There’s a bit of backlash going on against Southwest Airlines’ for changing their “family first” boarding policy. Previously, families traveling with children under 4 were allowed to board before the “a” group. Now they’ve been bumped back behind “a” but before “b” and “c.”
While Southwest claims that the new policy will help things move along faster— “accidentally” attracting more business travelers who are put off by having to give up the best seats to a gaggle of toddlers just might have something to do with change.
Now one parent is mad enough to start a blog called “Stop Southwest Airlines Family PreBoard Policy Changes” that aims to… well. You know.
From the blog:
Are you outraged with Southwest and their new revised family preboard policy in which parents and children under 4 no longer can board first?
!!! Then sign our online petition here – (you can do it anonymously) !!!
Are you a parent of a toddler who has had it with air travel?
We have.Do you know that Southwest changed their pre-board policy 10.02.2007 so that families with small children no longer pre-board but must wait until Group A has already boarded?
We call it A and a half boarding. We also call it outrageous and extremely short sighted for Southwest.
Southwest says they have no plans to revert back to the old policy.
Stop Southwest Airlines Family PreBoard Policy Changes
(Photo:busbeytheelder)
More From Consumerist
-
Teen Learns That Cutting Southwest's Boarding Line Means Apologizing To The Entire Plane
-
Lawmakers Suddenly Care About Those Fee-Laden College Cards That Are Now In The News
-
Dear Movie Theater Owners: Please Don’t Do This
-
Southwest Airlines Introduces $40 Fee To Let You Pay For The Honor Of Early Boarding
-
Only JetBlue, Southwest Score Above Average On Customer Satisfaction Index
This whole thread of SWA-lovers is like listening to the sad lowing of swine in a truck, fat hogs and piglets included, all biting and crapping on each other on their way together to the chop house.
You (business traveler) and your family (The Griswolds) are worth more than that. Don’t fly SWA for any reason, pony up the extra couple bucks for a decent seat and attention from a better airline.
Backlash-backlash:
Childless Adults Predictably Outraged Because Parents Are Predictably Outraged At Southwest’s New Boarding Policy
@Nemesis Enforcer:
You and others have mentioned how parents being able to pre-board gives them a “few extra minutes” to get settled. How does this policy prevent that? IT DOESN’T. They board A, board parents & kids, wait for them to get settled, board B, board C, leave. Whether they wait to get settled as first on board or second on board makes no difference. There’s still a “settling delay”.
And to the person who submitted this talking about Cheerio clubs or whatever…I never see some happy group of parents sitting together in thr front of the plane. They’re still all over, but just in the better seats. Deal with being second or fly another airline. The latter would make my travels much better anyways so please take your business anywhere else.
@savvy9999:
Ahahaha, “better attention from another airline” you must be joking. SW has the best rewards program, friendliest employees, great prices, doesn’t rob you for making day-of reservations, 800 number where a person just ANSWERS the phone, change reservations without charge, etc. There’s a reason so many people defend SW, because it’s deserved.
Get off your high horse, you feel better and more important because you pay the “extra couple bucks”. I’ll take quality friendly, reliable, on time service at fair prices and a company that rewards a few round trips with free flights anywhere and drink tickets.
All I have to say is suck it up cupcake!
Maybe because I live in a Metropolitan city and take the subway and other public transportation on a regular basis with my two boys just by my self I don’t see what the big deal is?
Both of them since my youngest was born have travel with me alone or with my wife and me and I don’t find it a hassle or problem boarding with the rest of the people. If you find it stressful it’s because you make it stressful and are not prepared. We have traveled by boat train, bus, Car, pretty much any mode of transportation you can think of. The only place that I tend to find difficult is the longer lines for security check points as the line is constantly moving and there is not a lot you can do to keep them occupied in that situation.
I also plan when I travel because I know what times of they day the get more irritable and cranky Traveling late day is good as they tend to sleep a lot or early morning when they usually get up and are well rested. Mid day when there is a chance of missing or delaying a meal and they are hungry or start to get tired is a recipe for disaster and I avoid those time for my sake my children and the courtesy of others.
They are 4 and 7 both Autistic and can be a handful but I plan ahead I have had little complaints in all our travels. I see to many parents not plan ahead getting stressed out and blaming others for their poor preparation and planning and putting everyone around them in misery.
For those that say children should not travel or have their own horror stories don’t blame the children for their parents actions kids are just being kids and will keep doing what they were brought up to do. But on the same note people with children do have the need to travel as well. I’ve been annoyed more times by adults when traveling then kids but why is it the one with children stand out and get noticed the most?
