I really dislike flying with SWA due to their boarding process

[LisaS]

If a family member is going to check us in, will it be a problem if we can't print boarding passes...or is it just an email thing they can forward to us?

You can print them at a Southwest kiosk at the airport. If you are using the luggage check-in service at your resort, they can print a boarding pass for you at that time.

If you have a smartphone you can display your boarding pass on your phone instead of printing one out. I haven't done that yet myself so I can't give you any details about exactly how that works.

 

[Muskegon78]

You can print them at a Southwest kiosk at the airport. If you are using the luggage check-in service at your resort, they can print a boarding pass for you at that time.

If you have a smartphone you can display your boarding pass on your phone instead of printing one out. I haven't done that yet myself so I can't give you any details about exactly how that works.

Would onboard check in from disney cruise line affect this at all?

 

[kamik86]

You can print them at a Southwest kiosk at the airport. If you are using the luggage check-in service at your resort, they can print a boarding pass for you at that time.

If you have a smartphone you can display your boarding pass on your phone instead of printing one out. I haven't done that yet myself so I can't give you any details about exactly how that works.

For how this works. If you have a smartphone and you (or whomever checks you in) enters your phone number during the check in process you will get a text. That text will have a link to your boarding pass.

 

[LisaS]

For how this works. If you have a smartphone and you (or whomever checks you in) enters your phone number during the check in process you will get a text. That text will have a link to your boarding pass.

Thanks for posting this!

 

[kamik86]

Thanks for posting this!

Your welcome. I do this whenever I have to check in with the app or if I'm in a hotel with no printer. I still print a copy of my boarding pass (I find it easier then using my phone) when I get to the airport but it is nice when your not at a traditional computer.

 

[Dean1953]

I don't have any major concerns over Southwest's boarding policies. However, while booking a flight yesterday, I did run into two of their policies that I wasn't aware of. I was booking a spring break flight for myself and 8 year old son. We both had a $41 credit from our Thanksgiving trip to WDW. I tried to book online but the SWA website would not allow me to book his ticket, as he is a minor. So, I tried to book my flight but the $41 credit wasn't allowed, even though it was from a Thanksgiving flight, booked May 14. It turns out that I had booked a previous flight on SWA on March 7, 2014 and I got a credit on that flight when the price went down. I used that credit on the Thanksgiving flight. I would make sense that the credit was used up on the Thanksgiving flight. swa rules are that, even if the credit was one cent toward a ticket, and the price of that new ticket goes down and you get a credit for that flight, that credit expires on the 1 year anniversary of buying the ticket where you got the one cent credit. My dates on what I wanted (March 9) and when the $41 would expire (March 7) we're close enough that I used the credit for March 7 (even though my son will miss 2 days of school). The second issue that I had was over cancellation of a ticket. During the process of issuing my ticket, issuing my son's ticket and linking them, I was getting frustrated and asked if I could cancel my ticket and have the credit returned to my Southwest gift card (I had used all Southwest gift cards to pay for both tickets). I didn't care about the $41 flight credit, just the rest of the money. My ticket had only been purchased for an hour. In the past, I have cancelled tickets with other airlines, like Delta, within a 24 hour booking window. The SWA agent (customer support, not agent) told me that, because I had mixed a credit with gift vouchers, a refund was not possible. If I had paid cash, credit or debit, it would be possible. If I have to cancel the ticket, I would lose the entire value of the ticket, not just the $41. Just things to consider when buying a ticket on SWA. It certainly diminishes, at least to me, the value of getting credit on a Southwest Airline's ticket if the price goes down. Having to spent 4 hours yesterday trying to book the flight myself and with help from several agents of Southwest Airlines was no fun.

 

[Baklava]

I don't understand the bit about him being a minor- can you explain that? I booked for my minor online. I'm sure most of us do. What caused you to be unable to book?

 

[Dean1953]

It's an international flight, from Kansas City to Puerto Vallarta. You are right, though, I had no problems booking our tickets online to Disney over Thanksgiving, hence, my frustrations this time.

 

[Baklava]

It's an international flight, from Kansas City to Puerto Vallarta. You are right, though, I had no problems booking our tickets online to Disney over Thanksgiving, hence, my frustrations this time.

Ahh... good to know that's a thing. Thank you!

 

[quagmire0]

You can print them at a Southwest kiosk at the airport. If you are using the luggage check-in service at your resort, they can print a boarding pass for you at that time.

If you have a smartphone you can display your boarding pass on your phone instead of printing one out. I haven't done that yet myself so I can't give you any details about exactly how that works.

I highly recommend skycab for those with large groups and/or kids. Well worth the money. With skycab, you just walk up and check in your bags (it's usually outside, you'd have to check for your particular airport), they print out your boarding passes for you and take your luggage. It lets you then walk through the airport with only your carry-ons and you have the passes printed out for you and can go straight to security. Not sure if it's available with every airline or at every airport though, so YMMV.

 

[supersnoop]

I highly recommend skycab for those with large groups and/or kids. Well worth the money. With skycab, you just walk up and check in your bags (it's usually outside, you'd have to check for your particular airport), they print out your boarding passes for you and take your luggage. It lets you then walk through the airport with only your carry-ons and you have the passes printed out for you and can go straight to security. Not sure if it's available with every airline or at every airport though, so YMMV.

I think you mean skycap, unless there's some new service I haven't heard of. Or maybe curbside check in?

A skycap is a porter at the airport who can help you with your bags. Southwest also has folks curbside to check bags, but I've found those lines longer than the ones inside.

