Pre boarding with kids???

[ThreeMusketeers]

I was wondering if anyone had done this, we only have the one dd, she is 3.5. But this will be our first time flying. She is a bit apprehensive about it. And I was wondering if anyone had an experience where the airline let them preboard so they could get their child used to the plane w/out a TON of people on it and a little more time on the ground before flying??
Is this a possibility or am I over the top on this one??
Thanks.

 

[Barb D]

We always preboarded with small children. It doesn't give you much more time...the rest of the folks are right behind you! If your DD will be in a carseat it will give you a few minutes to get it buckled in.

She'll be fine. My kids loved their first flight! Ask the flight attendant for wings for her.

 

[nliedel]

I always preboarded. It made life so much easier. Now the boys are too old to preboard (6 and 8) but because of Stevie's FAS (adopted) I think I will ask the gate agent if we can arrange it.

 

[minkydog]

I pre-board with my DS10, Christian. He is severely mentally handicapped and rather off-balance when he walks. It would be hard to get him to walk down a narrow aisle with strangers packed on either side. He does much better when we are the first on and the last off. And i'm sure the passengers appreciate not being swatted or drooled on, too.

 

[laughinplace199]

It depends on the airline, or maybe I should say it depends on the gate agent. When DD was 3 and DS was 1, we asked to preboard to wipe down seating area (DD has peanut/tree nut allergy). The gate agent in Boston let us preboard, no problem. We had to switch planes in DC, and the gate agent there would not let us preboard! So we had 2 kids, 2 strollers, 2 car seats, and needed to clean DD's seat area and were not allowed to preboard. I can't remember whic airline we flew - it was either US Air or United.

Now that the kids are older (DD is 6 and DS is 4), we don't preboard. Usually DH gets in line ahead of the kids and me. He gets to our seats and cleans them and installs DS's carseat before we board.

 

[kmwilson98]

Almost all airlines and crew will allow preboarding for under age 5. On our trip we'll be flying down the day before her 5th birthday, lol, so preboarding for that, but none such luck on the way up. I've had them ask her how old she is, just to verify (she is quite tall for her age, and sounds very mature/well spoken...people usually think she is 6-7).

 

[rchristiansen]

We had a fun experience pre-boarding once at DC National. We were traveling to visit my parents in Milwaukee when my DD was about 2 years old. I had the stroller, car seat, bag, etc....whole nine yards. Well a major Milwaukee TV crew was also on our plane as well as a senator and congressman - they were all looking at me (and chuckling and sympathizing at the same time) as I lugged my stuff. It was kind of funny. I definitely, though wanted to be situated and in my seat before those people got on the plane.

From my experience I never had an issue pre-boarding. However, like another posted said, it doesn't give you anytime really to get used to the plane - they just shuffle you all on.

However, my DD really really loves flying. In fact she told me the other day - "Let's get in a plane at go to WDW" - so if you make a big deal about how fun it is and how it gets you to WDW your DD should get excited about it too.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Its funny because I am the opposite. A couple times I had the gate attendant ask me if I wanted to pre-board, I said NO!

My DD is VERY busy. And the least amount of time we have to spend on that airplane the better. For me, her and everyone around us.

 

[grlpwrd]

By all means take advantage of the opportunity.

I have only encountered one incident when there was no preboarding allowed and I didn't see why when the flight wasn't overbooked. (I used to work for 2 airlines - I know preboarding is a privilege, not a right.) It was a flight on Northwest from Minneapolis/St Paul to Norfolk, VA this past June and we were on our way back from Hawaii. It was pregnant me, dh, and 4 kids.

I , too, know some folks with kids do the converse where they wait until general boarding to get on. That way a child can get on without getting rambunctious or bored on the plane or for whatever reason.

Have a fun, safe trip!

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

We always preboard with our daughter. Its easier than trying not to hit the other passengers with our car seat.

In our experiences though our "Preboarding" was only like 2 steps before the other passengers. So it was more like we got to be the first to walk on more than we had preboarding.

Still worth it though.

