"Family Boarding" vs "Child Assist"

[floridaguy]

I see a major point of confusion with Southwest's "Family Boarding" just looking at the name only.

People traveling rationalize that they are traveling as a "family".  Therefore, they want to use "Family Boarding" and try every rationalization to get on the plane and sit together.  This constant fixation is causing regular Southwest customers to become agitated, especially when the gate agent doesn't do their job and allows the whole FAMILY to board together.

Instead, all this "Child Assist" and focus on the child under the age of seven.  The idea of "family" is not part of the policy anymore.  Now people quit seeing the entire "family" getting together on the plane.

Of course, the gate agents need to do their jobs and follow the rules.

[dfwskier]

The reason for the "family boarding" policy is to allow the "family" to sit together on the plane.

[floridaguy]

Read the family boarding policy.  Its intent is to allow two adults to accompany a child under the age of seven.  Whether they can sit together is another issue as we have discussed previously.

However, the "Family Boarding" suggests that the whole family can board together which is simply NOT what the policy says.  This is why there is so much consternation of the family boarding.

[dfwskier]

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@floridaguy wrote:

Read the family boarding policy.  Its intent is to allow two adults to accompany a child under the age of seven.   

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So why would SW want that to happen?

[floridaguy]

I'd ask that you reread the core message in my original post.

People traveling rationalize that they are traveling as a "family".  Therefore, they want to use "Family Boarding" and try every rationalization to get on the plane and sit together. 

The policy's intent is to have up to two adults accompany a young child on the plane.  That's as far as the policy goes.  There is no further mention of "sitting together" even though you can likely find open seats that are together, at least two of them.

There was never a suggestion in the policy that a "family" gets to use family boarding.  There is no provision for verifying that the people using the policy are actually family, or not.  Southwest doesn't care if they are related, only that the child is under the age of seven.

[dfwskier]

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@dfwskier wrote:

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@floridaguy wrote:

Read the family boarding policy.  Its intent is to allow two adults to accompany a child under the age of seven.   

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So why would SW want that to happen?

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NIce dodge -- answer the question. Why does SW see a need to have youngsters "family board" with two adults.

[floridaguy]

While you may believe it is a "dodge", that is your right.

If Southwest's primary concern was "sitting together", they would be guaranteed to be able to sit together.  As it stands now, whether they sit together, or not, is secondary to the current family boarding protocols.

The policy refers to "accompany" the child on the plane.  If they get to sit together, that's fine with me.

As I have stated multiple times, it is not the family that gets to board.  It is up to two accompanying adults with a child under the age of seven.

To prove my theory, take mother and father in their 40s with their children 17, 18 and 20 and see if all five are allowed to use family boarding.  Of course, at MCO, anything goes.

[dfwskier]

I am always willing to help the clueless...

https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-family-seating-dashboard

[floridaguy]

That's US DOT - just because they make a lot of noise, nothing changes until a law is passed.

A parent who purchases airline tickets for a family should receive a guarantee from the airline that it will seat the parent and child together without fees or a last-minute scramble at the gate or having to ask other passengers to give up their seat to allow the parent and child to sit together. On February 1, 2023, Secretary Buttigieg announced the Department's plan to launch a dashboard that displays which airlines guarantee family seating. Since then, some airlines have stepped up to guarantee adjacent seats for young children traveling with an accompanying adult at no additional cost. While this represents significant progress, USDOT is not stopping here. Secretary Buttigieg recently submitted to Congress a legislative proposal to require that airlines provide fee-free family seating.

I would encourage Southwest to take legal action here as this bill is aimed squarely at them and compromises the open seating policy.  Also, since you can't charge extra to create a seat beside the "accompanying adult", then the options become refund and they go somewhere else.

I urge Southwest to stay the course and if you receive demands to "sit together" just issue refunds and say bye.  All of this reformatting is compromising one of the core policies that makes Southwest great.

I also disagree that a young child is defined by anyone under the age of 14.  Nonsense.

This represents a "feel good" piece of proposed legislation which I predict is nothing but wall paper.

[floridaguy]

Here we go again.  More "family boarding" issues.  

It is beyond time for Southwest to change the name of this policy to end the confusion.  The policy is, in reality, "Child Assist".  

Case in point is this.  Just because you are a family traveling together, grandma, grandpa, mom, dad and three teenagers, doesn't mean you qualify for "family boarding".  Frankly, you don't.

Unless you have a child traveling under the age of seven, the policy remands dormant no matter if you are traveling as a family or not.

Change the name of the policy TODAY.