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 ?

Having come through the other side of parenting small children, I would say boarding first isn't necessarily a benefit! Even as an adult I'd prefer to spend less time on the plane.

I don’t know if it does make things quicker. Personally I’d rather get on last with a child and give them longer to move around before they’re strapped into a plane but regardless - the plane leaves at the same time anyway. I don’t think it really makes a huge difference.

I think it's more to do with people with prams getting to the gate early to give them time to get the prams in the hold

Well, quite

Not sure if getting on first would be helpful anyway. My children would just get impatient quicker most likely. So later on is better

What are you on about? They fold smaller than a carry on cabin suitcase hence why they’re cabin approved.

My first thoughts exactly, I have only known EJ do this.

They did it on easyjet when I went to Paris in May.

I've flown mostly Ryanair since I've had children and they never offered for people with small children to board first, but I usually pay for priority boarding with them so I don't risk our hand luggage being moved to the hold.
But I flew with Finnair a couple of years ago and they asked us to board first as my youngest was 4. Was quite nice as I hadn't coughed up for priority boarding that time and I got to walk past everyone.

Boarding last with children makes sense in a lot of ways except for the fact that so many airlines these days don't guarantee you can keep your hand luggage with you if you board towards the end, and with young children you definitely need your hand luggage with all the things to keep them quiet and occupied!

The point of people with buggies boarding first (in part) is so that they don’t ahve to be in the cabin. You are allowed to take a buggy through to the gate so you can push your baby through the airport, rather n have to carry and risk dropping, and then you gate check the buggy at the door of the airplane when you board.

Allowing people in that position to board earlier makes it easier for ground staff to get everything stowed in time. Similarly, a lot of airlines that ask for people to gate check carry-ons give early boarding as a perk of doing so - because it incentivizes people to gate check, but also because it gives more time to get it to the hold.

The airlines don't do it for any noble reasons. It's so they have more time to take prams and all that sort of paraphernalia to the holdall when there are flights with loads of small kids. They're just being efficient.

@Pawsfourbyfourbyfour

The airlines have been around for over 100 years and I think most types of boarding have been tried and have either been adopted or junked if they don’t work.

I’d be pretty sure boarding by column priority ( windows, then centre etc) has at least been considered, looks good on paper but won’t survive first contact with the travelling public and in any such a system might also conflict with other priorities airlines might want to use such as prioritizing their frequent flyers.

The systems in use now do work, they just might not be to absolutely everybody’s liking….

We posted at the same time. But yeah exactly.

According to computer modeling, it would be alternate rows, window seats back to front. But it doesn't work in practice as groups want to stay together.

The next efficient is random groups dotted about the plane.

Logic is that single window seats first, single aisle seats last.

BA ushered us on with the children boarding this month...my DD is just 13!

I was quite pleased as it was a busy flight and they had already warned they might need to take trolley cases so getting in early meant we didn't have to worry about that.

I think I’ve seen that…as you say there have been various models been run but once the public do their own thing and insert their preferences and needs often quite rightly it quickly falls apart.

I know there is an opinion (usually from those who had flown cargo around) that the only solution to a lot of grief you hear about boarding would be to containerise the passengers…🤐

No problem. I do like that they do that though. Several shops/businesses give veterans discount too.

With aircraft, I like to be on board and get myself (headphones, iPad, kindle) sorted. DH like to wait as others have said, less time sat down the better!

BA offered it on our flight from Belfast 2 weeks ago - those travelling with under 5s and those who need more time to board.

We've only had this once, out of 2 two way ecact same journeys. It was actually harder: we had to stand In the 'priority boarding' section for longer than we would if we'd just got up when it was our time to be called, and as people are saying, then it's just on the plane longer! We had a nearly 5 and nearly 3 old though, so maybe less stuff?

The best thing is going in the priority/family queues when we've landed!

Much easier to board first with kids. One needs to have your stuff in the overhead by your seat, if you board last this is less likely. So if you have milk in it, cloths for burping, wet wipes for milk coming up, teething toys, baby carrier, pram that goes in overhead, snacks for children eating solids, water,, toys, wet wipes again for sticky fingers etc.

So much easier to board first.

It's poor manners and profiteering by airlines that don't allow people with young children or babies to board first. Sadly.

It would be better board quick people first, then people who will need to stand in the aisle sorting bags, snacks etc.

Yes this. People who have literally hand baggage only rather than cases and an be settled in their seat in seconds.

My dd has an allergy so we are always asked to board first so we can clean the area she sits in and it's my worst part about flying. I'd board last if i could.

I used to hear this call but i think its been phased out. I fly a lot with ba and ryanair and have never heard the call the last couple of years.

During the summer at least 70% of passengers have children with them so you'll all be boarding at the same time

Boarding strictly from the back works very badly - the people in the back row don't sit down immediately, so they block access for the people in the next-to-last row, who then block the previous row. That means everyone else has to wait until the last row is mostly done.

It's in theory more efficient to start by boarding every third row starting from the back or to start with odd-numbered window seats from the back.

It's in practice more efficient to have the slowest faffiest passengers go first, and the quick & efficient ones go at the end. That is more or less what allowing people to board in whatever order they like achieves.

I know it’s not a free for all but when we have checked in before and been allocated our seats they were not all together because it was a busy flight. Why do you think there are often people asking “should I have let X have my plane seat but I said no because I booked it” ?

perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to not be separated and have to ask people to move around to be together but we certainly have