The reason for pre-boarding with children under 4 is to prevent us from holding up the rest of the passengers. And it is not true that those of us who need extra time to pre-board our infants/toddlers "ALWAYS hold everyone up when they insist on getting off the plane first". My husband and I wait until the end of the line of passengers before we get up to exit the plane with our baby, car seat and bags. It's much easier on us (because we have so many items to carry) and we do not block the aisles. Your "compromise solution" is great. Just please do not place those parents who are being considerate and following the rules with those who take advantage of a situation and abuse the rules.
For those of you who say that parents should discipline their child, well that doesn't work with an infant. A parent who yells at their infant just makes the infant cry even louder, which I doubt is what you desire.
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The new boarding system looks like it works great except it is an unwise decision to get rid of 'family first' boarding. Southwest Airlines should continue to allow families who have a child riding in a car seat to pre-board. Allowing parents with a car seat to board early allows them to install the car seat and their belongings without causing a major traffic jam. This also prevents fellow passengers from being banged by the car seat as the parent tries to push their way through the narrow aisle. Just allow the dad, mom and children to pre-board. Any other people flying with the family (other than young children who need supervison) should board like everyone else. Also, car seats are required to be installed in a window seat. If all of the window seats are taken, passengers are going to have to play musical chairs to accommodate the parent and child and this might delay the plane. Another benefit for allowing families with young children board early is so that the other passengers can choose to either sit near or far from a child. As a result, continuing to allow families with a child in a car seat pre-board is beneficial to all.
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