Southwest Family Boarding--Did Age Change?

[jodiariel]

Do you need the car seats for your trip? If not, you should consider using the airplane seat belts only or rent Cares harnesses. I cannot imagine how you will handle two car seats and two 2 year olds by yourself.

BTW, EBCI is not early boarding.

We are renting a car and my kids are too small for the CARES harness. I am not worried about installing the car seats since I am a CPST, I am mostly worried about getting seats for the 3 of us together.

 

[supersnoop]

We are renting a car and my kids are too small for the CARES harness. I am not worried about installing the car seats since I am a CPST, I am mostly worried about getting seats for the 3 of us together.

If you purchase EBCI, you might get an A boarding pass. Otherwise, you'll board just after A. Between medical pre-boards and the A group, there will be 50-75 people on the plane. There are 21 to 30 rows on a Southwest airplane, so 42 to 60 sets of three seats together. Since some people will want a window and some will want an aisle, you've got an almost 100% chance of getting three seats together.

Car seats on an airplane are for comfort, not safety. I agree you should take them with you for the rental car, but don't think they need to be ultra-secure on the plane. And go ahead and forward-face them; rear facing will be very, very difficult.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We are renting a car and my kids are too small for the CARES harness. I am not worried about installing the car seats since I am a CPST, I am mostly worried about getting seats for the 3 of us together.

You're a much braver soul than I am!!! I just can't for the life of me figure out logistically how you would corral two 2-year-olds AND two car seats being just one person. How do you even get through the airport? And the plans are so cramped, with people pushing to get through and find seats. I just can't even imagine.... Good luck!

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

And don't worry AT ALL about getting three seats together. Nothing personal, but NO ONE is going to want to sit between two car seats with two little ones in them! They're not even going to want one in their row! So if there's no empty row, just start buckling in a car seat--people will move fast! (And I'm only half joking about that!)

 

[FreeTime]

It has been quite a few years since I have flown with two cars seats, but I seem to recall there was a rule of only one per row and ghey could only be placed against the window for safety (people don't have to maneuver around them in an emergency). I am pretty certain when DH and I tried on SWA to put me on the aisle and both seats in we were told one had to go with him across the aisle.

I would check the seats and buckle the kids in.

 

[n2mm]

I read they are still testing. I'll be flying them in two weeks will post back. Though we did buy early birds for all.

Happy this morning. Printed my boarding passes and got A 25-29. Also both my husband and I got tsa precheck. (We are KTN holders, but never guaranteed, first flight since signing up). I know my flight is a second leg flight for at least 6 other flights coming in from the north and changing planes to the one I'm on, so was really surprised with the lineup.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Happy this morning. Printed my boarding passes and got A 25-29. Also both my husband and I got tsa precheck. (We are KTN holders, but never guaranteed, first flight since signing up). I know my flight is a second leg flight for at least 6 other flights coming in from the north and changing planes to the one I'm on, so was really surprised with the lineup.

But is your flight a continuing flight for at least some of those people? In other words, will the plane already have a bunch of people on it already that aren't getting off?

 

[n2mm]

But is your flight a continuing flight for at least some of those people? In other words, will the plane already have a bunch of people on it already that aren't getting off?

When I was searching, every flight showed that there was a plane change, not a stop. Each had two different flight numbers, with the second one being ours.

I just checked my flight and it is coming from Fort Lauderdale, with a stopover in Atlanta, then BWI.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Wow--then you got amazing seats! Don't they keep the first 15 open for "select" members or whatever it's called? So you've got the 10th spot! You must have bought your tickets/EBCI very early!

 

[n2mm]

Wow--then you got amazing seats! Don't they keep the first 15 open for "select" members or whatever it's called? So you've got the 10th spot! You must have bought your tickets/EBCI very early!

I know, right? I bought my tickets 6 months ago, but not when they were released. I told my husband to pick up a lottery ticket today. Yes the first 15 are held.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We are renting a car and my kids are too small for the CARES harness. I am not worried about installing the car seats since I am a CPST, I am mostly worried about getting seats for the 3 of us together.

