When we arrived at JFK last September, after a 33 hour flight, our 11 month old girl was absolutely beside herself in the check-in line at the airport. We were very far back in the line and were unable to comfort our baby properly because of having to shift our luggage and move along the line. Here's a suggestion to the indifferent staff at the airport:
Bring families with screaming children to the front of the line!
All in all, we were really disappointed with the unfriendliness and indifference of the airport staff at every US airport we visited. We won't be hurrying back.
Dealing with international travellers with small children