Flying SW with a kid too old for family boarding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A sw agent told me you can family board with kids up to 12. They don’t advertise it but said it’d be fine.

This does appear to be a recent policy change that isn't 100% official yet.

https://simpleflying.com/southwest-airlines-changes-family-boarding/

I’ve been family boarding with kids older than 6 for six years. They may be spreading the word now, but they never enforced 6 or anything close.

Exactly! We fly frequently and have never had an issue with this on SW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People send their little kids alone on flights all the time to visit grandparents or non custodial parents but now they can’t sit alone on the trip to Disney?

Sure, but they are unaccompanied minors and airline staff check in on them

Right, and for an unaccompanied minor you are paying extra for staff to check on them. No one is paid to check on a 6-year old who is seated separately from their parents because someone really wants to prove their point that parents should be given absolutely no special treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They will let you board with family

+1

We flew last year and did not to family boarding because kids were 9 and 12. Ticket agent old us we should have done family boarding. On the way home we did and no one said a word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People send their little kids alone on flights all the time to visit grandparents or non custodial parents but now they can’t sit alone on the trip to Disney?

Sure, but they are unaccompanied minors and airline staff check in on them

Right but the parents are On the plane so they could do the same thing right? You can't say "Oh flying to California alone at age 8 is fine" but "Flying with my family and not sitting with my 8 year old isn't fine."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They will let you board with family

+1

We flew last year and did not to family boarding because kids were 9 and 12. Ticket agent old us we should have done family boarding. On the way home we did and no one said a word.

+1 that happened to me too. The airline would rather have you board with family boarding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve taken my 9yo on family boarding ( no younger kids) my spouse stayed in B group. We got on after A and saved spouse a seat with us. 9yo had middle seat in row of 3. You’ll be fine in family boarding.

If you're going to save him a seat, why does it matter whether he boarded in group B or before? You're still making the seat unavailable to other passengers who are boarding before him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole point is southwest wants your family to be able to sit together. They want you to board together after the special people who paid extra for group A so as not to anger them. When my kids were slightly older than the age cut off, we stood in our assigned boarding area, and the gate agent told us to go ahead and board with the families. They do not want to deal with kids sitting alone more than anyone else (well, except for the one bitter child-free PP above)

Wow, nobody has ever told us to board with families! I always board in a low level panic that we won't find 2 seats together. My husband has had to sit separate from DS and I, but we always manage to get DS and I together.

Otherwise, I would expect someone to move for us. Only an idiot would think it's ok for a small child to sit next to a stranger on a plane.

Only an idiot would think it's a stranger's responsibility to see that your kid is traveling in a way that is comfortable to him/you.

No really. You think it's cool for an 8 year old to sit next to strangers on a plane? Unsupervised? And what, you'd rather sit with the unsupervised kid that switch seats so he can sit with him parent? WHY? Please explain your reasoning.

What is an 8 year old going to do on a plane that needs supervision?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole point is southwest wants your family to be able to sit together. They want you to board together after the special people who paid extra for group A so as not to anger them. When my kids were slightly older than the age cut off, we stood in our assigned boarding area, and the gate agent told us to go ahead and board with the families. They do not want to deal with kids sitting alone more than anyone else (well, except for the one bitter child-free PP above)

Wow, nobody has ever told us to board with families! I always board in a low level panic that we won't find 2 seats together. My husband has had to sit separate from DS and I, but we always manage to get DS and I together.

Otherwise, I would expect someone to move for us. Only an idiot would think it's ok for a small child to sit next to a stranger on a plane.

Only an idiot would think it's a stranger's responsibility to see that your kid is traveling in a way that is comfortable to him/you.

No really. You think it's cool for an 8 year old to sit next to strangers on a plane? Unsupervised? And what, you'd rather sit with the unsupervised kid that switch seats so he can sit with him parent? WHY? Please explain your reasoning.

What is an 8 year old going to do on a plane that needs supervision?

Tell me you've never worked in a public school without telling me you've never worked in a public school....

Anyway, it doesn't really matter. By implementing its boarding policy the way it does, Southwest shows it wants to be efficient and minimize conflicts. If that means letting an 8yo board with the rest of their family rather than be separated or try to figure it out once everyone is on board, that is what they'll do. There are plenty of other airlines that will nickel and dime you for everything if that's your preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They will let you board with family

Or you should wait and board when your seat comes up. It seems wrong to let an 8 year old stand in line by himself, so you can get on the plan a little early. What if his boarding pass does not work for some reason. Come on. Stay together as a family.

[Anonymous]

So what age will you all stop family boarding? Just curious since SW does not enforce their own rule, how will you decide? It is nice not to have to worry about timing checkin...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole point is southwest wants your family to be able to sit together. They want you to board together after the special people who paid extra for group A so as not to anger them. When my kids were slightly older than the age cut off, we stood in our assigned boarding area, and the gate agent told us to go ahead and board with the families. They do not want to deal with kids sitting alone more than anyone else (well, except for the one bitter child-free PP above)

Wow, nobody has ever told us to board with families! I always board in a low level panic that we won't find 2 seats together. My husband has had to sit separate from DS and I, but we always manage to get DS and I together.