@Hawkeye1659: Never said the policy was good/bad I was responding to all the comments about how inconvieneced people are with kids flying. I still stand by my statement, its going to take longer for a parent/child to get seated so you can either have them pre board a few min. early or wait in the aisle while they get situated. I would prefer to allow them to pre board but hey thats just me. I hate that uncomfortable feeling you get just standing in the aisle touching everyone by accident and getting stared at by those already seated.
fly 1st class and board first anyway…that said, glad I don’t fly southwest.
Jeez, never mind blue state vs. red state. Judging by the comments here, this whole freakin’ country is divided into “I’m childless and I shouldn’t have to give an inch to you or your child”, and “Would you guys please give us harried parents a break?” camps, with splinter groups who are blatantly anti-kid and/or anti-parenting (“breeders” is a popular epithet) vs. veteran parents who demand “You must share in the sacrifices entailed in my child-rearing.”
Can’t we all just get along? No, I didn’t think so. Waaaaaaah!
(Self-centered whiners on all sides, IOW.)
Want to board first and have a Cheerio party with the other parents? Check in first. The same rules as everybody else.
I’m sure every person in line has a very good reason why they should get to board first andget an extra 5 minutes to get situated on the plane, why does “BABY!!!!1!!!11″ negate everyone else’s reason?
@Nemesis_Enforcer: I don’t know, entitlement monster. I had a kidney removed due to massive infection and I have trouble getting around, yet I refuse to claim a handicapped sticker as well, and for the same reasons you state. It strikes me you are a trifle inconsistent, trying to convince us you deserve special treatment just because you chose to have children.
Earth to moocher: I’m likely to be the chick behind you who’s helping you put the stroller in the overhead bin and reading to the older kids to keep them occupied while you go change the baby’s diaper. But at the first hint of you feeling that I’m your fricking servant and you can damn well do it your own semi-handicapped self.
@shimane: Why didn’t you post your whine BEFORE the policy was changed? You waited too long.
Next time, WEAR EARPLUGS. Or change airlines.
Parents with kids still get preferential treatment on Southwest – it’s just not as preferential as before. There are still a ton of seats available after the A group gets onboard, and enough for parents to huddle together with their kids.
My motto, “Being at the front of the B line is the same as being at the end of the A line” still holds true here.
If the kids are under 2, they should be strapped down in a baby carrier. If they are between 2 and 10, they should be forced to wear a seat belt at all times.
/If they are over 10, give them a couple of shots of whiskey and we can all make fun of them.
Actually, I’ve been told that it’s the law that anyone for any reason can pre-board if they ask. It’s implied that that means some kind of mobility impairment or handicap, but the airlines are not allowed to ask for a reason for the pre-board request. So John or Jane Doe on their way to the Boston Marathon from their big CEO meeting can walk up and say, “I need to pre-board,” and they are ushered up to the front (although, if they’re John or Jane Doe, that might suggest they’re corpses, which would be a handicap and mobility impairment…). I don’t know if this policy is affected by Southwest’s new stance on family boarding.
@speedwell: Think what you will, I really couldn’t give a rip. I am meerly saying that you will wait one way or the other. you can do it in the boarding area or in the aisle. And I am not asking for anything special, I mean f’ it I can just take up the aisle for a few minutes if thats preferable. I am actually trying to point out that it is less annoying for me to take a few min to get everything set before the general public board than to stand around blocking everyone during regular boarding.
I won’t bring a stroller in the cabin its too big and blocks up the limited storage avail. If you help others with thier kids thats awesome I do it too. It’s not easy to be a responsible parent.
@Nemesis_Enforcer: “I mean I know a lot of lesbians and gays who detest “breeders” but damn people.”
Excuse me? Speaking for The Gays, we luuuuv breeders. They sometimes even make nice eye candy. And, well, Mom was a breeder (usually). But we feel that they should be treated exactly the same as everyone else – US for instance. Taxes. Insurance. Children. Social Security. A say in how our beloved’s medical treatment goes. And yes, boarding passes. It’s America! Is the concept that foreign to you?
Geezus. “Detest”?! Who are you?!
Wow…it’s amazing how many kid-haters there are here. I would think that those of you who can’t stand kids on the flight would want them to sit down first so you can avoid them when you get on.
I hope there’s only single seats left when my two kids (3 and 2 y/o) get on the plane with me. They can sit with you…I’ll be in the back having a beer.