 

[keishashadow]

I don't have any major concerns over Southwest's boarding policies. However, while booking a flight yesterday, I did run into two of their policies that I wasn't aware of. I was booking a spring break flight for myself and 8 year old son. We both had a $41 credit from our Thanksgiving trip to WDW. I tried to book online but the SWA website would not allow me to book his ticket, as he is a minor. So, I tried to book my flight but the $41 credit wasn't allowed, even though it was from a Thanksgiving flight, booked May 14. It turns out that I had booked a previous flight on SWA on March 7, 2014 and I got a credit on that flight when the price went down. I used that credit on the Thanksgiving flight. I would make sense that the credit was used up on the Thanksgiving flight. swa rules are that, even if the credit was one cent toward a ticket, and the price of that new ticket goes down and you get a credit for that flight, that credit expires on the 1 year anniversary of buying the ticket where you got the one cent credit. My dates on what I wanted (March 9) and when the $41 would expire (March 7) we're close enough that I used the credit for March 7 (even though my son will miss 2 days of school). The second issue that I had was over cancellation of a ticket. During the process of issuing my ticket, issuing my son's ticket and linking them, I was getting frustrated and asked if I could cancel my ticket and have the credit returned to my Southwest gift card (I had used all Southwest gift cards to pay for both tickets). I didn't care about the $41 flight credit, just the rest of the money. My ticket had only been purchased for an hour. In the past, I have cancelled tickets with other airlines, like Delta, within a 24 hour booking window. The SWA agent (customer support, not agent) told me that, because I had mixed a credit with gift vouchers, a refund was not possible. If I had paid cash, credit or debit, it would be possible. If I have to cancel the ticket, I would lose the entire value of the ticket, not just the $41. Just things to consider when buying a ticket on SWA. It certainly diminishes, at least to me, the value of getting credit on a Southwest Airline's ticket if the price goes down. Having to spent 4 hours yesterday trying to book the flight myself and with help from several agents of Southwest Airlines was no fun.

yes, if you co-mingle an existing credit with 'new' funds this is exactlly what happens.

The procedure re credits is listed in great length on their website, quite the dry read but imperative to understand it to avoid what you ran into. After reading several others here post about the same thing, imo it'd be prudent for SWA to have a large warning pop up when people rebook using credits combined with other forms of payment.

it is restrictive, but one of the most generous programs out there when it comes to being able to modify an existing reservation and receive a credit.

 

[Baklava]

it is restrictive, but one of the most generous programs out there when it comes to being able to modify an existing reservation and receive a credit.

This. I started to be grumpy about not being able to combine credits from different travelers (I paid for the kids' tickets, so all those credits "should" be available for me to use, right?) and then I realized that really, being able to use credits AT ALL is a huge gift horse and I'm going to ignore its mouth. 3 of the 4 of us are traveling in the next 6 months anyway and we just started making sure that when there weren't fare reductions for everyone we applied them to people other than the baby.

 

[Dean1953]

People should be aware that there is a point where it probably doesn't make sense to co mingle previous travel funds (especially small amounts) into several hundred dollar tickets because if you are able to re ticket the new ticket, those travel funds probably have a short shelve life. Rather than a pop up when you try to use the funds (which, as was my case, could be expiring soon), I'd like to see Southwest send a communication at the time that the travel funds become available and tell the customer what date the funds expire. In my case, I has travel funds connected to a reservation made May 14 but had to use the funds by March 7. It would be nice to know that at least before March 7 and preferably months before.

 

[mocame]

I think I have figured this out but can someone just clarify that my thinking is correct?

I have purchased Southwest tickets to MCO (and return from MCO) and do not currently have the EBCI. If I purchase the EBCI, I am automatically checked-in 36 hours before each flight and do not have to go through the check-in at exactly 24 hours except to get my boarding passes?

When I leave my Disney resort, will the resort airline check-in print my return boarding passes?

Since I have already purchased my tickets (May trip), do you think it's too late to book the EBCI and still get a good enough spot so my party of 4 could get seats together or 2 in one row and 2 in another row? Our flight is out of BWI.

 

[Disneylover99]

I think I have figured this out but can someone just clarify that my thinking is correct?

I have purchased Southwest tickets to MCO (and return from MCO) and do not currently have the EBCI. If I purchase the EBCI, I am automatically checked-in 36 hours before each flight and do not have to go through the check-in at exactly 24 hours except to get my boarding passes?

When I leave my Disney resort, will the resort airline check-in print my return boarding passes?

Since I have already purchased my tickets (May trip), do you think it's too late to book the EBCI and still get a good enough spot so my party of 4 could get seats together or 2 in one row and 2 in another row? Our flight is out of BWI.

It sounds like you've got it all figured out.

Yes. Disney always leaves my boarding passes on the resort door the morning that I check out. And no, I don't think it's too late to purchase EBCI. We added EBCI to our December flights in September and our boarding positions were A27-A30 down, and A26-29 back. Our flights were out of Buffalo, so I'm no sure if that makes a difference one way or another.

 

[Iamthequeen]

We got our boarding passes at the airline check-in desk at the resort when we checked our bags for the trip home. I always get the EBCI because I usually forget to check in right at 24 hours. We are almost always in the A boarding group, both ways. Oh and wee also fly in and out of BWI

 

[mocame]

It sounds like you've got it all figured out.

Yes. Disney always leaves my boarding passes on the resort door the morning that I check out. And no, I don't think it's too late to purchase EBCI. We added EBCI to our December flights in September and our boarding positions were A27-A30 down, and A26-29 back. Our flights were out of Buffalo, so I'm no sure if that makes a difference one way or another.

We got our boarding passes at the airline check-in desk at the resort when we checked our bags for the trip home. I always get the EBCI because I usually forget to check in right at 24 hours. We are almost always in the A boarding group, both ways. Oh and wee also fly in and out of BWI

Thank you to both of you. I've never flown Southwest before, so this thread and your responses have been very helpful!