Otherwise, I would expect someone to move for us. Only an idiot would think it's ok for a small child to sit next to a stranger on a plane.

Only an idiot would think it's a stranger's responsibility to see that your kid is traveling in a way that is comfortable to him/you.

No really. You think it's cool for an 8 year old to sit next to strangers on a plane? Unsupervised? And what, you'd rather sit with the unsupervised kid that switch seats so he can sit with him parent? WHY? Please explain your reasoning.

What is an 8 year old going to do on a plane that needs supervision?

It isn’t always about the 8 year old but the people around them. Don’t be so naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole point is southwest wants your family to be able to sit together. They want you to board together after the special people who paid extra for group A so as not to anger them. When my kids were slightly older than the age cut off, we stood in our assigned boarding area, and the gate agent told us to go ahead and board with the families. They do not want to deal with kids sitting alone more than anyone else (well, except for the one bitter child-free PP above)

Wow, nobody has ever told us to board with families! I always board in a low level panic that we won't find 2 seats together. My husband has had to sit separate from DS and I, but we always manage to get DS and I together.

Otherwise, I would expect someone to move for us. Only an idiot would think it's ok for a small child to sit next to a stranger on a plane.

Only an idiot would think it's a stranger's responsibility to see that your kid is traveling in a way that is comfortable to him/you.

No really. You think it's cool for an 8 year old to sit next to strangers on a plane? Unsupervised? And what, you'd rather sit with the unsupervised kid that switch seats so he can sit with him parent? WHY? Please explain your reasoning.

What is an 8 year old going to do on a plane that needs supervision?

Tell me you've never worked in a public school without telling me you've never worked in a public school....

Anyway, it doesn't really matter. By implementing its boarding policy the way it does, Southwest shows it wants to be efficient and minimize conflicts. If that means letting an 8yo board with the rest of their family rather than be separated or try to figure it out once everyone is on board, that is what they'll do. There are plenty of other airlines that will nickel and dime you for everything if that's your preference.

I've never worked in a public school! But there is such a limited amount of space that the kid has in which to be naughty, I feel like they can't be that awful. Surely an 8 year old is past the seat kicking and yelling phase. And they can deal with food and drink on their own by then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole point is southwest wants your family to be able to sit together. They want you to board together after the special people who paid extra for group A so as not to anger them. When my kids were slightly older than the age cut off, we stood in our assigned boarding area, and the gate agent told us to go ahead and board with the families. They do not want to deal with kids sitting alone more than anyone else (well, except for the one bitter child-free PP above)

Wow, nobody has ever told us to board with families! I always board in a low level panic that we won't find 2 seats together. My husband has had to sit separate from DS and I, but we always manage to get DS and I together.

Otherwise, I would expect someone to move for us. Only an idiot would think it's ok for a small child to sit next to a stranger on a plane.

Only an idiot would think it's a stranger's responsibility to see that your kid is traveling in a way that is comfortable to him/you.

No really. You think it's cool for an 8 year old to sit next to strangers on a plane? Unsupervised? And what, you'd rather sit with the unsupervised kid that switch seats so he can sit with him parent? WHY? Please explain your reasoning.

What is an 8 year old going to do on a plane that needs supervision?

It isn’t always about the 8 year old but the people around them. Don’t be so naive.

Your 8 year old is far less alluring than you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They will let you board with family

+1

We flew last year and did not to family boarding because kids were 9 and 12. Ticket agent old us we should have done family boarding. On the way home we did and no one said a word.

What's the logic on this I wonder? Because it's pretty easy to get seats together on SW all the way through group B and even early C towards the back of the plane. So as long as you checked in 24 hours before, or paid for early bird just to be EXTRA sure, your kids wouldn't have been sitting alone. Maybe not all 4 of you in your preferred seating, but definitely one parent with each kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole point is southwest wants your family to be able to sit together. They want you to board together after the special people who paid extra for group A so as not to anger them. When my kids were slightly older than the age cut off, we stood in our assigned boarding area, and the gate agent told us to go ahead and board with the families. They do not want to deal with kids sitting alone more than anyone else (well, except for the one bitter child-free PP above)

Wow, nobody has ever told us to board with families! I always board in a low level panic that we won't find 2 seats together. My husband has had to sit separate from DS and I, but we always manage to get DS and I together.

Otherwise, I would expect someone to move for us. Only an idiot would think it's ok for a small child to sit next to a stranger on a plane.

Only an idiot would think it's a stranger's responsibility to see that your kid is traveling in a way that is comfortable to him/you.

No really. You think it's cool for an 8 year old to sit next to strangers on a plane? Unsupervised? And what, you'd rather sit with the unsupervised kid that switch seats so he can sit with him parent? WHY? Please explain your reasoning.

What is an 8 year old going to do on a plane that needs supervision?

It isn’t always about the 8 year old but the people around them. Don’t be so naive.

Your 8 year old is far less alluring than you think.

I don't want to sit next to someone's rowdy, unsupervised 8yo unless absolutely necessary but you do you.