Standing in the economy class queue at Lisbon airport waiting to board a flight to Brazil, I noticed something – and I liked it very much.Across the way was a separate priority queue for the over-60s. I stared at it before the penny dropped: I was eligible. I had just turned 60. I skipped over to join the ‘oldies’ priority queue.Moments later, I was shuffling past those in economy class trying not to look smug. It was great. Being among the first to board certainly made for a more pleasurable experience – and I was left wondering why more airlines don’t offer this service for those over 60?Such age-based priority flight boarding is not usually, of course, an option. Indeed, the only international flight I’ve ever taken with such a system was that Lisbon-Brasilia flight (and the return a week later).This was, I later discovered, due to those aged 60-plus being legally entitled to board first at airports in Brazil. Portugal, it seemed, respected this rule on flights to Brazil, too. Travellers aged 60-plus are not usually given priority in queues – but in Brazil, the situation is rather differentBut as far as I know, no other countries/airlines appear to have such an enlightened policy.Which begs the question: why? The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it does not have a set policy around priority boarding for passengers aged over 60, but points out measures are in place for those with accessibility needs to board first.Airlines flying to and from the UK adhere to the CAA’s policy – and as a result, disabled and less mobile passengers do, quite rightly, benefit.Yet many in their 60s, who may have a minor health condition that causes them discomfort when standing but who do not fall into the ‘disabled’ category, would surely also benefit from over-60s priority boarding. Moreover, one could also argue that after 40-plus years working it would be a ‘nice gesture’, if nothing else, for airlines to offer passengers with ‘oldish bones’ a little special treatment.Would there be any downsides to such a policy if rolled out globally? Perhaps. A dedicated queue for the over-60s can spark anger among other passengers.At Lisbon airport on my jaunt to Brazil, I witnessed a woman in the economy queue accusing a woman in the 60-plus queue of being ‘too young’.To shut up the complaining woman and to prove her age, the passenger in question waved the details of her passport. The accuser did then fall quiet, yet still seemed aggrieved. It begs the question: should travellers over the age of 60 be permitted to queue separately?However, is such a system for all airlines really practical?A former aviation executive I asked observed wryly that ‘if the over-60s, those with young children, business-class passengers and those with disabilities were all in the same line it would make for a very long queue’.Such a lengthy one that it would ‘rather negate the value of priority boarding’.That is undoubtedly true. And airlines make a lot more money out of passengers travelling in premium economy than in economy, which helps keep fares at the back low.Yet if you are 60-plus and you know you will get priority boarding as standard – one of the big incentives of premium economy – you might simply not bother upgrading, upsetting this financial balance.So nothing is likely to change for us ‘oldies’, but it’s nice to imagine that it just might.