? about southwest & earlybird checkin

[Jestocost]

I haven't flown SW before. We leave for Disney in five days! I just purchased the EB for our flight home. Does this mean I don't need to worry about checking in or printing boarding passes until Magical Express drops us at MCO?

Correct. No need to check in. It will be done automatically 36 hours before your flight time. You can go on the SWA site 24 hours before the flight to check on your numbers.

If you use Resort Airline Check-in to check your bags, you can get your BPs then. You also can just have the BPs printed at the airport by a skycap, at a kiosk or even at the ticket counter.

 

[brymolmom]

Unfortunately, the rules at SWA don't say that saving is not allowed nor do they say it is allowed. That means people can try to save seats and if no one challenges them it works. It also means that people can just sit down in a "saved" seat and that probably will work too. How it plays out depends very much on the flight attendants on a given plane. Some are more inclined to prevent seat saving, others are more inclined to stay out of it if at all possible. All of that leads to a murky situation and the potential for some real clashes.

WOW - didn't know this. I do know that more than twice on SW flights the Flight ATtendants have announced 'no saving seats allowed' when groups B and C were entering...so that's what I would have gone with. It only makes sense...it is first come, first served and if person C is behind me in the lineup - that seat rightfully belongs to me if I want it, not to the person's purse that is sitting next to that seat.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I did not buy EBCI for our March trip as it is just DH and I. We would prefer to sit together, but not a necessity. I will be interested in seeing where we are number wise when I check in at the 24 hour mark. Coming home will be interesting as I will be doing it from my phone while we are eating at Narcooses.

When we go in December as a family we are flying Delta and will have assigned seats as I want to sit together then.

 

[lllGurulll]

Just a quick question on this. I am traveling with DS 9 and DD7. Do they require EBCI if I already have EBCI?

 

[goofy4tink]

WOW - didn't know this. I do know that more than twice on SW flights the Flight ATtendants have announced 'no saving seats allowed' when groups B and C were entering...so that's what I would have gone with. It only makes sense...it is first come, first served and if person C is behind me in the lineup - that seat rightfully belongs to me if I want it, not to the person's purse that is sitting next to that seat.

It has been my experience that when the end of the B group is boarding, if the FAs see a lot of seats with coats or purses on them, they will make an announcement saying that the flight is full and there will be no empty seats. I have never heard them say that saving seats is not allowed. Generally speakng, it's a middle seat that is being saved...so I'm inclined to pass it by anyway. But, if someone is trying to save mulitple seats, then all bets are off. You don't get to save the entire row!!

Just a quick question on this. I am traveling with DS 9 and DD7. Do they require EBCI if I already have EBCI?

Well, if you pay for EBCI for yourself, you will get a completely different boarding group than your kids. They will have to be checked in, by you, at the 24 hr window...which will put them way behind you in the boarding line. Every passenger needs to be checked in. Your paying for EBCI for yourself does not cover them....it's $10 per passenger.

 

[Danibelle]

Just a quick question on this. I am traveling with DS 9 and DD7. Do they require EBCI if I already have EBCI?

Definitely yes! Unless you want them to possibly be separated from you. They would get much higher numbers in boarding. It's $10 per person.

 

[lllGurulll]

Thanks guys. I didn't know if it would be required for young children or not.