That being said, the 50-ish guy who sat in front of my 11 month old on SW from Tampa to St. Louis could have sat anywhere else, but he CHOSE to sit in front of her. She was in a car seat (we’ll NEVER do that again). When he reclined his chair, it put his seat back within range of her feet. She found great delight in kicking it after she woke up. He bitched a fit to me, then the flight attendant. She gave him the same two options I did: put your seat up or move to another seat. She said, “It’s not like the baby wasn’t there when you got on the plane.”
So…maybe there was a benefit to knowing where the land mines are when you walk in.
@trai_dep: He’s a poor, beleagured, half-crippled ex-soldier who thinks we should all rush to his rescue because he CHOSE to serve in the military and CHOSE to have children.
If we were sitting together in a room in person, I would extend every courtesy to him that I would to anyone else, BUT NOT MORE.
And for the record I like to fly standby, so I usually board dead last. I don’t really care about Southwest’s stupid policies. I care about not being the victim of other people’s neediness.
@radleyas: So, by your logic, pregnancy is not a disease, and therefore confers no expectation of special consideration on the pregnant woman. Okay, thanks for clearing that up for everyone.
The worst experience I’ve ever had on a plane was sitting next to a teenager who couldn’t sit still. His elbow was constantly in my ribs. I switched seats with my husband who didn’t notice the problem. Go figure.
Sometimes, a kid will kick the back of my seat. That’s annoying. Sometimes, I’ll be next to a screaming infant. That’s annoying.
None of these issues have anything to do with Southwest’s policy. As a public carrier, Southwest simply decided to stop discriminating against individuals based on age and family status.
Southwest doesn’t fly here, so I’m unlikely to use their services, but I appreciate it when an airline attempts to try something new that doesn’t involve taking a service away from me. I’m pretty sure that the quality of the family’s flight is more or less unaffected by the change in policy (despite the fact that the families are offended). And it’s also likely that the quality of my flight will also not be affected.
If their arrival/departure statistics are affected by the policy, they’ll change it back eventually. In the meantime… who cares?
@trai_dep: I was pointing out that the only time I have ever heard the term breeder was from my gay/lesbian friends. I think its a pretty disrespectful term, I didnt realise it was common usage among the child dislikers around here. I apologize.
@speedwell: Actually you are wrong I am neither poor nor beleagured. Yes I am half-crippled actually 57% per the VA. Yes I chose to serve and I am proud of that fact. Did I ever use it to garner pity or specail treatment….nope.
I was commenting on you saying I have entitlement issues. I was submiting evidence I do not. You would not know that otherwise. I don’t ask for any special treatment because of it. So while you may not like my views I would point out I am not making personal attacks against you.
@peggynature:
That’s a leap. And it’s your leap.
There is a big difference between a woman carrying a fetus and a person with a child. A waddling woman with swollen ankles and constant back pain is quite a bit different than a person with an infant/toddler. Besides, couldn’t we be talking about a man traveling with his child?
Does you bringing your child to McDonald’s entitle you to simply walk up to the counter, bypassing the line? No. We are in a society here people (to quote George Costanza) … play according to the rules.
But what I really don’t get is … people with children cannot log into the internet 23.9999 hours before their flight? If their children are so misbehaved that they can’t point and click, then they certainly should not be exposing innocent travelers to be trapped on a plane with them.
And yes – we all know that YOUR child is different. Its funny, everyone’s child is different. But here’s a hint – if someone complains about your child to you it is probably due to something real. People do not want to have unnecessary confrontations. Whatever your kid did, it was enough to get them to say something. I’ll bet, however, that your FIRST reaction to is to leap to the child’s defense rather than to step back and see what’s really happening. No one gets rich complaining to you about your kid’s behavior … its not a scam. But a parent’s natural proclivity to assume that their kid isn’t kicking the seat, their kid isn’t screaming, their kid isn’t running up and down the aisles getting chocolate on everyone, is simply counterproductive, and it certainly breeds (no pun intended) a heck of a lot of ill will on both sides.
The bottom line is, if you need more time to get your child on board, then get up earlier or log onto the web site. Don’t just go through life expecting people to stand aside because you decided to bring your kid with you. If I get up early, and get an “A” boarding pass, you can darned well believe that I would ticked it you waltz up 2 minutes before the boarding starts, and get in front of me anyway.
@Nemesis_Enforcer: I’m joining with the others that have said that they are gay, and do not hate children.
I am gay, and I love kids – but I don’t want to have any of my own. Sure, there are instances where kids can be loud and annoying – but that’s partially kids being kids and partially bad parenting.
