First Step to a Great Airplane View: Get a Window Seat

Dead Sea Scrolls Go Digital

The Ethics of Nicholas Kristof’s Travels

The Art of Noticing: ‘People Don’t Notice That Noticing is Important!’

A Tourist With a Shovel and a Hoe

When she arrived in Kenya to volunteer with the Maasai, Daniela Petrova looked down her nose at tourists there to have a good time. But was her own motivation much different?

How Should I Spend My Time in Spain?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

Paul Theroux: Invisible Man on a Ghost Train

Jim Benning asks the author of “Ghost Train to the Eastern Star” about his new book, aging and the challenge of disappearing in the age of the BlackBerry

Eat Ceviche in Lima

Grab a Cusqueña and get comfortable. As Nicholas Gill explains, a trip to a Peruvian cevichería can be an all-day immersion in good conversation and raw seafood.

Unsentimental Journeys: Wrestling With Paul Theroux

Bronwen Dickey considers “Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: 28,000 Miles in Search of the Great Railway Bazaar”

My Travels, My Feet

After taking one too many headless torso shots of herself, solo traveler Sophia Dembling started snapping photos of her feet around the world, from the Grand Canyon to Red Square

Seven Reasons to Have a Foreign Fling

Sure, having an overseas romance is fun. But Terry Ward points out seven other benefits to cross-border love, mon petit chou.

Southwest Airlines to Families: No More Early Boarding

I don’t cheer for Phil McGraw all that often, but here goes: Way to go, Dr. Phil!

i agree with Southwest, i have watched the preboarding as 25 closest relatives all piled in with the grandchild,the priviledge had been abused and so it goes!!!!

i agree with Southwest, i have watched the preboarding as 25 closest relatives all piled in with the grandchild,the priviledge had been abused and so it goes!!!!

oh please grow up girl!! why in the world would bother you to let kids and their parents board the plane early? for goodness sake the darn thing wont take off wiothout you i promise!  try thinking of someone ealse besides yourself for once! i travel quite frequentely and have never in all my life seeing 25 or more relatives try to bord the plane early as well,stop exagerating and put the children before yourself,and oh let me guess… you dont have any kids right?

I must admit one thing, this policy is fine. However, personally speaking I prefer the kids go first; because there are so many inmature adults out there. I’ve seen with my own eyes, push the kids aside, and keeps going, not a care in the world. If there would be caring enough to not push or shove just to get on a plane that would make the process of boarding a plane alot smoother. They should just keep the darn policy and move on to more important matters. Such as; is the plane working right????

Before you all jump on the bandwagon, remember that because I am no longer allowed to pre-board with my 2 year old, I will now be thwacking you in the head with my bags as I attempt to strap my carseat in while doing my best to keep my 2 year old from dancing on your lap.  :)

Bet you wished I pre-boarded…

Hi,

The fact that families are no longer allowed to board early, but must wait until the A group has boarded is an outrage. 

As a 20 year SW fanatic, I’m dumbfounded by the dumbness of the policy change.

I’m a parent.  I don’t like to travel with children, but when I do I want to have the stress level minimal.  I also like to save money.

With the new policy, the stress levels that are already high traveling with a baby are now ratcheted up a notch or two.

As a result, several parents have formed a website to change this part of the policy and started an online petition.

http://www.StopSouthwestPreboard.com

Regards,

Shaun Dakin