anyone fly southwest?

[lntsmom]

I haven't read all the posts (I'm at the library, timed) but Southwest not only lets you sign in 24 hours in advance, if you have young children and end up in the B group you get to board before everyone else in that group!

I fly Southwest all the time. They have been my airline of choice for 15 years. I've never seen a family split up if they didn't want to be.

Some families of 4, tho, choose to sit in two rows so both kids have a window.

And, about check-in on your way back. You can go to guest services at any park and check in using their computer and printer...for free! Last year I checked in at the guest services office at Epcot...they had special private rooms for people to use for just that purpose!

 

[lntsmom]

ideas for entertaining kids while in flight:

1. Colored pipe cleaners. These keep my boys busy for hours. They can make things (hats, animals, etc.) or use them to make tic-tac-toe games.

2. Playdough. Buy the birthday party favor packs...tons of colors, small amounts. Add a few mini cookie cutters and some parchment paper to protect the seat tray if you like.

3. Card games. If they're old enough, Uno or, if not, go fish and Gin will keep them busy quite awhile. Most kids don't play cards very often, so this is novel to them.

4. For toddlers, mini-puzzles. You can get old Disney stories used, rubber cement the photos to tagboard, and cut them into 9 pieces. Put each puzzle in a ziplock snack bag.

5. Small models- Target often carries balsa wood dinosaur and car models in their $1 area.

6. A blank book. You can have your child use it as a picture diary of the trip. Let younger kids dictate captions...older kids can write their own.

7. If your kids are old enough, buy a guide book that is just for kids. Don't let them see it until you get on the airplane.

8. My last idea...Viewmaster! You can buy Disney movie sets, Disney travel sets.

I hate hauling clunky electronics with us. No, there are no movies on Southwest, buteven with my younger son who is darned active, I've found lots of cheap easy ways to keep the kids busy even if the flight is 5 or more hours long!

 

[LWatson]

I was going to suggest the 24hr thing too. You have to do it online. I just flew southwest on the 24th and 8th (round trip tx to tn) alone w/ 2 kids. The flight attendants were GREAT!!!! I was on 4 diff planes and everytime we had a good trip.

We did our 24hr check in on our trip there, and got A 20something.

On the trip back i was in the ER w/ my youngest at the 24hr mark and forgot about it. Then I checked in to see if I could do it on my phone (mobile web) and I could. 20min after the 24hr mark I was in B boarding for the first flight and A 20s again for my 2nd.

 

[eeyoregon]

I highly recommend SWA!

1.) You won't ever get 4 seats in a row on a Southwest plane but you can get 3 in a row and 1 across the aisle.

2.) For your return fight, if you don't have laptop or internet access, go to the concierge desk at your hotel 24 hours before your flight and have them check you in online so that you can get the "A" boarding group.

3.) Being able to check two 50 lb bags per person is a HUGE bonus in my eyes!!

4.) Remember that they are a no frills airline! No movies/tv/music. Snacks are extremely limited so plan ahead for food.

 

[Kaler131]

We also really like Southwest. We flew them for the first time last month and had a great experience. No problems finding seats together.

 

[shburks]

Really? No fee to change the tickets? Does it matter what kind of tickets?