The Southwest boarding process is horrible. I will NEVER fly southwest again. My story begins on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 when flying from Orlando to BWI. I was with my two children and my niece. We checked in at the ticket counter and received our boarding passes. To my surprise my 8 year old son got A35, I had B42, my 12 year old son had C22 and my niece had B43. I brought this to the attention of the ticket counter agent who told me that it was not a problem and that I could board with my son in the A group. I though that this was great. To my dismay I get to the gate and was rudely told by the gate agent that I was misinformed and my son could board by himself or he would have to wait for me when B40-45 was boarding. He then proceeded to tell me more that my 12 year old would have to board with C, but he could over look that and have him board with me. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS!!! I was appauled. I was even more embarrassed when I told him that I asked the ticket agent about this and she told me that I could board with him. He asked me who it was, which of course I didn't take her name, but that she did not know the policy and that was incorrect. He proceeded to rudely tell me to that I was boarding with B and to go back there. I have never been more embarrased in my life. I feel that I was treated less than human. I am also African American and I am also feeling that there may have been some discrimination, but I would hate to read that much into it in the year 2008. SOUTHWEST needs to figure out who is a child and who is not and give them the same boarding group. I boarded with B on my flight to Orlando and we all boarded together because we all had B, so I am not upset about boarding with B, I am upset about the fact the I was told misinformation and then embarassed by a rude gate agent. How dare him tell me that my 8 year old could board by himself. If he had boarded by himself which I would never had allowed and then was molested, how would Southwest have felt about that. Parents this is wrong.
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