My Southwest Early Bird Mistake

[Nutz4Dsny]

I booked our outbound flight last week only to find it go down in price this week. I had already paid the $10 p/p for early bird check-in. Today I went in and revised the confirmation to get the refund in fare only to realize too late that early bird doesn't transfer with. So I called SW and the friendly agent on the phone suggested I just re-book early bird for one person and then save seats for the other 2 family members. Yeah right .. and that won't cause a riot. I very politely said .. "you don't think that will cause a riot on the plane?" She said .. "oh no .. just tell them you are saving those two seats for your family .. everyone will understand".

[seashoreCM]

OT: My oh my, the Southwest reservationist hands out conflicting information just like Disney phone agents hand out wrong information like taking the next Magical Express bus if you miss yours or using another day off of your multi-day base ticket to park hop with.

Maybe we need to sit back and wait and gather statistics, is it really advantageous to buy the early bird check in when you buy your ticket as opposed to two days in advance of travel (just before the 36 hour window opens)?

If you sit well behind the wings, the probability that someone else will want the two seats you might try saving is not great.

[sshaw10060]

It was my understanding that as long as the change was made 24 or more hours prior to departure the early check-in should transfer.

[clanmcculloch]

Originally Posted by Nutz4Dsny

I booked our outbound flight last week only to find it go down in price this week. I had already paid the $10 p/p for early bird check-in. Today I went in and revised the confirmation to get the refund in fare only to realize too late that early bird doesn't transfer with. So I called SW and the friendly agent on the phone suggested I just re-book early bird for one person and then save seats for the other 2 family members. Yeah right .. and that won't cause a riot. I very politely said .. "you don't think that will cause a riot on the plane?" She said .. "oh no .. just tell them you are saving those two seats for your family .. everyone will understand".

Now THAT is annoying. Thank you for doing the right thing and NOT listening to the person on the phone.

I didn't realize that the EBCI wouldn't transfer if you do a change to lower your price. That just seems so wrong. Now I'll have to rethink how I book in the future. I want to buy the EBCI for at least return flights, but I'd like to book it right away so I'm near the beginning of the list when they start assigning boarding positions. I also like to book early though and then take advantage of being able to get credits if the price goes down. Being able to do this makes me a loyal SWA customer since I generally will always have some kind of credit for future flight that I don't want to lose, but I'll lose the money from the EBCI. Boy, this wasn't thought through very well by SWA. Thank goodness my return flight in December is pretty much guaranteed to not go down at this point so I won't need to worry about it right now, unless I figure out a way to add a day or two to my vacation .

[Nutz4Dsny]

Before I booked last week I called to ask some questions about EBCI. I thought the agent told me if the price goes down and I choose to change it that the EBCI would transfer. Guess on my lunch break I'll call again and ask to see what another agent will tell me. I hate to throw out another $30 to book EBCI but I refuse to board and save seats for my Mom and my 8 yr old daughter. Guess we can just take our chances and do the traditional 24 hr check-in but darn it .. already blew $30 in EBCI ... SO hard to know what to do .. just hate loosing money ...

[Dizholic]

If an EarlyBird Check-in Customer chooses to change a flight, will the EarlyBird Check-in options transfer to the new flight?
It depends. EarlyBird Check-in is tied to the Customer’s reservation for which the EarlyBird Check-in purchase was made and will be transferred to the Customer’s new flight if he/she changes the flight at least 25 hours prior to the original flight’s scheduled departure time and so long as the change is to a flight that will depart in more than 25 hours. Since EarlyBird Check-in is associated with a reservation, any changes must be made within the same reservation record (same confirmation number) in which the Customer purchased EarlyBird Check-in.

I copied this from the question & answer section of the EBCI. If I am reading this right, the $10 EBCI stays with the confirmation number. So unless the reservations was cancelled, then rebooked there should not have been a problem.

[tjmw2727]

I have a trip booked in Mid December from Phi to Ann Arbor and the return leg went down $20 so I rebooked and got a $60.00 credit. The EBCI still shows on my confirmation so I am assuming it is still valid. If I get a chance to call and check I will re-post later today. I only booked the EBCI for the return leg as we will be unable to check in at T 24, figures

I did notice that I now have three $20 credits rather than one $60 with the new system.

[ironz]

Originally Posted by tjmw2727

I have a trip booked in Mid December from Phi to Ann Arbor and the return leg went down $20 so I rebooked and got a $60.00 credit. The EBCI still shows on my confirmation so I am assuming it is still valid. If I get a chance to call and check I will re-post later today. I only booked the EBCI for the return leg as we will be unable to check in at T 24, figures

I did notice that I now have three $20 credits rather than one $60 with the new system.

The splitting of the credits (3 x 20 instead of 60--I assume you have 3 tickets) has been happening for several months now and is NOT related to EBCI.

[Lewisc]

The issue will come up if a passenger books a DING reservation and cancels a "regular" booking. Passengers who plan/hope to grab a DING fare might want to wait before paying for EB.

[n2mm]

This is exactly why I've not purchased my EB yet. We are flying in January and at this point I don't have a room and am waiting for an AP discount, so I may change my departure. I read on the SW FAQ that the EB will not transfer with you and will be tied to the first reservation number and if your change reservation numbers it is gone. I was surprised to see how many folks were reporting that they purchased the EB when they booked and wondered to myself if these folks never apply for a lower fare or change their times. Yes I'll pay the extra $10 since we are 2 adults, but not until I know my plans are concrete. OP -- sorry you hadn't realized this, but hopefully others will heed your warning (and lesson).

[Oshawa]

I just spoke with SW and the customer service agent on the phone said that the early bird check in follows your reservation. The only time it will not is if you cancell the flight. Switching it for cheaper prices will not affect it. Hope this helps.

[Lewisc]

Originally Posted by Oshawa

I just spoke with SW and the customer service agent on the phone said that the early bird check in follows your reservation. The only time it will not is if you cancell the flight. Switching it for cheaper prices will not affect it. Hope this helps.

AFAIK changing to a DING fare requires cancelling your existing reservation and booking a new reservation (with a new number).

[Oshawa]

Originally Posted by Lewisc

AFAIK changing to a DING fare requires cancelling your existing reservation and booking a new reservation (with a new number).

I have the same confirmation # and it is showing that I have the EBC on my reservation.

[Magic2000]

Originally, I had us a flight booked leaving on a Saturday. Then, I changed my mind and booked it for a Thursday evening. Then I added the Early Bird. Then, the other day, I decided to leave the Thursday morning. I made these changes using "Change Your Flight" on the SW website.

When I went to check my status, the Early Bird did transfer to my new flight.

[tjmw2727]

Originally Posted by ironz

The splitting of the credits (3 x 20 instead of 60--I assume you have 3 tickets) has been happening for several months now and is NOT related to EBCI.

Yea I realize that - didn't mean to imply they were connected. It is just the first time I have seen them split. I apologize for combining two subjects