I have not had the pleasure of experiencing the new boarding process but will next month so I will keep an open mind - but my parents and brother and his family just flew Southwest to Tampa. My parents being in their 70's were given a Senior Citizen discount. But because they needed to prove their age, they were not allowed to check in online 24 hours in advance. They did get to the airport 2 hours early, but still received Group C and one of the last number groupings. Needless to say, they both ended up with middle seats in different parts of the airplane. Of course, they were not happy about this. They could understand that they needed to prove their age, but if Southwest is going to continue this type of boarding, then they should allow all passengers to check in online and to obtain the best possible seating. As I said before, I have not experienced the new boarding process, but with a small child, I do like to preboard so to get the stroller squared away and the car seat installed. I do not expect special services and actually my husband and I prefer the back of the plane with a child. That way, if he does get fussy, then we can get up and move around with him with minimal hassle of walking down the aisle. But until I experience this for myself, I will just complain on my parents behalf. Don't treat our Senior Citizens like second class citizens. They deserve more respect than that. Change your policy and allow this group to check in online so they have the same chance as everyone else to try to get 2 seats together.
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