Southwest Early Bird and MCO

[kamik86]

I can't stand the family boarding policy - I think they should board after the B's. I have not seen them stick to the one adult/one child rule. Last Spring break, there were a ton of full families boarding between A&B. We paid for EBCI and were right at the beginning of the B's so we were ok but others weren't. My DH sat next to a guy with a B that was upset that he had to split up his family because his daughter was 7 and they couldn't board early. We then had a family of 3 that had to completely split up and the 8 year old child had to sit by themselves. The crew begged (offering free drinks) for someone to move and allow the Mother to sit by her son but no one would.

If they boarded after the B's then this would happen every time as by the end of the B's there are mostly just middle seats left... I think that would be much worse (and I don't even have kids so its not like I use family boarding)

 

[DebbieB]

They are going to be increasing EBCI to $12.50, they need to address this. Maybe mark the boarding passes of those who bought it and allow any EBCI not in A to board before the families. I don't understand why they allow seat saving, people have caught on to only buy one EBCI and save seats for the rest, they are losing money. Especially when it's really blatent by putting packages and coats on empty seats.

 

[dudspizza]

They are going to be increasing EBCI to $12.50, they need to address this. Maybe mark the boarding passes of those who bought it and allow any EBCI not in A to board before the families. I don't understand why they allow seat saving, people have caught on to only buy one EBCI and save seats for the rest, they are losing money. Especially when it's really blatent by putting packages and coats on empty seats.

I was thinking the same thing. Why not have family boarding after ALL of the EBCI people have boarded. You choose to pay extra, you should get to board before people who don't pay for it.......

My only flight on SW had our boarding passes all split up using EBCI. We had like A 42, 44, 46, and 49 or something like that. The people in between us were single passengers. Our flights were all on one confirmation with EBCI purchased for all at the same time..... The two singles let us all board together as it made no sense for us to stand apart in line.....

Duds

 

[kamik86]

I was thinking the same thing. Why not have family boarding after ALL of the EBCI people have boarded. You choose to pay extra, you should get to board before people who don't pay for it.......

My only flight on SW had our boarding passes all split up using EBCI. We had like A 42, 44, 46, and 49 or something like that. The people in between us were single passengers. Our flights were all on one confirmation with EBCI purchased for all at the same time..... The two singles let us all board together as it made no sense for us to stand apart in line.....

Duds

You do know there are others that didn't pay for EBCI before you right? I just missed getting A list this year (literally if I had one more flight before the end of the year I would be A list all next year) but some of my coworkers have it. With A list they can check in when they get to the airport and still will be in front of most of those with EBCI.

I'm not sure why everyone is so upset about this... no one is forcing you to get EBCI... if you don't want to pay just don't.

 

[sam_gordon]

I was thinking the same thing. Why not have family boarding after ALL of the EBCI people have boarded. You choose to pay extra, you should get to board before people who don't pay for it.......
Duds

Because that's defeating the purpose of family boarding. The reason they have them so high is so small kids can sit with their parents. If you move family boarding until after the B's, there's going to be a lot of either separated families or negotiating going on to keep families together.

 

[johde]

Because that's defeating the purpose of family boarding. The reason they have them so high is so small kids can sit with their parents. If you move family boarding until after the B's, there's going to be a lot of either separated families or negotiating going on to keep families together.

But they could change the boarding to

A- Business Select etc.
B- Family with EBCI
C- Others with EBCI
D- Families Without EBCI
E- Others Without EBCI

Those paying extra board first then others.

 

[Lewisc]

I was thinking the same thing. Why not have family boarding after ALL of the EBCI people have boarded. You choose to pay extra, you should get to board before people who don't pay for it.......

My only flight on SW had our boarding passes all split up using EBCI. We had like A 42, 44, 46, and 49 or something like that. The people in between us were single passengers. Our flights were all on one confirmation with EBCI purchased for all at the same time..... The two singles let us all board together as it made no sense for us to stand apart in line.....

Duds

The purpose of family boarding is make sure families can sit together. Having family boarding between the As and the Bs accomplishes that.

You suggest passengers with EBCI should be boarding before family mid-boarding? Easy solution. limit the number of EBCI available on each flight, and increase the fee so their total revenue doesn't take a hit.

JMO but SW should require all passengers on a reservation purchase EBCI and should eliminate seat saving.

 

[sam_gordon]

But they could change the boarding to

A- Business Select etc.
B- Family with EBCI
C- Others with EBCI
D- Families Without EBCI
E- Others Without EBCI

Those paying extra board first then others.

You're missing the point of family boarding though.

IMO, these "solutions" are getting too complicated. Here are simple ones...

1) Lewisc's suggestion of everyone on a reservation getting EBCI if one person does.
2) Enforce '1 adult and any children under 12' to accompany children under 5 in family boarding. If there's two parents and a 5 year old, one parent boards with the child, the other waits until their number. If there's one parent, a 4yo, and a 10yo, they all board together during family boarding.

