What is cut-off age for pre-board...SW....

[alldiz]

Hi,
Does anyone know what the age limit for preboard is...

My DD will be 5 on the next trip....
Is it including 5yr olds....or only 4 and under....
Thanks
Kerri

 

[dudspizza]

Hi,
Does anyone know what the age limit for preboard is...

My DD will be 5 on the next trip....
Is it including 5yr olds....or only 4 and under....
Thanks
Kerri

I believe I have read 4 and under here.. but I am sure some more experiences SW flyers will confirm that.

Duds

 

[salmoneous]

From Southwest.com:

Prior to general boarding, Customers with disabilities, unaccompanied children between the ages of five and 11, and adults traveling with a child under five years of age will preboard. Customers who choose to preboard cannot sit in an emergency exit seat.

EDIT - Just noticed that if you take their policy literally, only the adult gets to preboard. I guess the kids board by themselves with their A/B/C group

 

[ducklite]

FYI--When there are a ton of kids ont eh flight, they ahve been known to suspend all but disabled pre-boards.

Anne

 

[KJF]

Also, when there are a lot of kids they change the age limit - I had read about that here & then experienced it ourselves. On the way from Philly, it was under 5, from Orlando home it was under 4.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I've been on several flights lately where pre-boarding was suspended. And I've also been on flight were people were taking (what I consider) advantage of the pre-board announcement. Flying back from LA last week, this mother with a pre-teen and a teenage actually approached for preboarding (and this was on JetBlue with assigned seats). The gate attendent actually stated "really?" when mom approached but since nobody complained, let her through.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I was on a flight last year where the pre-board line was literally, half the plane. It was crazy. Everyone and their cousin were in that line. I tried joining the back of the line, thinking it was A

That's when pre-boarding except for disable should be curtailed or (better yet) the policies enforced. There were some major extended families in that line. 6 adults and 1 kid seem a tad over the limit

 

[ducklite]

I've been on several flights lately where pre-boarding was suspended. And I've also been on flight were people were taking (what I consider) advantage of the pre-board announcement. Flying back from LA last week, this mother with a pre-teen and a teenage actually approached for preboarding (and this was on JetBlue with assigned seats). The gate attendent actually stated "really?" when mom approached but since nobody complained, let her through.

I wonder if one of the children was disabled--maybe autistic? Or had a peanut allergy that required the seat and tray table to be wiped?

If not then shame on her.

Anne

 

[alldiz]

thanks everyone for your responses...

Seems the policy is not strictly enforced...always...

Since may travelled sw...3 times...

1st time....no prob...she just turned 4...they announced
5..and under...mom and DH boarded with DD and I...
On the way home....it was announced 4 and under...

Next trip....5 and under.....but only parents could board with
the child....
Just my mom was with me. and dh...I didnt want to send her by herself....
so she stayed in line...
GET THIS ONE....when we were boarding.....(dh...17yrs older than me)
they stopped my DH....saying only parents could board
They thought....dh...and dm...were...together
They let my mom on.... But really gave DH....dirty looks...
He was pissed....Funny they didnt question my mom....
just dh....the guy who gave my hubby dirty looks....
came on the plane....dh made a point of telling him...
this is MY WIFE...AND DAUGHTER...THAT IS MY IN LAW...
He was embarresed...I laughted all the way to mco...

Last time flight in Jan....was literally half preboard...
The flight attendants....were like...OMG....this is still
preboard...I felt bad for the person who waited in
line A....for 2hrs....just to see 100 people waltz by him...

Anyway thanks again for everyones info..
Kerri

 

[tlinus]

I wonder if one of the children was disabled--maybe autistic? Or had a peanut allergy that required the seat and tray table to be wiped?
If not then shame on her.

Anne

Do they allow that? I have registered our flights with SW for DD#2's peanut dust allergy, we will have the epi pen, but I wanted to see if there was a way to preboard and clean her seat/tray table. This is her first time flying. I know I have been instructed by SW to check in at the gate on the days we fly to and from MCO. DD will be able to tell me and DH within 5 minutes if there is something wrong (allergic reaction), I figure its better on the ground than in the air!!

Thanks for the help!

 

[ducklite]

Do they allow that? I have registered our flights with SW for DD#2's peanut dust allergy, we will have the epi pen, but I wanted to see if there was a way to preboard and clean her seat/tray table. This is her first time flying. I know I have been instructed by SW to check in at the gate on the days we fly to and from MCO. DD will be able to tell me and DH within 5 minutes if there is something wrong (allergic reaction), I figure its better on the ground than in the air!!

Thanks for the help!

Explain that you'd like to preboard to wipe the seat and tray table down with a Clorox wipe due to a serious peanut allergy, and they should be happy to accomodate you. Like you, they'd also rather have a reaction occur on the ground. I would suggest getting a seat either at the very front or very back of the plane to be as far away from anyone who might be eating a contaminated product as possible.

BTW--A PSA from DH the EMT--they were called to the local community college last week for an unknown unconscious. Turns out it was a peanut allergy. She wasn't wearing a medical alert bracelet, and they could only guess what the problem was.

Had the victim had a medic alert bracelet on, they would have known 90%+ that it was an allergic reaction and immediately administered epi.

Please get your child one of these bracelets, it could save thier life. EMT's and paramedics are trained to look at the wrists for a bracelet. DH says that they don't always look for a necklace, but one of the things they do on an unconscious person is look at the wrists and hands for signs of suicide and blueness under the nails, and they would see the bracelet in doing so.

Anne

 

[disneyag]

Almost every time we fly SWA to Orlando, they do not pre-board families with small children. I think it's because there are so many kids flying to that destination.