Any experience with family boarding and oxygen concentrator?

[tinkpower]

I had planned to use family boarding for our family as our 1 year old will have a car seat that needs to be buckled in. I understand this is between B and c groups. My mom is traveling with us and it hasn't occurred to me that she wouldn't be allowed to board wit us until I read another post on here. However, she does have A portable oxygen devise and I read on sw site that they recommend pre-boarding with that. Do you suppose that means between A and B?

 

[bookgirl]

Medical pre-boards are before the A group.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Do you have the physician's letter, extra batteries, etc.?

 

[Sugardimples]

Medical pre-boards are before the A group.

And family boarding is between the A and B groups.

 

[maxiesmom]

And family boarding is between the A and B groups.

And can be skipped at the discretion of the Flight Attendants.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I had planned to use family boarding for our family as our 1 year old will have a car seat that needs to be buckled in. I understand this is between B and c groups. My mom is traveling with us and it hasn't occurred to me that she wouldn't be allowed to board wit us until I read another post on here. However, she does have A portable oxygen devise and I read on sw site that they recommend pre-boarding with that. Do you suppose that means between A and B?

Actually, Southwest's policy is to allow only one adult to board with the child, not two.

Your mom does not need to pre-board, but she does need to follow the rules as stated on Southwest's website, which you apparently have already found.

Have Mom preboard. You can pay for EBCI for your husband; then if he gets in the A group, have him board with the car seat. Have Mom sit on the aisle across from the row with the car seat and him. You board with your group. No one will chose the row with the car seat!

 

[tinkpower]

And can be skipped at the discretion of the Flight Attendants.

I don't understand why they would choose to skip family boarding. I didn't read that on the site.

 

[tinkpower]

Do you have the physician's letter, extra batteries, etc.?

Yes we will have all that. Thank you.

 

[tinkpower]

Actually, Southwest's policy is to allow only one adult to board with the child, not two.

Yikes, boarding with an 18 month old and a carseat by myself would be interesting. lol

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Yikes, boarding with an 18 month old and a carseat by myself would be interesting. lol

Why would you have to do this? I assume you're traveling with two other adults. You board with family boarding with your child and let your husband board with the car seat. Or buy EBCI and hope you get in the A group. Lots of options.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't understand why they would choose to skip family boarding. I didn't read that on the site.

If they have a lot of families, where it looks like Family Boarding will be excessive, they may just skip it.

 

[tinkpower]

Why would you have to do this? I assume you're traveling with two other adults. You board with family boarding with your child and let your husband board with the car seat. Or buy EBCI and hope you get in the A group. Lots of options.

Perhaps im missing something but If they only allow one parent to board and the purpose of family boarding is to get settled in before regular boarding then a parent would need the car seat and child at the same time.

 

[maxiesmom]

Perhaps im missing something but If they only allow one parent to board and the purpose of family boarding is to get settled in before regular boarding then a parent would need the car seat and child at the same time.

Many times one parent will board and install the car seat and let the child run off more energy in the gate area.

 

[SirDuff]

Many times one parent will board and install the car seat and let the child run off more energy in the gate area.

That's what we do (admittedly, not on SW). Putting in the car seat is much easier with the little one "helping". And no need for her to be stuck in the carseat any longer than necessary!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Perhaps im missing something but If they only allow one parent to board and the purpose of family boarding is to get settled in before regular boarding then a parent would need the car seat and child at the same time.

Family Boarding is between Group A and B, after regular boarding starts. The main hold up is installing the car seat.

Personally, I think family boarding is silly. Plenty of people hold up boarding who aren't traveling with children and many airlines don't preboard families with young children anymore.

 

[bookgirl]

I don't understand why they would choose to skip family boarding. I didn't read that on the site.

I've actually saw this on my trip last OCT. The 'family"'s started lining up and there were probably 50 people who were over the age of 4 in that line. Honest to gosh 1 kid and 7 adults in some groups and some were families of 3 or 4, and some were families with grandparents. The agent looked at the line and told them to line up with their boarding pass, as there would be no family boarding. A mom with a kid was next to me lined up with the A group and said "and that's why I early bird" with a big old smile. I imagine she was thinking it was $25 well spent. I can't remember what airport we were in, I think it was the STL to MCO mid morning flight. There were lots and lots of kids in the A group besides the aborted family boarding.

 

[NotUrsula]

Family Boarding is between Group A and B, after regular boarding starts. The main hold up is installing the car seat.

Personally, I think family boarding is silly. Plenty of people hold up boarding who aren't traveling with children and many airlines don't preboard families with young children anymore.

On SWA, allowing family boarding (at least for those using carseats) is legally required because they do not assign seats. There are FAA restrictions on where carseats may be placed, so they need to be boarded while there are still a fair number of "legal" spots available. While FA's *do* have the authority to move a passenger to accommodate legal placement of a carseat, the airlines REALLY hate letting them use that authority -- much better to set policy that makes the need very rare.

IME, which is pretty extensive, although the official policy is that one adult may use FB with an eligible child, in practice the norm is to let nuclear families board together; all of the children in the party, with up to 2 adults. That really seldom causes any problem ... the problem is when the families all want Grandma and Aunt Susie to be able to use family boarding as well -- which is ridiculously unnecessary.

 

[DebbieB]

Have they made sure the oxygen concentrator is approved?
https://www.southwest.com/html/cust...el-needs/customers-with-disabilities-pol.html

Regarding family boarding, I've never seem them deny it completely but I have seen them enforce parents and siblings only. I've seen grandparents turned away when they tried to board with the family.

 

[nedidajohn]

SW Flight Attendant here. You will need two window seats. One for your mom , one for the carseat. She can pre board w/ one other adult. Just have the carseat carrier board with her.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

On SWA, allowing family boarding (at least for those using carseats) is legally required because they do not assign seats. There are FAA restrictions on where carseats may be placed, so they need to be boarded while there are still a fair number of "legal" spots available. While FA's *do* have the authority to move a passenger to accommodate legal placement of a carseat, the airlines REALLY hate letting them use that authority -- much better to set policy that makes the need very rare.

.....

Can you provide a source for this law/regulation?