A few SW questions

[mslibrarygirl]

Just about to book tickets to fly SW for the first time in August. It will be me, DH and twin DS (14). I've recently had hip surgery, is there preboarding so I can make sure to sit in an aisle seat? And they will only let one person board with me, correct? And is this before everyone boards or in between groups A and B? If I can bring one DS with me to board, is it possible to buy EBCI for just my DH and other DS and not for myself and the DS who would hopefully preboard with me? I know my DSs are both technically able to sit by themselves but they're nervous flyers so want to try to at least have them each sit with one of us. Not to mention I don't want to have to worry about checking in the day before when we're at a park.

Thanks.

 

[rwdavis2]

You can buy EBCI for any or all of your group. There is pre-boarding but if you buy EBCI you will almost assuredly get an aisle seat. So if you want to sit together buy the early boarding.

 

[Wild4Walt]

What rwdavis2 said is the way I would go too if you want to make sure you have the aisle and you can all sit together.

 

[shoreward]

You can get preboard for yourself + one other in your party. Have your reservation marked that you need assistance, and you will be allowed to board the flight before the "A" boarding group. You and the other person boarding with you will not need to purchase EBCI, as it would not really be used if preboarding. The earlier that EBCI is purchased, the better the boarding number. EBCI will not assure an "A" boarding position, but will automatically check in the customer 36 hours prior to scheduled departure and assign the best possible boarding number, based on when EBCI was added to reservation.

Southwest has 3+3 seating. So, you and a son could preboard and take a window and aisle seat in a row, and try to "hold" the aisle seat across the way for your husband or other son. Unless you are sitting in bulkhead or the front of the cabin, most others will not argue with you, if you politely explain that seat is for another family member. As far as the middle seat, it's unlikely that anyone else will select that seat, unless there are not many other open seats.

 

[Sugardimples]

Its really easy to get a medical preboard. Just go to the counter at the gate and tell them you need to preboard. I would preboard with one other person and just check in at 24 hours. I wouldn't bother with EBCI.

 

[AgentMama]

We are a family of four and I often board first and save all three seats on one side and stick a personal item in the aisle seat directly across the aisle. I have never had anyone try to take that seat.

 

[a742246]

If you don't do the EBCI just make sure you do the online check in exactly at the 24 hour mark. If your flight leaves at 9:05 AM then check in exactly at 9:05 AM the day before.

 

[Rich M]

We are a family of four and I often board first and save all three seats on one side and stick a personal item in the aisle seat directly across the aisle. I have never had anyone try to take that seat.

This is no guarantee though as you get later in the boarding process and seats are becoming less in pairs I know someone would challenge for seats if its all that was available. My advice to you would be to do the preboard and have one DS go with you. Maybe buy one EBCI or two to help make it easier. Middle seats are the last to go so if you and your DS do and aisle and a window seat even if your husband gets a C group the middle seat would possibly be available to for him. on either side of you guys. I don't want to see you take the advice in the quote and have your first trip on Southwest be a bad experience because people do get attitudes on Southwest with people saving seats.

 

[mslibrarygirl]

Thank you all for your advice! We ended up getting EBCI for just my DH and one son and the other son and I will (hopefully) preboard. I'll see how I feel (and what boarding numbers DH/son have) when we're there about saving seats. It would be nice for all 4 of us to sit together, but as long as we're 2 and 2, that will be fine.

 

[Rich M]

Thank you all for your advice! We ended up getting EBCI for just my DH and one son and the other son and I will (hopefully) preboard. I'll see how I feel (and what boarding numbers DH/son have) when we're there about saving seats. It would be nice for all 4 of us to sit together, but as long as we're 2 and 2, that will be fine.

Good decision. With pre-board and the EBCI the 4 of you will easily be able to sit together even if it has to be at the back of the plane.

 

[anonymousegirl]

To get the medical pre-board, go to a Southwest kiosk once you have gone through security. They will take your boarding pass and issue a new one with the Pre-board listed. I chose to sit near the pre-board seating area so I do not have to work my way through the crowd when they call for pre-boards.

 

[mslibrarygirl]

To get the medical pre-board, go to a Southwest kiosk once you have gone through security. They will take your boarding pass and issue a new one with the Pre-board listed. I chose to sit near the pre-board seating area so I do not have to work my way through the crowd when they call for pre-boards.

Thank you!

