Woman with five-month-old gets ready to board Southwest—then they tell her there’s no family boarding anymore: ‘I was standing in group 7’
Since Southwest Airlines updated several of its policies at the beginning of the year, including introducing assigned seating and revising its “Customer of Size” rules, it has faced growing criticism.
Another complaint now gaining traction is family boarding, a practice that allows parents traveling with small children, strollers, and extra equipment to board early.
One TikTok creator recently shared what that looks like in practice for a single parent. In her video, which has garnered over 274,800 views, Katlyn (@katcall1414) says Southwest Airlines “hates families now.”
What Happened While Boarding Southwest?
In her clip, Katlyn explains that she was traveling alone with her five-month-old daughter when she approached the gate to check her stroller and car seat base.
“I went up to the gate to check my stroller and the car seat base and asked if family boarding had already gone,” she says.
According to her, the response caught her off guard. “She told me that they no longer do family boarding now that they do the assigned seats,” she says.
Katlyn says she was struggling. “I was alone, I didn’t have my husband with me,” she says. “I had my 5-month-old daughter strapped to my chest.”
She describes juggling multiple bags and items at once.
“I had the diaper bag… hanging on my back,” she says. “I had my pump bag… and then in my hands I had the stroller… another carry on bag, and I had the car seat base.”
Despite that, she says she was assigned one of the last boarding groups. “All of that just for me to do in Group 7,” she says.
According to Katlyn, other passengers noticed the situation as well. “I was so incredibly mad and everyone around me was mad for me,” she says.
Even after other passengers went up to the gate agent to offer up their spot so she could board, she says the gate agent wouldn’t budge. “They were like, nope, we don’t do family boarding anymore,” she recalls staff saying.
She Says The Policy Misses The Point Of Family Boarding
Acording to Katlyn, seat selection shouldn’t impact priority boarding for families.
“The family boarding wasn’t about getting a seat at the front of the plane or getting the best seats,” she says. “It was about allowing for the family to have the extra time they need to board with children,” she says.
She says eliminating that option caused a negative experience overall. “It made it so difficult for me,” she says. “I was so stressed out.”
She questioned the reasoning behind the change. “Every other airline… still does family boarding,” she says. “So that makes zero sense.”
In the caption, Katlyn addresses the company directly.
“@Southwest Airlines you REALLY missed the mark on this one,” she wrote. “This needs reevaluated ASAP or you will be losing so many more customers. There is absolutely zero reason to get rid of family boarding to allow for the extra time we need!!”
Commenters Are Divided On Whether Families Should Get Priority
In the comments section, viewers were split on whether family boarding should still exist.
“No other airline does family boarding. Everyone has assigned seats so there is no need,” one person wrote.
“Wait, why r u a priority? Bc of kids???” another said.
Others pushed back on that perspective.
“As a mom I’m shocked by the comments. Family boarding is to give the family extra time to set their things down and get their kids comfortable. I have never traveled on a plane with my kids but just seeing how much families take use of family boarding. I’m so disappointed southwest,” one commenter wrote.
“I have been seeing a lot of complaints about southwest lately. Are they trying to go bankrupt?” another added.
What Is Family Boarding, and Does Southwest Airlines Still Offer It?
Family boarding is a practice that allows passengers traveling with small children, strollers, and additional equipment to board early. This gives them more time to get settled and tow away their equipment before general boarding begins.
Several major airlines still offer some version of it.
For example, American Airlines allows families with children under 2 years old to board after priority groups and before general boarding begins.
United Airlines follows a similar approach by including families with young children in its pre-boarding group, noting that a gate agent will call them forward before standard boarding.
Delta Air Lines also offers early access for customers traveling with car seats and strollers.
Southwest Airlines, however, now states that families will board within their assigned group and does not explicitly mention priority boarding for families.
The change appears tied to the airline’s update to assigned seating, which appears to have changed how boarding groups are handled overall.
@katcall1414 one month in and it feels like this was yesterday ? our little girl is growing up so fast #firsttimemom #newbornbaby #newborn #laboranddelivery #pregnant ♬ The Night We Met – Lord Huron
The Mary Sue has reached out to Southwest Airlines via email for comment.
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