People love boarding planes early. I want to board last and spend as little time in my seat as possible. The only reason I can see to get on the aircraft earlier than absolutely necessary is to ensure access to overhead bin space.
Still, airlines offer priority boarding to first class passengers and to their elite frequent flyers. They also usually offer it to uniformed military personnel, and passengers with disabilities and to families with small children.
If you want to get on the plane early and don’t want to enlist in the military, I guess just keep having kids? Or pretending to?
One United Airlines passenger flying from Tampa to Washington Dulles reportedly pretended that a doll was her baby in order to board first.
[O]n a recent TPA to IAD flight only 1 lady walked up to wait for preboarding and she had a baby in a sling across her chest. I wouldn’t of taken a second look if it had not been for her elderly parents who got in line behind me. they started talking and I heard the mother say “I told her she was scamming the system” and the father made a comment about mental illness.
I connected the dots and took a closer look and sure enough, the baby was a doll. it wasn’t super obvious with a quick glance as it was slightly rotated towards her but its arms were up in the air with that standard half open baby doll hands and they never moved once. sure enough, the GA didn’t notice either.. I wonder if she put the doll in the overhead or under the seat
Airlines ty to enforce their boarding group order. American just started rejecting passengers who try to board before the group listed on their boarding pass is called.
At the same time, people go to great lengths to evade the system. They even dress up as soldiers and show fake ID to qualify for military boarding. So why woudn’t a passenger bring a doll with them and claim family boarding?
Reminds me of people that had blow up dolls or mannequins in their car so they could use the commuter lanes.
Lap child tickets for domestic travel in the US are a no-charge service. And if using such service on at least some major airlines, the boarding pass for the accompanying adult indicates an infant is included and then the airline is unlikely to bat an eye if you get to the boarding gate as such and have the infant/doll head covered up.
That said, I’ve seen a seriously mentally-disturbed man carry around a doll in a chest baby carrier. After a few times of seeing the guy wander around like that, I got more curious and eventually figured out from his mutterings to himself that the rest of his family had probably been killed by military or other militant action in his homeland while he got away with his infant who died while he was trying to save his youngest and only surviving child. It was a really sorry scene to see that.
Gazawood madness is spreading.
Back when I traveled with my family as a kid if my parents had demanded that we board first airline gate agents would have laughed in their face.
Finally someone else in the “I’d rather be LAST on the plane” camp! I get it if you have limited mobility, or maybe with kids so you can get them settled with less going on around you, but otherwise I cannot imagine why you’d want to board any earlier than absolutely necessary.
I always just check my bag even when it’s a carryon, and just take a small laptop bag.
The few times I’ve flown business or better sure, board as soon as they’ll let you but that’s more just so I’m out of everybody’s way, or because I can’t wait to get into the seat—I mean. It’s better than economy but not THAT much better.
Wow, I wonder what they will think of next.
@Retired Gambler — Not sure if you watched Curb Your Enthusiasm but that also reminds me of when Larry David hired a prostitute so he could drive in the car pool lane.
Soon there will be robotic babies that will be harder to detect to aid in early boarding (speculation.) The technology is probably good enough already. People fake service dogs and disabilities to get early boarding and free pet travel already, so why not?
Is it really that hard to play by the rules?
Oh, please, let’s live a little… we should admire the creativity, not ban her for life. I swear, some of y’all are no fun!
I have high hopes there is a special place in the place down below for people who try that stuff.
Almost as bad as faking of being handicapped.! As soon as the plane lands, they get up and WALK off the plane. Its a miracle, thank you Jesus!
It’s wouldn’t have, not wouldn’t of.