in the hold once you’re boarding rather than taking it at check-in.

exit: just spotted you already mentioned that! I’ll be finishing my morning coffee before posting more, haha.

Yes, good chaance for the overhead lockers to be filled with buggies, baby/child paraphernalia, leaving no room for anyone else's baggage

Easyjet do it I think, interesting if they’ve stopped. I can’t see any reason to prioritise children, they’re passengers like anyone else.

Early boarding for people with young children is only for the benefit of the airline - if they have loads of people with pushchairs going in the hold they want to get them loaded on and get the doors closed so they aren’t delaying the flight. lol it’s not actually to make the lives of the passengers easier!

I’m not though.

Earlier this year we boarded first with swiss air.
I gt the reasoning of boarding last but I was flying solo with a two under two and found it very nice to board first. Toddler could wait in the aisle while I put baby down. I had enough time to put all of our handluggage away, a soft toy and jacket that ended up in my hands was put away. Everything was taken out or put away with me standing in the aisle. I don't need to climb over 3 other people with a gazillion things in my hands and a toddler being in everyone's way. No one was breathing in my neck.
I def preferred it.

There’s a bit of that…

Personally I don’t have any issue with families with young children getting on first, OTOH once the kids get to the self propelled/wearing headphones stage I’m not quite so sure.

Anyway to address another point - Europe, summer, aircraft generally aren’t able to start up early anyway so families deciding to board last are not going to delay anything as long as they are onboard maybe two-three minutes prior to the scheduled departure time.

So, your 3yr old is in the window seat, you are in middle seat. You expect your 3yr old to make his/her own way to the plane, find its seat and get its satchel in the overheadd locker, then sit quietly until they call the middlexaisle...
Oh but, you cry, parents must board with theirckids..
So, then we go back to those with kids boarding first/last

My usual airline is Lufthansa, I fly 4-5 times a year and always go first because that's what they ask of me.. I thought every airline does it. Also always get to go to priority family lanes at security and same at passport control. Not because I ask but because I am told to do so.

Fwiw it's an invite not an order so you don't have to do any of it. Using the family land makes sense as gets you out the long queue quicker and out of everyone else's way. Getting on the plane first doesn't. Maybe airlines are coming to realise that so family lanes still exist but priority boarding is scaling back

Why can't you change the nappy before you get on the plane, fgs?

I'm amazed how worked up some of these replies are🤣

Wouldn't it be better to did down last ?

When did you last fly? 😅 it's not a free for all like a bus. If you didn't book a seat it will have been allocated to you at the time of check in which is usually online and well in advance of the flight day. I never book seats, it's an unnecessary cost. You can look at the seat plans and see that there are still rows a available. You will be automatically allocated these if you check in as a family

Why is not being delayed and missing a departure slot not benefitting passengers?

why should they? Also they have longer to fuss

Perhaps because if they tried, some parent would be 'absolutely livid that their child's human right to fly on any plane it so desired' was being denied

It is just plain selfish

Why is that selfish? It replaces the cabin baggage allowance. They fold really small.

Apologies, just the attitude re veterans comes across as wholly american ot perhaps a bit Canadian!

Change nappy last thing before boarding where there is actual space to move. Have an underseat bag packed with flight essentials so no need to access over head bags. Ime babies and small toddlers fall asleep or are soothed by the sound and vibration of the plane taking off - but only if they haven't ended up getting restless and frustrated first. Learned this the hard way being a single frequent traveller when dc were small!

Never knew this was a thing! Only been abroad twice with my daughter, once when she was around 6 months, then 6 years. There were loads of families with babies and children though so the majority of the plane would have had to board "first", wouldn't really work!

I’d rather board last with my children, much easier and less stressful.

The whole point of the post is that sometimes this isn't happening now! 😅

You can deliberately misunderstand all you like but it still doesn’t make sense to board the way they do now!