to expect priority boarding for infants and young children on even the tightest airline

[SebbysMum]

We flew with a well known budget airline last week. Not sure if MN allows me to say which but no doubt many of you will be able to guess.

We found that it no longer boards children and babies first. Instead those who pay an extra charge get priority. There were two young babies on the flight (mine aged 4 months). The staff were extremely rude and insisted on sending us to the very back of the non priority queue, despite other passagers offering to let us go first.

As a result of this policy we saw a mother sent to the back of the queue separated from her two under-10 children on the plane (until other passengers kindly offered to move).

Is it just me or is this truely the triumph of corporate greed and mindless bureaucracy over common decency?

You're right, it is the triumph of corporate greed, etc...
Tis crap.

You get what you pay for unfortunately - however, a tip for the next time, if you check-in online (as they try to encourage you to do now) you get priority boarding for free... also means you don't have to get to the airport two hours before your flight leaves!

Happenened to us at Easyjet - I stood there and got quite shirty and they let us go in after the priority bookers. They do still let toddlers go first but apparently my 4 year old was to old.

We're British, we queue and we make no allowances for age!

I agree it is crap, most people would prefer happy kids rather than agitated annoyed uncomfortable ones

Online check-in is the way to go

With Easyrubbish, priority boarding was always a load of crap anyway - it just meant you got on the bus first, and then there was a scrum when you got to the plane!

It's all a scam.

we got priority boarding and newcastle airport 2yr ago with easy jet..and not onto bus..onto plane, got sat down when all others came on..might have changed now tho?

i take it you're referring to ryanair? if so, then yes it's the online equivalent of a mugging but you do get the option to pay £6 per person to go on as a priority and tbh anyone with a child who doesn't do that is fooking bonkers imo.

R* is shIt3.

We lost our place in the queue when my son who was five years old at the time needed a wee. We had to go to back of the non priority queue.

If if hadn't been for a kind passenger giving up his seat, my partially deaf son would have had to sit on his own for the flight.

I feel that certain air lines put money above safety. What would happen if a small child was made to sit next to a paedophile with no parent to protect them?

Ryanair? They are shite. I refuse to fly them. Quite happy to name them and shame them though. Although they could care less.

Hmmm, it's interesting that the message here is that I may be being slightly unreasonable. We actually hadn't realised the policy had changed. I seem to remember that children went first when I last flew before DS was born. I guess next time we'll have to pay or online check in.

Any (unreasonable) annoyance on my part is probably a reflection of the way we were treated by the staff on the day as much as the company's policy

Of course what you need to do is (1) never fly them again and more importantly (2) WRITE TO THEM AND TELL THEM WHY.

If enough people vote by writing and not using them they will eventually realise that they are just alienating people.

yes, but you must have noticed when you booked. you are automatically ticked to pay for priority booking, so you must have unticked it.

We are flying Ryanair tomorow and paid for priority booking. We have flown them before too.

The thing is, there is another way to look at it. Their flights are so cheap (we paid a penny a seat for these) that even when you add in all the extras (they charge even for checking in now!), it is still cheaper than anyone else. I don't look at all those extras as extras. Instead, when you add everyting together, that is the cost of the flight. Other airlines are way more exensive and they include all that in there.

We paid about £200 for four of us return to Salzburg for tomowow. That includes all the "extras". You cana't beat that on any other airline.

SebbysMum- I didn't realise the policy had changed either. Last time we flew Ryanair ( about 5 years ago) we were allowed board first because our children were about 9 and 11. All passengers with children were told to come up first for boarding.
Crazy to think that parents and children may not be able to sit together. Whilst the parent may enjoy the peace and quiet , the person sitting beside the unaccompanied child may not be too pleased.

I flew Ryanair once and wouldn't fly with them again, if they paid me. No amount of savings are worth that horrible stress.

I've also been on many many flights (both with and without my dcs) where the announcement comes on over the tannoy for boarding for people with children and everyone without children completely ignores it and starts to board anyway!!!!!!!

nope, sorry, i've just booked with them, you absolutely have to untick the priority booking thing. you must have done so, and to do so without thinking that the policy has changed (if you click on the box it tells you the new policy) is pretty dense tbh. now, if it wasn't you who booked the tix then yes, i can see how you wouldn't have known but you'd really have to take your complaint to the person who did first of all...

If you want the company to take common decency into consideration, you should pay more. Either paying the extras, or (IMO preferably) choose a proper airline.

I fly a lot and am genuinely confused as to why parents of little kids would want to spend even longer on board than they have to.

Even if you end up split up,people will always move.Lets face it-who would voluntariyl be seated next to an unsupervised child.

for me its not getting on first its getting on before others so you can get the baby sat down, all your bags put in hold above head and faf about with belts/drinks/toys for a few mins without upsetting other passengers.

I'd rather spend a 4 hour flight sat next to an unsupervised 3ft 3 stone child than a 6ft 16 stone tatooed obnoxious drunk.

We flew easyjet a couple of weeks ago (DD 9mo). On way out they called for infants under two and although we had to push our way through the crowd of people who were round the desk and we got on quickly easy lovely.

On the way back it was at businessman returning hour and they did call for people with "B" tickets (which they had given us at checkin and said we'd be the first on) but by then everyone was crowding around and barging through. The ladies actually had to haul a bloke back who just steamed through the crowd! I got really funny about the whole thing and edged back through the crown saying "no these people are obviouly much more of a prioity" and generally being a bit weird.

Anyhoo it was quite a trauma and I thought was far more in our case to do with the sodding selfish nasty people desperate to get on the plane at all costs and not so much to do with the boarding ladies who were clearly just tired of trying to hold back a horde of scary nasty pushing men.

Sorry about the rant. Maybe complain you might get some vouchers or something? Not that you'd want them... In fact definitely complain you will feel better! Maybe I should...

Sorry dodgy typing took so long have subsequently realised it's ryanair the OP had the problem with! Nevermind enjoyed the rant.!

I have flown Ryanair almost every week for the last 5 years and surprising to some people, they are almost never late and reasonably priced.

They don't board children first, but IIRC they still have a duty to ensure that children (under a certain age, which i can't remember ) are seated with their parents. if you ask, they are mean't to try and get other people to move to seat you together. BUT, as other people have said, they are a business and they set the rules - if you don't like it, don't fly with them.

In my case, in one year i sat in the same seat for 98% of the flights (1A - Front row, window, left). As you can imagine, that seat is popular but the reason i sat in it always was:

1. I had priority boarding
2. I got to the airport early and was in the queue early

the point is, you can do this do, if you want.

i would much rather fly them than fly most of the competitors, that cost a lot more and the service is not much better (and sometimes worse)

Starlight,you must do what I do.Refuse to disembark until buggy brought to you.