 

[crisi]

We have never had the opportunity to pre-board with children when taking a flight to Orlando. Nearly everyone on the plane has children, so it kind of defeats the purpose.

If you get the opportunity, it is nice to get settled in first. Other people like to delay, because a flight with a small child is one of those "time takes forever" things and the extra fifteen minutes where they can walk around and be a little more noisy helps - but boarding late on an airplane if you have a lot of carryon luggage is not good.

 

[Brygida]

Flights in the US do not seem to allow pre-boarding anymore. Only international flights still seem to do it.

 

[Rapunsel]

Only once I was told I could not pre-board. But that was after 9/11 and TSC people had you board the plane. Then the lady who told me I could not board early was the same one who assured me that she would get my stroller on the plane...

Guess what did not meet me at my connection! my stroller! So I lugged a car carrier with a screaming 3 month old and all his suff through an airport with no one who was willing to help...


Other than taht I have never had a problem. I sometimes go up politley and ask if they can let me pre board as I usually travel alone with DD 9 mos and DS4. But leaving Orlando I just did not worry about it..

Rapunsel

 

[Priorityonecb]

We always preboard when flying with our youngest daughter, who has a peanut allergy. We have never been denied this. We go in, clean her area and are seated before the "rush".

 

[Huntava]

My DH would take one toddler, car seat and carry-on and board when our row was called. I would stay off and let the more active toddler run around until final boarding, and then gate check the strollers, and take on a carry-on. That has worked well for us.

 

[RCBlackburn]

I think the best thing for you to do is to send your husband on as a pre-boarder with the carseats and bags - let him get the car seat buckled in and all of your daughter's goodies arranged - you should then board at the very last minute when everyone else is on the plane. The less time your children are in the plane and getting anxious, the better off your nerves are!!!!

We always travel like this - even though my girls are much older now and we don't have the car seat issues - its just easier than making them sit there and watch everyone get on the plane and try to get situated. I am also a firm believer in sitting near the back of the aircraft - you'll get lots of traffic to the lavatories but you're also very close in case you need them. The flight attendants in the rear of the plane tend to be much more friendlier than those in the front of the cabin.

Happy traveling - it doesn't matter, you're going to see the MOUSE, right!!!!

 

[missymagic]

I always went by the day. If one of them was being rammy and not ready to sit I would wait but it is was a pretty calm day I would pre-board. Also depends on where your seat is. If it is all the way in the back and you wait, it is ok but if you have a car seat it is sometimes difficult to get down the isle because of the people that board out of turn.

 

[sarahsmom73]

I have been able to preboard on SWA but not on united...

 

[LaraK]

We pre-boarded on our last trip to Orlando...but I think half the plane also pre-boarded. We were flying Southwest so the pre-board was important to get a window seat for the car seat. A few months later I took both of my kids by myself to my mom's house in Indiana (including a lay-over in Detroit). Although I tried to pre-board, they rushed the process alot...that wasn't terrible though because other passengers helped me juggle the kids and the car seat. The flight attendants looked at me and snickered as I struggled.

In terms of what to do on the plane to make the trip easier, I got a suggestion from someone to load up on toys from the dollar store. Anytime there is a need to distract, just whip out a new toy.

 

[all4fun]

It depends on what airline you're flying. We usually fly Delta to Orlando and they do not allow preboarding. They board in "zones" so that the people boarding are interspersed throughout the plane as they board, which cuts down on congestion in the aisles. Since they wouldn't allow us to preboard I found the simplest thing to do was for me to board at the end of the "zone" number just prior to ours (no one ever questioned me either) with the car seat, stroller, and one carry-on. I would install the car seat and dh would wait 5-10mins to board after me. By that time I would have the seat installed. The times we have all boarded together, we usually end up clogging the aisle until the car seat is in so this method really worked much better, plus it gives ds a little more time on the concourse to run off some energy before a long flight. If you don't want do that - one time we were told to board with First Class when I asked the gate agent nicely if someone could just set the car seat on my ds's seat for me so I wouldn't have to carry it on. Who knows, that trick might work for you too!