Flying SW with a kid too old for family boarding

[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'm a former public school teacher who wouldn't have any qualms about my 8 year old sitting next to someone else on a plane.

I think that the correct thing to do, if your youngest kid 6 and up is to try your best to get A or B boarding. If you can't, and your don't think your kid is developmentally ready to sit by themselves, then ask for family boarding. But at least try.

OP's situation is different. I think OP is fine. One purpose of family boarding is because people with little kids board more slowly, and family boarding helps with that. An 8 year old without little siblings doesn't need the extra time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I think some of it is they just want people on the plane as quickly and efficiently as possible. They don't want C-group passengers clogging up the aisle scanning for 4 seats together, they'd rather those 4 people get on the plane earlier when they can find those seats without effort. And in the case of an emergency, it's much easier if the parents are sitting with their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I think some of it is they just want people on the plane as quickly and efficiently as possible. They don't want C-group passengers clogging up the aisle scanning for 4 seats together, they'd rather those 4 people get on the plane earlier when they can find those seats without effort. And in the case of an emergency, it's much easier if the parents are sitting with their kids.

This makes sense actually, thank you.

[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?

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'm a former public school teacher who wouldn't have any qualms about my 8 year old sitting next to someone else on a plane.

I think that the correct thing to do, if your youngest kid 6 and up is to try your best to get A or B boarding. If you can't, and your don't think your kid is developmentally ready to sit by themselves, then ask for family boarding. But at least try.

OP's situation is different. I think OP is fine. One purpose of family boarding is because people with little kids board more slowly, and family boarding helps with that. An 8 year old without little siblings doesn't need the extra time.

I didn't say I was worried about my own kid. But I've worked with kids who could not have handled themselves on a flight like that without being disruptive, or understand what to if, god forbid, they had to deploy oxygen masks or something. Think of it from a flight attendant's point of view and what is easier.

Anyway, it seems like SOuthwest should adjust the age upward for family boarding if that's what they do in practice, but I agree OP is fine just letting their 8yo board then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just get in line for family boarding with older kids. No one has ever stopped us. Done it dozens of times.

This. My kids are older, but i’be always seen families prevailed including the older siblings. Are you seriously thinking of leaving your 8 year old stand in line alone while the 4 of you pre board with families?!! and what would you do if he doesn’t show up?

OP back… this thread took a turn.

I was more afraid that 1) SW would stop us and I wouldn’t have gone on 24 hours on the dot and had boarding group D or 2) passengers would be angry and yell/ make comments at us. I’m not confrontational so I’d probably just step out of family boarding.

My 8 year old is fully capable of sitting alone and I am not concerned about that. In fact he likes to be by himself. In the airport though? I’d be concerned though I think he could handle it.

I support you using family boarding, but this last part doesn't make sense. If they enforced the age limit, why would you have your 8 year old to board by themselves, instead of having your DH board with them? You could board with your two children under 6 during family boarding, and DH could wait and board with the 8 year old to make sure they safely get on the plane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have the formula wrong, it not more than two adults per kid under 6. It prevents grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, adult cousin, creepy uncle’s trophy wife from all saying “but we’re family”.

This. Why is this so hard for people to understand?

Just because people breed doesn’t mean they get special status. There should be no kid boarding at all. Everyone waits in line or pays extra for group A.

I appreciate the OP having her child wait his turn. Kids aren’t special.

I think you might be on the wrong website.

[Anonymous]

I tried to do family boarding with my 6 year old. This would have put us in the back of the line behind the B group. I paid for priority so we were in the A group - it didn't matter in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tried to do family boarding with my 6 year old. This would have put us in the back of the line behind the B group. I paid for priority so we were in the A group - it didn't matter in the end.

No. Family goes after A and before B. There are always still full empty rows at that point, even on a flight to Orlando.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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."

OK so in this scenario the parents, who are sitting in a different part of the plane, are going to get up multiple times to go check on the kid, as a flight attendant would for an unaccompanied minor. And that makes more sense then just letting the kid sit with their parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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."

OK so in this scenario the parents, who are sitting in a different part of the plane, are going to get up multiple times to go check on the kid, as a flight attendant would for an unaccompanied minor. And that makes more sense then just letting the kid sit with their parents?

It's not about "letting a kid sit with their parents." It's about removing a person from the seat that they paid extra to select.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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."

OK so in this scenario the parents, who are sitting in a different part of the plane, are going to get up multiple times to go check on the kid, as a flight attendant would for an unaccompanied minor. And that makes more sense then just letting the kid sit with their parents?

It's not about "letting a kid sit with their parents." It's about removing a person from the seat that they paid extra to select.

This is not an issue if the family just boards in family boarding. That is the point of this discussion. If they board after the A group, then will be able to sit together, and since no one in the B group or beyond paid extra, no one who paid for early boarding would be asked to move.

[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.

NP. Flight attendants receive specific training about preventing the sexual assault of unaccompanied minors, so save it.

[Anonymous]

For $15 you can check in early in SW and get A group.

Pony up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For $15 you can check in early in SW and get A group.

Pony up.

The price is dynamic, it can be $20 or $30. So for my family of 5, I'm not paying $150 extra when I can board in family boarding.

[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.

Um, that’s not how this works. Welcome to the real world.