Airline online check-in 24 hrs before heading home...?'s

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

We are travelling in October / November. We are flying Airtran both ways. I opted out of paying $6 each to choose our seats now. I figured I will take my chances 24 hours before heading out when I check in online. On the trip to Disney, this is no issue. Coming home is where my question lies. I will not have a computer. We will be staying at the Poly. Is there a way there that I can do the 24 hour check in and choose seats? I think I read somewhere that the resorts will help you do it and print your confirmation for you? Or, can I call and check in 24 hours prior instead? We have a 7 year old that needs to be by either my DH or I. I can just break down and buy them, but hate paying all those little extras if I don't have to. And, hoping by waiting we may get something that we are all near each other.

Thanks for any help!!!!!

 

[NHdisneylover]

We are travelling in October / November. We are flying Airtran both ways. I opted out of paying $6 each to choose our seats now. I figured I will take my chances 24 hours before heading out when I check in online. On the trip to Disney, this is no issue. Coming home is where my question lies. I will not have a computer. We will be staying at the Poly. Is there a way there that I can do the 24 hour check in and choose seats? I think I read somewhere that the resorts will help you do it and print your confirmation for you? Or, can I call and check in 24 hours prior instead? We have a 7 year old that needs to be by either my DH or I. I can just break down and buy them, but hate paying all those little extras if I don't have to. And, hoping by waiting we may get something that we are all near each other.

Thanks for any help!!!!!

I do not believe you can call and check in that way.
If you have a data plan on your phone you could check in from it and either just "reprint" the boarding passes at the airport--or some airline will now send a digital boarding pass (we have never flown airtran so I cannot speak to them).
I do not know if you can count on teh resort checking you in and printing for you or not. Even if you can and it does not carry any charge, would it be worth having to be at the resort at the 24 hour mark

Personally, I think if you feel you really "need" to sit with the seven year old then you should probably just pay the $6 fee now and not take any chances.

 

[ancestry]

Usually they can check you in and print your boarding passes at the resort concierge area (the place where you pick up tickets and make dining reservations, etc.). I'm not sure how they handle the selecting of seats. We either pay the seat selection fee or fly Jet Blue where we can reserve our seats in advance. You would need to be waiting there at your 24 hour mark however. They won't do it automatically.

If sitting next to your child is something that you must have then I suggest you pay for seat assignments for at least one adult and the child. Otherwise there is no guarantees and your child may not be able to sit next to you.

 

[n2mm]

Can you have a family member or friend check you in at the 24 hour mark? We did this on SW before the EB was established. I agree with others. I would just pay the extra to have one of the adults sit with your child. My friend flew AT and were separated from both of their kids -- age 3 and 6. This was their first time flying and didn't understand the choices/rules. Folks are less likely to accommodate you if they PAID to secure their seat and you had a choice and decided not to pay. I fly JB exclusively now just to get away from the extra fees.

 

[aubriee]

I normally fly Air Tran. My recommendation would be to purchase your seats (at least for the flight coming home). There will be alot of families on flights from MCO and most of them pay to sit next to their families and will not be willing to switch seats with you. Heck, for that matter I fly solo alot, but due to claustrophobic issues will not sit in a window or middle seat and will not sit anywhere near the back of the plane. Consequently I pay extra for those $15.00 or $13.00 aisle seats close to the front of the plane. Sorry, but even as a solo flyer I'm not giving that seat up, unless you have an aisle seat close to the front to trade.

Again, I fly Air Tran pretty frequently and it seems I always see people arguing with the gate agent that no they didn't purchase their seats but Air Tran must seat them next to their small child. The response is always the same.: "We did not separate you from your child. You chose not to purchase seats together and we will not force others to move to accommodate you. You may ask when you get on the plane if someone is willing to switch seats with you, but we can not make them." Personally, I'm not giving up the $15.00 aisle seat in the front of the plane that I paid for, for a middle seat in the back of the plane for a family who was too cheap to pay. Sorry, if that sounds harsh, but it seems I see it on every flight I've been on the last couple of years. If you choose not to pay for your seats, you'd better be prepared to sit apart. Coming home from Orlando especially, I can't imagine families not purchasing their seats, because almost everyone else on that plane will have. Even if the resort will check you in at the 24 hour mark, there is a very good chance that on the flight coming home there won't be seats together. Going down there yes, you may get a couple of seats in the back of the plane together, although my last few trips to MCO have been overbooked and even at the 24 hour mark, the only seats that have been available are middle ones scattered through out the plane.

 

[Missytara]

Heck, for that matter I fly solo alot, but due to claustrophobic issues will not sit in a window or middle seat and will not sit anywhere near the back of the plane. Consequently I pay extra for those $15.00 or $13.00 aisle seats close to the front of the plane. Sorry, but even as a solo flyer I'm not giving that seat up, unless you have an aisle seat close to the front to trade.

Ditto for me; I fly Airtran solo almost every year. I have claustrophobia and found sitting next to the window near the front of the plane makes me the most comfortable.

On the way down and back I was in seat "A" and there were only two seats on that side of the plane. I consistently watched the seat next to me weekly and it was never chosen.

Lo and behold, on departure day, a woman sits in the seat next to me and asked, since I was sitting alone would I mind moving to accommodate her husband. She pointed all the way to the last row, center seat on the other side of the plane and he waved back at me.

Think again.

 

[Momof2J's]

We fly airtran all the time and even if you check in early, there may not be many seats together. When my DH & I fly alone, we take our chances, but w/the kids we always just fork over the extra. I would suggest maybe just paying for the return flight seats. That way you won't have to worry where you are/what you're doing at the 24 hr mark.

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Thanks guys!! Yeah...I think I will buy the seats for the return flight. It isn't a matter of being able to afford them...just the principle...so I should just break down. As for the flight down, I will wait until the 24 hour mark and just keep an eye on the seats. If they are getting requested, I will pay ahead. If not, I will wait. The reallyonly concern is myself and the little one (or DH and the little one). We don't all have to be together. Thanks for the input though!

 

[Momof2J's]

Also, just a note on the above. We flew airtran to vegas with a group and did the same thing by checking to see if the seats were filling up. The seats were starting to fill up, so as a group we decided to try to get some together & just pay the fee. When I logged in my account to add seats, what was available was different from what was shown on the reservation screen. I guess just be aware that it may be more booked than you think.