 

[dudspizza]

I totally understand why they have family boarding and I am all for families sitting together. My kids are older than 4, so I can't use that, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to sit with them on a vacation that we get to take 1 time a year. If I pay for EBCI, why should anyone who doesn't pay for it get to board before me? If sitting together is so important, then those passengers would purchase EBCI to ensure they board before family boarding..... that's all I am saying....

I also understand those that are A listers or purchase business select fares... no problem with them getting A1-15.

Duds

 

[Princess on the Run]

You suggest passengers with EBCI should be boarding before family mid-boarding? Easy solution. limit the number of EBCI available on each flight, and increase the fee so their total revenue doesn't take a hit.

I would love it if they increased the cost of EBCI to like $25 or $50 so fewer people would use it. Someone pays $10 and they think they own the plane. If you really feel you absolutely need to board early and you don't qualify to pre-board, then you'd probably be willing to pay whatever they charge to get a lower boarding position. But because it's cheap, so many people just buy it to have it that eventually it's worthless because just about everyone buys it and they all expect A boarding. Well between preboarders (handicapped, etc) BS, A-listers, and family boarding not everyone is going to get first crack at their seat. So paying $10 extra doesn't promise you a thing other than not having to check yourself in at 24 hr. If 90% of the passengers pay their $10, someone's still going to be unhappy with their boarding position notwithstanding having paid their $10.

I love the idea to limit how many can buy it and increase the price a ton so that only those who REALLY need it buy it. That guarantees those people a little more assurance in where they will end up and also eliminates those who pay for it and end up with C boarding anyway. Win-win.

 

[Princess on the Run]

I totally understand why they have family boarding and I am all for families sitting together. My kids are older than 4, so I can't use that, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to sit with them on a vacation that we get to take 1 time a year. If I pay for EBCI, why should anyone who doesn't pay for it get to board before me? If sitting together is so important, then those passengers would purchase EBCI to ensure they board before family boarding..... that's all I am saying....

Because your $10 did not buy you a better seat (or seats together). It bought you an automatic check in at 36 hrs before your flight and you got that.

 

[LisaS]

I would love it if they increased the cost of EBCI to like $25 or $50 so fewer people would use it. Someone pays $10 and they think they own the plane. If you really feel you absolutely need to board early and you don't qualify to pre-board, then you'd probably be willing to pay whatever they charge to get a lower boarding position. But because it's cheap, so many people just buy it to have it that eventually it's worthless because just about everyone buys it and they all expect A boarding. Well between preboarders (handicapped, etc) BS, A-listers, and family boarding not everyone is going to get first crack at their seat. So paying $10 extra doesn't promise you a thing other than not having to check yourself in at 24 hr. If 90% of the passengers pay their $10, someone's still going to be unhappy with their boarding position notwithstanding having paid their $10.

I love the idea to limit how many can buy it and increase the price a ton so that only those who REALLY need it buy it. That guarantees those people a little more assurance in where they will end up and also eliminates those who pay for it and end up with C boarding anyway. Win-win.

I don't like the idea of raising the price to $25-$50 or of limiting the number of people who can buy it. It's so nice to enjoy our last full day at WDW without giving a thought to checking in for our flight. At $10 each it's a no-brainer. At $12.50 each, we'll probably still do it. At $25 each, probably not and then we'll be back to watching the clock so we remember to check in 24 hours out.

The only thing EBCI guarantees is the convenience of automatic check-in. DH and I have been in the B group with EBCI. We watched families board ahead of us and we did talk about how we paid extra but would be boarding behind those who did not. But then we figured that without EBCI we would have been even further back in the line so we still got a boarding position benefit in addition to the convenience of automatic check-in.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you get a B, they still let the families board before you, even if you paid for Early Bird.

Early Bird is not a guarantee of an A pass and should not be expected to work as such. All it does is get you an automatic check-in so you don't have to do it yourself. It's not there to help you get a better seat, it's there so you don't have to do your own check-in.

SWA runs their boarding the same way in all airports, they don't make concessions for Orlando flights even though they tend to have more families with little kids. about the only thing I've seen them do when they have a huge family boarding line is restrict the family boarding to the eligible child and one adult (in essence, ensuring the kid will sit with a parent or other adult, but not allowing the entire family to board with one eligible child.)

 

[moopdog]

I purchased our tickets with "wanna get away" fares and now realize why I haven't been able to click the link for early bird check in. Is this because I am not eligible for it? I assumed since we are a family, we'd get to board between A & B. This might not happen??

We are a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids). My DD10 need to be with one of us, as she has a fear of flights. Will this be a issue? I don't care how the rest of us are split up as long as she has either my husband or myself with her.

Is there anything I can do to easy my mind right now...make a call or something??

 

[TDC Nala]

I purchased our tickets with "wanna get away" fares and now realize why I haven't been able to click the link for early bird check in. Is this because I am not eligible for it? I assumed since we are a family, we'd get to board between A & B. This might not happen??

