Another Southwest Online Check-In Question

[pumpkinpatchquilter]

One more question! When we do the 24-hour check in...do I check in each person in my party individually? I have never done this before...

It will be my Husband and I and our three children flying together...thank you!

I'm a little stressed about us being seated away from each other...we have a 3 year old who I am pretty sure they will keep with me but I'd feel awful if the kids and my Husband were separated. Not to mention I get antsy about flying and I don't want to be away from them...fingers crossed!

 

[jtowntoflorida]

When you checkin online, you can choose to check everyone in at once, assuming you're all under the same reservation.

Don't worry about not being seated with your children. Even if you get a less than ideal boarding position, with such a young child you'll likely be able to board after the A group regardless of the boarding position you're assigned. Yes, it isn't unheard of for them to cancel family boarding, but I've never personally been on a flight when it didn't happen. Also, on the last Southwest flight I was on, I forgot to check in at 24 hours and didn't remember until a few hours later. I was given a late-B boarding position and there were still a couple of completely empty rows at the back of the plane when I boarded.

FWIW, you can always add Early-bird checkin and then you'll be checked in automatically and assigned a boarding position 36 hours before the flight. Passengers who don't do Early Bird check in at 24 hours prior to the flight, so going the Early Bird route confers a significant advantage.

 

[disney world dreamer]

if you booked everyone at the same time under the same reservation you just check in once and it checks in everyone in your party.

btw you don't get seats you get boarding positions.
if you have an A or B boarding position its likely you'll find seats together.

besides you can board with "family boarding" since you have a child age 4 or under.
ask the gate agent about it when you get to your gate.
this means you'll be boarding between section A and B unless your boarding position is already in the A section.

 

[pumpkinpatchquilter]

Thank you both!! This is relieving quite a bit of the stress for me. We didn't know ANYTHING about 24 hour or early bird check in last time...and I don't think my TA did it last time for us because we were dead last and DID almost get bumped on our way home last trip...I wish she would have said something about this and how it works...this is WHY we went to a TA in the first place. Gosh I swear with every detail I plan on this trip (I did it ALL myself this time) I realize how crummy of a TA she was! Grrr!

if you booked everyone at the same time under the same reservation you just check in once and it checks in everyone in your party.

btw you don't get seats you get boarding positions.
if you have an A or B boarding position its likely you'll find seats together.

besides you can board with "family boarding" since you have a child age 4 or under.
ask the gate agent about it when you get to your gate.
this means you'll be boarding between section A and B unless your boarding position is already in the A section.

Thank you!!! I will have my Husband ask about family boarding as soon as we arrive...so if I understand this right, if I check in at the 24-hour mark I will get a boarding position...then I can print a ticket at home and I get my actual boarding pass at the airport, is that correct? ...and hopefully if we ask about family boarding we have a better chance of getting in after the A group so we can be together or at least closer together?

Also - how does this work when I go home? Do I do the automatic check in on my phone the day before our flight leaves in Disney?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Good Morning!

When you check in online at home you will print your board pass which is your ticket.

Then at the airport when you go to the ticket counter to check in your luggage present your boarding pass and government ID to the ticket counter employee.

You will also need to present the board pass and ID to go through security.

I checked in yesterday right on the 24 hr mark and we got the "A" 30 & 31 boarding position. And just to let you know the boarding position are
A 1 -60
B 1-60
C 1-60

To bad you were not leaving a day earlier I could have run into you at the airport as we are leaving today

 

[pumpkinpatchquilter]

Good Morning!

When you check in online at home you will print your board pass which is your ticket.

Then at the airport when you go to the ticket counter to check in your luggage present your boarding pass and government ID to the ticket counter employee.

You will also need to present the board pass and ID to go through security.

I checked in yesterday right on the 24 hr mark and we got the "A" 30 & 31 boarding position. And just to let you know the boarding position are
A 1 -60
B 1-60
C 1-60

To bad you were not leaving a day earlier I could have run into you at the airport as we are leaving today

Great - thank you!!!!!!!! I just checked in, I think I did it right...printed boarding passes...we got a B-05 through B-09 for our family for boarding position...so I'm thinking we did good! ...also, it did check in everyone at once...I just entered Hubby's name and we all showed up.

How funny you are close to me!! Where on Lake Erie are you?

I can't thank you all enough for the help...I would be SO LOST without this board!

 

[tiggerjenn]

Great - thank you!!!!!!!! I just checked in, I think I did it right...printed boarding passes...we got a B-05 through B-09 for our family for boarding position...so I'm thinking we did good! ...also, it did check in everyone at once...I just entered Hubby's name and we all showed up.

How funny you are close to me!! Where on Lake Erie are you?

I can't thank you all enough for the help...I would be SO LOST without this board!

Fellow Ohioan here, did you all fly out o CAK or CLE?

 

[pumpkinpatchquilter]

CAK - woohoo for Ohio!

 

[tiggerjenn]

CAK - woohoo for Ohio!

We're flying out of CAK for the first time. Any tips? How far is it from the entrance to the terminal? I've never actually been inside CAK...

 

[pumpkinpatchquilter]

We're flying out of CAK for the first time. Any tips? How far is it from the entrance to the terminal? I've never actually been inside CAK...

All I can tell you is it's a smaller airport...smaller than Cleveland. I have only flown out of CAK one other time....I honestly don't remember much!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I have flown out of CAK many times. From the entrance to the terminal it is a very short distance. I have parked the car rode the shuttle from the parking lot - which by the way is like a 2 minute ride- checked in my luggage and got through security all with in 20 minutes of parking my car. That is how small and uncrowded CAK is.

I was shocked yesterday. We flew out of CLE and I looked at my watch while riding the shuttle van and it was 11:21 a.m. looked again when I got through security and it was 11:38!!!

I was amazed it was only took 17 minutes to stop at the SWA to check our bag - there was no one in line so we walked right up to the counter. Once we were done there we stopped to remove everything from our pockets and headed to security and there was no one in the line at security.

I like CAK because it is a quieter airport and very small. They only have 3 or 4 gates so the terminal is very small.