Why do kids board first?

Board first, or last: If you're traveling alone with a small child who's mobile, boarding first is probably easier. But if you're with another adult, he or she can board first with the bags, and you can board last. This gives your child extra time to run around.



Airlines prioritize families with small children for "pre-boarding" in 2026 primarily to improve overall boarding efficiency. By allowing parents to get their strollers folded at the gate, secure car seats, and organize diaper bags before the "rush" of the main groups, the airline prevents a "bottleneck" in the narrow aisles. If a family tries to stow a bulky stroller while 150 other passengers are trying to reach their seats, it can cause a "cascading delay" that impacts the flight's scheduled departure. Furthermore, it is a significant safety and customer service measure; it gives children time to settle into a new environment and allows flight attendants to identify where infants are seated in case of an emergency. For 2026 travelers, while it may feel like a long wait for the rest of the groups, this 5-to-10-minute head start for families actually helps the entire plane push back from the gate on time.

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Flight Centre's tips for travelling with kids summarises the conundrum well: “Priority boarding can go two ways,” they warn. “[It] can allow you extra time and space to settle the kids into their seats. It also lengthens the amount of time in cabin confinement.

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Board first, or last: If you're traveling alone with a small child who's mobile, boarding first is probably easier. But if you're with another adult, he or she can board first with the bags, and you can board last. This gives your child extra time to run around.

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Don't hesitate to ask for accommodations. Early boarding helps him stay calm, he explains, because standing in line in the jet bridge is intensely stressful for him. It's a simple request: He just asks for priority boarding at check-in, and “80 percent of the time,” he says, the airline is happy to grant his request.

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Why isn t first class at the back? They are given precedence to board the airplane before others, and precedence to disembark the airplane before others too. On commercial airplanes, engines are on the wings which are in the aft of first class. Hence first class is quieter, which is a better experience.

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Better comfort. Not only does waiting to board let you bypass the often stressful and crowded lines (or 'gate lice' as one woman put it), doing so lets you enjoy more legroom, open seating, and less claustrophobia for a few minutes longer in the gate rather than the plane.

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Preboarding is available for Customers who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability and/or need assistance in boarding the aircraft or stowing an assistive device. Customers who are traveling with assistance and emotional support animals qualify for preboarding.

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All passengers flying in a premium cabin get priority boarding. But the group you'll be assigned to depends on which class of service you're flying. Passengers in the front cabin board with Group 1.

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First class is in the front, ahead of the main undercarriage wheels, so if that area is loaded first, there is less chance of the aircraft trying to sit on its tail when the cheap seats at the back are loaded later.

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Kids ages 5 through 11 who are flying alone must usually travel pursuant to special “unaccompanied minor” procedures. On some airlines, these procedures are required for unaccompanied children as old as 14.

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Some airlines permit this for kids as young as 12. When a child has reached this minimum age for traveling alone without unaccompanied-minor procedures, the airline does not require evidence of parental permission to travel alone. If the child has a passport, he or she can even travel internationally.

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