We are a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids). My DD10 need to be with one of us, as she has a fear of flights. Will this be a issue? I don't care how the rest of us are split up as long as she has either my husband or myself with her.

Is there anything I can do to easy my mind right now...make a call or something??

Family boarding is generally for families with children younger than 5. Not for all families.

You could try buying Early Bird on your ticket and your child's, that would get you a better position than you could get if you did not buy it. If you're good with sitting in the back of the plane there shouldn't be any problem with getting an adult and a child in a seat together with any boarding position you get with early bird.

 

[Disneycouple99]

Why not just charge 10 dollars for family boarding? They board between A and B. Those who do not pay board between B and C.

 

[LisaS]

I purchased our tickets with "wanna get away" fares and now realize why I haven't been able to click the link for early bird check in. Is this because I am not eligible for it?

EBCI is available to passengers who purchase "wanna get away" fares. Those are the only fares I buy and we've never had a problem purchasing EBCI.

So that we can try to help you, what link are you talking about? And what happens when you click on it? Nothing? Error message?

 

[npcougar]

I took a survey after my last flight that asked about a bunch of variations on the early bird concept. One was that you paid an additional fee to get "A" seating above the fee for EB.

 

[goofy4tink]

Because your $10 did not buy you a better seat (or seats together). It bought you an automatic check in at 36 hrs before your flight and you got that.

Actually, it sort of does more than get you checked in at the 36 hr window....
What is EarlyBird Check-In?
EarlyBird Check-InSM is a low-cost option giving you the convenience of automatic check-in before our traditional 24-hour check-in. You’ll have the benefit of an early assigned boarding position, allowing you to board earlier. As an EarlyBird Check-In Customer, you will have a better opportunity to select your preferred seat and have earlier access to overhead bin storage for your carryon luggage. This affordable option automatically reserves for you the next best boarding position then available.

So, SW tells you that your EBCI payment is getting you an earlier boarding spot.

I purchased our tickets with "wanna get away" fares and now realize why I haven't been able to click the link for early bird check in. Is this because I am not eligible for it? I assumed since we are a family, we'd get to board between A & B. This might not happen??

We are a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids). My DD10 need to be with one of us, as she has a fear of flights. Will this be a issue? I don't care how the rest of us are split up as long as she has either my husband or myself with her.

Is there anything I can do to easy my mind right now...make a call or something??

You should be able to go into your flight itinerary and check off EBCI. Best to do it for all the family.
Those flying with kids 4 and under are eligible for 'family boarding'. You should be just fine finding two seats together.


In all reality, EBCI has created a monster. There are about 60 slots in the A group, and the first 15 are taken up by business select and full fare passengers. So the lowest number you are going to get is A16. If there are 70 passengers that have all bought EBCI, then some of them are going to be stuck in the B group...maybe about 20 of them. And if there are many doing the family boarding, they are going to be pushed further back. SW tells us that by buying EBCI, you get better access to the overhead bins. Well, that may not be true if there are a lot of families boarding prior to the B group.
I still think that everyone in the party needs to buy EBCI...even if you have a child 4 or under. That way, if there are a lot of other families boarding at the same time, the gate attendants can make a judgement call and allow one parent for each child 4 and under. Then, the parent with the kids that don't get to preboard are now all together since they have EBCI passes.

I actually wish that SW would take away the family boarding thing. It really serves no purpose. Now, if they want to offer family boarding for a fee?? Sure, that's fine. But I really resent it when I see a family of 5 or 6 being allowed to board all together, with one child under 4, and then start saving seats for others in their party who are boarding later. And yes, I've seen it happen on more than one occasion. Drives me nuts. I have no issue with saving one, or maybe two seats, as long as its in the same row. But some people get carried away with it, and take up 4 or 5 rows!!! And the FAs don't do much about it..other than to announce it's a full flight and there will be no empty seats, so please remove all jackets and coats from empty seats.

 

[Princess on the Run]

Actually, it sort of does more than get you checked in at the 36 hr window....
What is EarlyBird Check-In?
EarlyBird Check-InSM is a low-cost option giving you the convenience of automatic check-in before our traditional 24-hour check-in. You’ll have the benefit of an early assigned boarding position, allowing you to board earlier. As an EarlyBird Check-In Customer, you will have a better opportunity to select your preferred seat and have earlier access to overhead bin storage for your carryon luggage. This affordable option automatically reserves for you the next best boarding position then available.

So, SW tells you that your EBCI payment is getting you an earlier boarding spot.

That's not all that different than what I said. All of the people who bought EBCI did get all of this whether or not they allow families, handicapped people or A-listers to "cut" in line. Without EBCI they might have been C instead of B (and had even less overhead bin room left). So many people get angry with family boarding but you never hear the BS and A-listers complaining about pre-boarders who don't have to pay the BS fare or buy EBCI to get on first. At least I don't hear it. But for some reason people want to think EBCI is some kind of magic golden ticket.

In all reality, EBCI has created a monster.

Could not agree more!