And I’d never call a straight person a “breeder”, unless they’re breedering animals.
@scarletvirtue: “breedering animals”? How about “breeding” animals?
Damn trigger-happy fingers…
@Hanke: Yeah, so if we think it’s ok that Southwest gives preferential treatment to parents by letting them board ahead of everyone except group “A”, regardless of their actual group, and that Parent’s shouldn’t complain about their reduced benefits, we’re somehow “Anti-Parent”?
Just because someone doesn’t think you should be given everything you want doesn’t make them anti-you. This isn’t about forcing parents to the back of the plane, it’s about giving them extra privileges, and then telling them not to look the gift horse in the f-ing mouth.
“Anti-parent” would be to ban you and your hellspawn from the plane altogether, not giving you a free pass to cut in line. Because that’s what’s happening, you’re still getting to cut in line, you just don’t get to cut all the way to the front. And I’m ok with giving you that special treatment. You can have cutsies. Just STFU about it being “anti-parent”.
I like this revised policy. The couple times I flew Southwest during college, I saw the policy abused fairly frequently. I also am tired of the entitled attitude parents have just because they have children. It’s your choice to have kids. Just accept that there may be an extended period of time where they are perfectly behaved in public. It’s part of being a parent.
As for kids flying, I’m not in favor of that unless it’s for longer trips. It’s not the behavior aspect – it’s the sudden changes in altitude and being in a confined space that I would be concerned about if I were a parent. There’s nothing wrong with a good road trip with the kids in the car. I didn’t have my first plane trip until I was 16 and it was to Europe. Wait until they’re a bit older at least 8 until they are on a plane.
You childless travelers should want us to get on first with our kids so you now where not to sit. Now, I will take my 2 year old and sit right next to the person I deem to not like my kid the most. Did I mention she’s 2? Enjoy the flight!
@scarletvirtue: Never said gay peeps dislike kids. I was using a term I have been called before by a lesbian friend. As above I apologized, It was meant more that there are a lot of ppl on this board who really dislike kids.
@Shimane
“BEFORE – parents could get on board quickly and create a “cheerio section” where we could stay together.”
No. I fly a minimum of eight times a year – usually cloaser to twelve, and have been doing so since 2003. I have yet to be on a plane with this magical Cheerio section. The family’s always spread out and I’ve usually had screaming in stereo.
And not all of us are “child haters,” as you so delicately put it. I spent years doing theatre for children. But six hours surrounded by screaming tots who are having tempter tantrums and parents who usually could care less makes it hard to feel saddened by this change of policy.
@Hanke
As someone who also rides both NJ Transit and the New York Subway, on behalf of all riders – PLEASE keep your son from STANDING ON THE SEAT because the rest of us have to SIT in those seats that your child has just placed the dirty soles of his shoes on. If we aren’t choosing to sit on the ground, we don’t want to have to sit on the dirt your child has just tracked from the ground to that seat.
Or do you put some paper or something (that you take off the train with you) under his feet?
Even at 3yrs old, my mother wouldn’t let me and taught me to not put my feet on the seats out of respect for others who would be sitting there.
Most people don’t hate children, they just hate when parent’s feel that having children means they don’t have to be considerate of other people in public spaces — and when they allow their children to act that out.
That aside, I do have to note that it isn’t always possible for parents to wait until their children are ‘older’ to take them on the plane. Some have relatives in distant parts of the US, in other countries, and otherwise have a right to take their children with them when they travel.
It isn’t the existence of children, it is how they behave and how their parents let them behave. It is just a carry-over to parents who feel entitled to let their misbehave and disturb others on ground, in stores, in restaurants, etc. It is just on an airplane when you are trapped with them in an airplane.
Thank God! I fly Southwest for work all the time and was getting really tired of the 8 person families with a barely young enough child. The absolutely worst I’d seen was soccer team (or two) that were all pre-boards. Literally 40 seats were taken by the pre-board line.
Wasn’t there a good old time when people with small annoying children just left them with their grandparents or stayed home until the kids were old enough to travel reasonably?
don’t get me started about how parents feel entitled to dump their unfinished projects on their single co-worker friends at work.
!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heh online petition. That’s funny. There seems to be two solutions to this either a) fly somewhere else or b) get there earlier. Is it really that big of deal that you have to make an online petition!? I mean, c’mon! Thats ridiculous. You still get early boarding, get over it.
