21 hour southwest checkin and got A boarding pass

[Got Quattro?]

we leave tomorrow at 7:30 am. I just checked in, 21 hours before we leave and was able to get A boarding pass.

So, you dont have to check in exactly 24 hours in advance.

 

[DVC-Don]

Not many get them early. Last trip I checked in from our room at SSR at 16 hours out and got 4 A passes.

 

[debden]

Yeah...That's great that you got A!! That's what we like to get too.We all just have carry on's so as long as we make it to the airport an hour ahead of time were good to go! I love it.Go straight to security,don't pass go,don't collect $200!!! And boom,45 minutes later were on our way!
Have a great trip!
Debbie

 

[wee-haggis]

When you print the boarding passes online,will the system automatically figure out if your whole party will be getting A passes
or
Is it possible for some to get A's and some get B's ?

 

[DVC-Don]

I think there are 40 A's, 40 B's and 40 C's. So if 3 of a party get the last of the A's, one will get a B. Happened to us once.

 

[madge]

When you print the boarding passes online,will the system automatically figure out if your whole party will be getting A passes
or
Is it possible for some to get A's and some get B's ?

At some point there is a switch to B passes. I checked in 18 people on Monday and about half got A and the other half got B.

I checked in online at 8:00am for a 2:05pm flight, too.

 

[elan]

We will be flying swa first time in April. Could some one explain the A,B,C passes to me? Thanks

 

[goofy4tink]

We will be flying swa first time in April. Could some one explain the A,B,C passes to me? Thanks

This is the way SW boards it's passengers. Those that are allowed to preboard (handicapped, those flying with children under the age of 5) board first. When they are all on, then those with A boarding passes board, then the B's, then the C's. The A passes are nicer because you can get seats together that way. If you end up with C passes, your group may be scattered thoughout the plane.

As far as how early to call for those A passes...I flew in August, on a Friday from Boston to MCO...I called at about 4:30 a.m., just before we headed out for our 7:45 flight, and I was able to get two A's for my dd and myself.

 

[elan]

So seats are not assigned at all? Once you get on the plan you just pick a seat?

 

[madge]

So seats are not assigned at all? Once you get on the plan you just pick a seat?

that's exactly it! SWA calls it open general seating, or something like that.

 

[elan]

that's exactly it! SWA calls it open general seating, or something like that.

Thanks.

 

[travlnman1]

If you are concerned about getting "A" boarding passes on SW, you can sign up with www.boardfirst.com and for a fee of $5.00 per person one way, they will get you "A" boarding passes. You can sign up for this program as soon as you buy the tickets and then there is no worry.

 

[jiminy14]

Just as a side note on checking in early...Our SWA flight from Orlando to Philly last Friday was cancelled due to fog in Philly. SWA rebooked all of the passengers on our flight onto the next two flights leaving for Philly. We had A's for our original flight and checked in exactly 24 hours ahead of time.
SWA decided that the fair way to decide who got on what flight was by the time that they checked in. Those individuals who checked in first got on the first flight and the rest got on the second flight. There were 50 available seats on each flight. We were lucky and were numbers 12, 13, 14, and 15 on the check-in list so we made the first flight. There was a large extended family there and some of them did not get on the first flight since they checked in later in the day. The new boarding passes were all B's and C's. None of us got A's on the second flights.
As it ended up, the flight that was supposed to leave at 4:05 did not leave until 7:00. The second flight scheduled to leave at 4:35 was pushed back to 9:30.

 

[disneymom225]

This is the way SW boards it's passengers. Those that are allowed to preboard (handicapped, those flying with children under the age of 5) board first. When they are all on, then those with A boarding passes board, then the B's, then the C's. The A passes are nicer because you can get seats together that way. If you end up with C passes, your group may be scattered thoughout the plane.

As far as how early to call for those A passes...I flew in August, on a Friday from Boston to MCO...I called at about 4:30 a.m., just before we headed out for our 7:45 flight, and I was able to get two A's for my dd and myself.

We are using SW for the first time in Feb.- I will check-in before the flight (23 hr 59 minutes probably!) but we are also travelling w/ a 2 year old-so does A, B, & C really matter? Do we get to board first no matter what?

 

[lovesdumbo]

I tried getting boarding passes before our 7am flight in Aug. It was our first time flying SW and we couldn't do it. It was actually my friend who was trying so I didn't see what the problem was. She said it was something about my DS(4). I thought that was wierd as I had previously printed passes for another friend and her DD(6). When we got to the airport we discovered that they had preselected my DS for extra security. I was nervous what they might do to him but they took one look at him and let us right through security. It worked out OK as they did allow me to preboard with him and the flight wasn't full so my friends had no trouble getting seats together. My friend and her DS(16) got a row to themselves and she said others rows had just 1 passenger.

They were allowing preboarding of people traveling with children under 5 but only immediate family-mom/dad/siblings. No grandparents/aunts or uncles. I did see them make an old lady (grandma) leave the preboarding line.

I was very happy with SW's service and especially the price I paid ($115 RT non stop). I am using them again in May ($135 this time).

 

[spectrum-turbo]

We are using SW for the first time in Feb.- I will check-in before the flight (23 hr 59 minutes probably!) but we are also travelling w/ a 2 year old-so does A, B, & C really matter? Do we get to board first no matter what

Yes you will board first since you are traveling with someone under 5. When my DH husband and I figured this out with our first DS, we joked about having kids five years apart so that we could pre-board on SWA for a longer period of time. (BTW, they ended up being not quite 4 years apart and the second one is four and half with no more on the horizon, so not many more pre-boards for us )

 

[debknight]

Can you do on-line check in with 3 passengers on one Confirmation Number?

 

[BelleBeast]

[SIZE=5]If you are concerned about getting "A" boarding passes on SW, you can sign up with www.boardfirst.com and for a fee of $5.00 per person one way, they will get you "A" boarding passes. You can sign up for this program as soon as you buy the tickets and then there is no worry.[/SIZE]

Someone please explain - If I use "boardfirst.com" do I immediately get my boarding passes?

How does that work? I will be taking my laptop with me!

Thank you.

Bellebeast

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think Boardfirst's FAQ addresses all the questions people have.

As for preboarding - that depends on the airport and the number of eligible parties. Generally, flights from Orlando don't preboard because many, if not most, parties have young children; and flights to Orlando, it depends on the number of parties who might preboard.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Thought you might all find this interesting. I just read this on a SW Rapids Rewards Email:

Wireless Checkin Now Available at southwest.com!
We are proud to announce that Southwest Airlines Wireless Access can now put you closer to the travel information you need while you are on the road and away from your computer. You can now access several key southwest.com features via your web-enabled mobile device.

Flight Checkin
Cancel Boarding Passes
Southwest Airlines Contact Information
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy

All you need is a device with data access functionality and a web browser. Then, simply visit mobile.southwest.com for wireless access to southwest.com. You will need your confirmation number and the first and last name of one of the Passengers listed in the reservation.

Once you have checked in for your flight via your mobile device, simply proceed to the airport and go to the nearest RAPID CHECK-IN Kiosk to print your boarding pass. The system will recognize that you already have checked in for your flight, so you will need to request a reprint of your boarding pass. The boarding pass will reflect the boarding group that was indicated on the Checkin Confirmation screen on your mobile device. You may also get your boarding pass at the Ticket Counter, Skycap, or online at southwest.com.