Mum divides opinion after skipping to front of long airport queue with her baby
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: J Howden / Alamy Stock Photo / Christoph Rueegg / Alamy Stock Photo
Would you be annoyed if a family with a baby queue jumped in front of you at the airport?
It's a question one mum asked, after she found herself being 'shouted at' for heading to the front of the queue to check-in her luggage last week.
The mum took to parenting forum Mumsnet, to ask other users for their opinions after she explained it had caused quite the stir at the airport.
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She explained she was travelling with her husband and their baby of three months, and although they had booked priority and lounges, they still faced a long queue to check in bags.
"We had booked priority, lounges and everything we could to relieve a bit of the stress," the mum explained.
"Priority queue was quite long to check in luggage and we started queuing nicely.
"Another mum came along and told us we could jump the queue which we did gladly as baby started stirring a little bit.
"However it enraged some of the people in the queue, literally shouting that it was very out of order and that was no such thing as baby class, and what is wrong with you people etc."
The mum went on to explain that at every other queue - for example, security, customs and boarding - they were invited by staff to go straight to the front.
But after the divide over the priority queue, the mum wanted to see if other users thought they were in the wrong to have skipped ahead.
And Mumsnet was pretty divided.
A number of people said the family were right to go in front of the woman who offered, but that they shouldn't have skipped ahead of everyone.
"If offered by the person in front of you, fine. But only to take their place. I’d be very pi**ed off if you went to the front of the queue just because you had a baby," one said.
And another added: "At the priority check in queue - unless asked by a member of staff, then yes it's a bit rude! I'm not sure that it's a rule that you can queue jump either?"
Others said they wouldn't have an issue, with another writing: "Usually they invite people with young children up first. I wouldn’t have jumped the queue unless invited personally but I wouldn’t have an issue with you doing it. The people shouting at you were unreasonable too though."
One theorised: "If invited to by staff, or there's an announcement that those travelling with babies can go to the front, of course you can.
"If invited to go in front of someone else, of course you can. Otherwise, of course not. Even if a randommer tells you to."
What do you think?