 

[emmabelle]

or you could be like my husband and I, who paid for EBCI, got great seats near the front, when the last two people to board are a dad and his 4 yr old. And obviously there are not two seats together, any where, so the flight attendant comes to the front and says we aren't leaving until this dad and son have seats together. So my husband ended up sitting in a middle seat between a married couple and I sat rows back with another couple. So we paid $30 to have the last two available seats on the plane.

 

[Rich M]

or you could be like my husband and I, who paid for EBCI, got great seats near the front, when the last two people to board are a dad and his 4 yr old. And obviously there are not two seats together, any where, so the flight attendant comes to the front and says we aren't leaving until this dad and son have seats together. So my husband ended up sitting in a middle seat between a married couple and I sat rows back with another couple. So we paid $30 to have the last two available seats on the plane.

I sure hope you got comped a free flight or something because I would have made a big stink and I am sure that flight attendant would have been in some trouble for holding up a flight and messing the entire schedule up for the sake of two passengers.

 

[Kimrlav]

or you could be like my husband and I, who paid for EBCI, got great seats near the front, when the last two people to board are a dad and his 4 yr old. And obviously there are not two seats together, any where, so the flight attendant comes to the front and says we aren't leaving until this dad and son have seats together. So my husband ended up sitting in a middle seat between a married couple and I sat rows back with another couple. So we paid $30 to have the last two available seats on the plane.

A similar situation happened to me as a solo traveler, I paid for the EBCI to get an aisle seat and overhead space for my carry-on bag. Of course, at the end of boarding, I needed to move to a middle seat for travelers that needed to sit together. Lost my aisle seat. I did contact Southwest and asked about being refunded or credited for the EBCI, but did not receive a response from the airline and had nothing to prove this happened. The paperwork and hassle for the refund/credit got to be too much work. I do not mind giving up my seat to passengers for valid reasons, but I did purchase the EBCI and just wanted a refund or credit. These really made me switch to flying JetBlue with assigned seating, but sometimes can only get direct flights to Orlando with Southwest.

 

[FCDub]

I sure hope you got comped a free flight or something because I would have made a big stink and I am sure that flight attendant would have been in some trouble for holding up a flight and messing the entire schedule up for the sake of two passengers.

Free flight seems extreme. A couple drinks would be a better resolution.And the flight attendant likely didn't throw SW's entire schedule into chaos. When I've been in these situations, it's resolved in a few minutes' time at the max.

 

[sponica]

or you could be like my husband and I, who paid for EBCI, got great seats near the front, when the last two people to board are a dad and his 4 yr old. And obviously there are not two seats together, any where, so the flight attendant comes to the front and says we aren't leaving until this dad and son have seats together. So my husband ended up sitting in a middle seat between a married couple and I sat rows back with another couple. So we paid $30 to have the last two available seats on the plane.

I hope they gave you as many drinks as you wanted!

 

[Rich M]

Free flight seems extreme. A couple drinks would be a better resolution.And the flight attendant likely didn't throw SW's entire schedule into chaos. When I've been in these situations, it's resolved in a few minutes' time at the max.

I am saying they would have thrown the schedule into chaos had everybody stuck to there guns and no one would move. Honestly that father and son should have been taken off and moved to another flight. You can't have your airline be a cow herding to your seats and then when the last ones board then someone else has to move. All your doing is justifying to those passengers that they can come late and have there way. To me that's a huge problem with Southwest.

 

[FCDub]

I am saying they would have thrown the schedule into chaos had everybody stuck to there guns and no one would move. Honestly that father and son should have been taken off and moved to another flight. You can't have your airline be a cow herding to your seats and then when the last ones board then someone else has to move. All your doing is justifying to those passengers that they can come late and have there way. To me that's a huge problem with Southwest.

I still think you're wildly overblowing how long this "standoff" could potentially go on for. The captain would come out and give the same speech and someone inevitably would move within a minute.

And there's no telling WHY those two people were the last to board. Maybe they were on a late connection. I've moved for traveling companions in the past because sometimes compassion feels better than a window seat.

 

[emmabelle]

They gave us each free internet. I enabled mine on my IPad so that I could talk to my husband through Facebook messenger since I’m not a fan of flying alone. My husband never activated his even after I tried to get the flight attendant to tell him to. Oh well...


It was funny after I saw the two come on I thought “this is going to be a problem”. My favorite part was the married couple my husband had to sit between because neither of them wanted the middle seat. Hahahahaha


Oh and the flight attendant had everyone cheer for us!