Now some may grumble at Southwest's boarding policy for families with small children - if you have small children, you don't get priority and don't get to board first. Apparently there was too much complaint from Southwest's frequent fliers. So the policy is that families with children under 4 board between boarding groups A and B. If you're assigned boarding group A, then of course you board the plane during your assigned time. If you're in boarding group B or lower, then you would board between groups A and B. Because I'm the anal-retentive paranoid person that I am, I'm always afraid that if I board between groups A and B I won't be able to get a seat next to the window for privacy during nursing. So I always make sure to set my alarm for 24 hours before flight time so I can be assigned the first boarding group.
Something to remember: if you're not purchasing a seat for your baby and he'll be a lap child, remember to bring a copy of his birth certificate. I know it may be obvious that the child is under 2 years of age, but the check-in people may request to see a birth certificate anyway. I've read horror stories about parents who have had to buy a last-minute seat for their baby because they didn't bring the birth certificate. You can find more information about Southwest's baby on board policy here.
I never had to make use of the changing table on board the plane, but the flight attendants informed me that the lavatory at the front of the plane has a changing table. And I also asked them if they had any recommendations on the best place to sit with the baby. Responses varied, ranging from "near the front bathroom" to "in the middle near the engine" so the vibration might lull the baby to sleep. So I haven't heard any consensus on the best place to sit if you have a baby with you on board. If you have any advice otherwise, please comment!
But seriously, if RyanAir implements that rubbish about charging for toilet use, that would make them a seriously baby-unfriendly airline.
Just found your blog while researching for our next flight to Taiwan to pick up our 2nd adopted son. Meanwhile came across this post.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love Southwest for mom travel. Have had to go it alone a few times with my 1 year old. The flight crew is AMAZING - always very helpful and friendly. We always sit in one of the last few seats, usually joined by other families and most of the business travelers stay far far away. They'd rather sit in the middle seat than come back with the potential of baby screaming and spit up.
I so love being able to pick our sit of choice as opposed to being assigned one. And you can't beat the fact that they don't charge for luggage. I fly almost exclusively SW from FLL to the Midwest.
But now we're going to Asia ... I like the sound of Singapore Air and will do further research. Thanks for the insights.
Janie - Southwest really is great when it comes to traveling with kids, if not for the no charge for 2 check-in baggages policy! My only complaint is that since most of their planes are pretty small, there's really no room on the plane to walk around with the kid (or just stand and rock the kid) if he fusses! That aside, Southwest is still my first choice when it comes to domestic travel. Good luck with your trip to Asia!
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