I am not sure you are going to be able to have both seats in same row as you must have carseat in the window seat. if you are able to have both seats in one row the seats will have to be next to each other, not with you in the middle. I would talk to Southwest to be sure you can have 2 carseats in one row

 

[Allison]

I am not sure you are going to be able to have both seats in same row as you must have carseat in the window seat. if you are able to have both seats in one row the seats will have to be next to each other, not with you in the middle. I would talk to Southwest to be sure you can have 2 carseats in one row

Southwest's website says a device cannot be in the aisle seat not that it must be a window seat.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I am not sure you are going to be able to have both seats in same row as you must have carseat in the window seat. if you are able to have both seats in one row the seats will have to be next to each other, not with you in the middle. I would talk to Southwest to be sure you can have 2 carseats in one row

There shouldn't be an issue with a car seat at the window and middle and Mom in the aisle seat.

 

[mieuxmew]

We are flying into Tampa. Anyone have experience flying with Southwest into/out of TPA? I was planning on checking in at 24 hour mark and not purchasing EBCI, thinking family boarding would be less than flights arriving/departing from MCO.

 

[maxiesmom]

My sister paid for ebci for her family and they ended up with b. By the time all the medical preboards and the kids were boarded there were a few rows left in the back. She wrote to sw while on the plane and they refunded her ebci fees. She called it the miracle flight because the vast majority of the medical preboards were able to jump up in Orlando and sprint off the flight.

That seems to be a regular occurrence. I witnessed the same thing during a flight from Orlando to Flint at the beginning of summer. The FAs had asked everyone who had done a medical preboard to remain in their seats, in order to let those who had connecting flights to quickly exit the airplane. Not a single one did. I heard another passenger comment at how it was a miracle that so many needed wheelchairs when boarding the plane, but very few needed them leaving the plane.

 

[rainboots]

On our 2014 trip, we paid for EBCI. We boarded at family boarding. We were a group of 9, 3 were very small children who had never flown. But because I was still trying to be courteous & respectful, we went straight to the rear of the plane, which seems to be less desirable by most passengers. Maybe Grandma & Grandpa shouldn't have boarded with us. But our EBCI would have had them on the plane 20 ppl later. No one would have rushed to our rumbly engine noise rows in those 20.

JMHO, I think kids even as old as 12 should be able to sit with a parent. Maybe not both parents and the entire family together, but certainly one parent & child. If DH & I were flying without kids, I would sit apart from him if it meant a kid could be by a parent.

 

[goofy4tink]

For my flight to MCO, I got A51....the plane was full. There was a call for a switching of seats for a mother and child who boarded in the end of the C group. They found people willing to switch, but it took the promise of comped adult beverages to get it done. And only young kids were boarded with parents...didn't see any 'extended' family boarding with them.
Flight home I got A39...but I wanted to get on that plane as quickly as possible...I wanted an exit row seat since I felt so crappy...just wanted to stretch out and go to sleep. I got A2! So nice. And again, only immediate families boarded. But, there were a few instances of saved seats, but just a seat or two. Nothing outrageous.

 

[mieuxmew]

QUOTE - JMHO, I think kids even as old as 12 should be able to sit with a parent. Maybe not both parents and the entire family together, but certainly one parent & child. If DH & I were flying without kids, I would sit apart from him if it meant a kid could be by a parent.[/QUOTE]

I agree. In my opinion, this is a safety problem which I wish be addressed by the FAA. How old does a child need to be to sit by himself/herself on an airline without an adult responsible for the child sitting next to or nearby? In the event of an emergency, I doubt a 5 or 6 year old has the ability to put on an oxygen mask and know how to exit the plane! I am not sure what the correct minimum age should be, but I agree a young child should be required to sit next to or near an adult responsible for the child. Not necessarily the entire family, but at least one parent/adult able to assist the child in the event of an emergency. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Aurora0427]

wrong post!

 

[Aurora0427]

We are renting a car and my kids are too small for the CARES harness. I am not worried about installing the car seats since I am a CPST, I am mostly worried about getting seats for the 3 of us together.

There is no way you won't get 3 seats together. A two year old cannot sit in a row without a parent. The flight attendants will make people move if they have to.

The other thing you can do is check the car seats at the gate. That way you have them when you land for the rental. Do you really need them on the plane? We've never put our daughter in a car seat. We just buckle her in. She's flown as young as 2. Maybe that makes us bad parents, I don't know! Just an idea.