Look, let’s face it. The A-Type personalities that spend the time to get into the “A” group will be better organized, get into their seats and out of the way of everybody else faster, and in particular, will not hold up everybody else because their kids are adorable and need to be “seen” by everyone, particularly the other parents of small children. Parents with children should board LAST. They can stand around in the waiting area, congratulating each other on how they managed (unlike 10 Billion other people) to miraculously have children.
Oh & I particularly like that the guy compares families in the back of the plane to Rosa Parks “back of the bus”. Yeah, kind of doesn’t compare. The reason people are suggesting the back or any other assigned family seating is because it takes longer for families with their kids, diaper bags, whatever, to exit the plane. So, naturally, in order to not inconvenience the other passengers, you have them exit last i.e. the back. Rosa Parks & the civil rights movement has absolutely NOTHING to do with this. And they’re still giving you extra boarding privileges. I don’t see the problem.
HOW DARE THEY! How dare Southwest allow the people with the foresight to check in 24 hours ahead of time in order to get an “A” pass to board before me and my little kitchy-kims. We showed up at the airport 60 minutes before departure and got our “C” boarding pass as usual and now they expect us to board AFTER someone else? I’LL NEVER FLY THEM AGAIN!!!
Oh & in case you guys were wondering where he said this, it was in the comments section of the last post on his site. Absurd.
@sunchief32:
I hate to keep the comments section of this train wreck going, but parenting attitudes like this one are the reason I quickly move beyond requesting the parent discipline their child and start to do the job for them.
Haven’t figure out who gets more scared – the kid or the spineless parent.
Am I the only one that thinks it would make a lot more sense for kids to board last??? Maybe not for southwest b/c of the no assigned seats thing, but when you have reserved seats I always thought that the kids should be last b/c then the parents can get them all situated and they aren’t sitting on the plane for 20 mins while boarding. I always think it’s stupid when they have their kid all set and I have to make them get up so I can get to the window seat. The best is when they do the pre-boarding and the parent gets selected for the random extra security patdown!
The real reason is so that Southwest can start selling low numbered A passes when they move to their new boarding scheme next month.
If southwest can sell an average of 10 A passes (A1-A10) per flight for $20 each, at 3300 flights per day 365 days/yr, thats an additional $240M/yr. Thats about 5 additional 737s per year they can purchase.
As I noted on the site, unfortunately the vitriol from some people have forced us to A) moderate comments and B) delete those that are uncivil, rude, snide and, well, they are gone.
The petition site will also be moderated. So, you can spam all you want, they will be deleted.
If these comments are indicative of the people that fly SW, then I’ll be going elsewhere.
Best regards,
Shaun Dakin (yes, I do not hide behind screen names to flame others)
@JKinNYC: I think that might be because straight people are expected, by society, to have kids. Us queers are not (or at least, not to the same degree–this IS changing, depending on your social circle). Straight people who are childfree by choice have to make a bigger point of it beause it goes against expectations more than gay people being childfree. Thus we get the loud, bitchtastic childfree “all children are monsters and should be exterminated” crowd.
“Parents Predictably Outraged.” That’s it, right there. Christ, is there anything that doesn’t push the “angry parent” button with some people?
…After reading all 145 messages, I begin to have a small hint of what my mom must have felt when she had me.
last i checked other airlines don’t do early boarding for parents either, and with southwest moving to the assigned seating model, it makes sense for them to get rid of this policy too (i suppose). on the other hand, as someone who flies every week, i have elite status on AA and UAL anyway, so well i dunno it doesn’t matter to me personally if the airlines did decide to let parents and children board before, my seat is assigned and I’ll probably be getting that upgrade anyway.
on a different note, this topic always reminds me of the family guy episode when stewie is flying to LA and the man sitting ahead of him comment on babies on flights, and stewie says something to the effect of ” I was going to watch the movie, but for the next 5 hours you are my #@#@%” and starts crying and kicking the seat =).
@Nemesis_Enforcer: dude, you certainly attract a lot of flak
.
shouldn’t the moderators be ‘moderating’ this flame war here? I only point it out coz i missed out on all the fun
, stupid meetings!(@#_!*_#.
@ab3i:
Nothing stirs up the comment threads quite like posts about kids on airplanes. I’m keeping an eye on things — I gotta sleep sometime, ya know.
So far, I’ve been seeing the same arguments and it looks like people are doing all right. At least I haven’t seen comments on this thread suggesting that we throw babies out of the aircraft at 30,000 feet (nobody get any ideas).
It’s not anti-parents, its anti-entitlement.