Delta family boarding?

[JimMIA]

I said no one should be rude, but that being polite does not help in the way you suggested to the OP, if you have no status. In my experience the only thing that helps at airports is status. We should all be polite for moral reasons, though.

Well, it's a moot point for OP because Delta's policy of giving preferential boarding to people with child seats solves their problem.

But my experience on American Airlines has been different from yours. Obviously, these outcomes are extremely variable depending on the passenger, gate agent, and situation with any particular flight. I've seen many situations where there was simply nothing the gate agent could do.

Where status has been VERY helpful for me on AAL is when there are flight cancellations, delays, etc. Gold is golden in those scenarios -- but it's the frequent flyer customer service folks, not gate agents, saving the day.