Anyone know how many SW Early Bird Checkins are sold per flight?

[mckinley]

I generally purchase it for our return home flight when leaving Disney so we don't have to remember to checkin 24 mark. I was just checking our flight out next week 3/28 and it shows sold out for each fare. I am assuming that it actually is totally booked. So i decided to go ahead and do the early bird for that flight as well. But i am just curious do they sell that to every seat or just a limited number of them?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

The plane holds 130 people. Positions A1- A-15 are reserved for the A list members and business class who do not have to buy EBCI so to answer your question 115 could buy EBCI. .

 

[Leslieloody]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money to do something fun!
EDITED........

Before you hang me from a tree, please find my post on page six before reading the rest of these.

 

[TeachTink]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

I hate it when people do this. It isn't fair to other people who buy it for their whole party.

 

[savannahcat]

I hate it when people do this. It isn't fair to other people who buy it for their whole party.

I agree.

 

[DebbieB]

The plane holds 130 people. Positions A1- A-15 are reserved for the A list members and business class who do not have to buy EBCI so to answer your question 115 could buy EBCI. .

Their newest holds 175.

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Southwest_Airlines/Southwest_Airlines_Boeing_737-800_new.php

They actually have 5 different models of 737's, from 122 to 175 seats.

 

[sam_gordon]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

I hope you have your flame retardant underwear on.

 

[DebbieB]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

I wonder how SW feels about an employee who is making suggestions that lose the company revenue.

 

[goofy4tink]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

And other 'nice' SW people have said that saving seats isn't allowed. So.....you're saying its ok for you to buy EBCI just for yourself, you board and save the row, while I board, after you, having also purchased EBCI, and have to pass by a seat I might have chosen? So it can be occupied by someone that didn't pay for EBCI? Hardly seems fair.....unless you are going right to the rear of the plane.

I have gone on record as saying that I don't have a huge issue with saving one or two seats in the same row you are sitting in. Having said that, tho, I do kind of resent a SW employee telling passengers to do that. It then becomes 'policy' and that is a slippery slope. I have been told that there is no saving of seats..it is first come, first served. Now, we have different SW employees saying different things. Terrific.

 

[snoopy5386]

My guess is too many! I just checked in at 24 hrs on the nose for our flight tomorrow and got B41 as my first boarding #. I am an EBCI hater. One of my favorite things about Southwest used to be the level playing field for getting your seat. Heck I loved the old days where you just got a letter and whoever lined up first at the airport got on the plane first. Fair and easy. I'm lucky right now to have a 3 yo so we qualify for family boarding, but when she gets too old for that I'm feeling bullied into having to buy EBCI to guarantee we'll be able to sit with our young children. I'm not happy about having to spend $50 each way (and sure to go up!) for my family of 4 for this "privilege". I would much prefer to go back to the days of no EBCI and no extra fees. Isn't that what Southwest is all about? I feel like EBCI creates a negative seat selecting experience which is proven by the people posting on this thread about the saving seats debate.

 

[lmmantini]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

I hate when people do this. It's not fair to everyone who has rightfully paid for the privilege. In addition, I've seen plenty of SW employees tell you when you're boarding that saving seats is NOT allowed.

 

[LBIJim]

I can't see Southwest limiting the sale of EBCI. Why should they turn down revenue if someone is willing to buy it?

Then again, imagine the complaints if someone receives a C position. It might be wise to cut off the sale of EBCI after B is filled.

Jim

 

[Tasmen]

I can't see Southwest limiting the sale of EBCI. Why should they turn down revenue if someone is willing to buy it?

Then again, imagine the complaints if someone receives a C position. It might be wise to cut off the sale of EBCI after B is filled.

Jim

I was just thinking that. I purchased it for our upcoming trip for the whole family. If I spent that extra $150 and got C position, ooooooo so angry.

 

[hsmamato2]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

how forceful would you need to be? oh Well, at least you have another 20.00 to have some fun....

 

[LilyWDW]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

And if someone puts their butt in the seat you want to save, you don't have any recourse because the nice people at Southwest will tell you "too bad, so sad".

 

[JanaDee]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

Don't be surprised when this "really nice person" puts her butt in the seat you think you are saving.

 

[scard192]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

One of the reasons I don't fly SW anymore. If I did EBCI I would for sure pay for it for everyone in my party rather than try to "cheat" and get the benefit of if for everyone without paying for it. Luckily Jet Blue flies out of 3 airports in my area.

 

[HaViet]

I had really nice person at Southwest that suggested that I just buy 1 out of 3 Early Bird passes. Now this all depends how forceful that first person is at saving two other seats, but I've got that down pretty good. I'm using early bird for me and my mom and daughter will board later. May work, may not. So, I saved that little bit of money doing something fun!

I paid EBCI for 5 tickets both ways so that we can sit with our young children. If I see you on that plane, you bet our family's butts will be in those sits. You ain't gonna save no seats for no one.

 

[djmeredith]

Seat saving is not "cheating" it is a gamble that sometimes pays off.

I'm going to try to put a different spin on the seat saving technique for those of you who "hate" it. First, the seat saving technique is merely a gamble and you can choose to make the same bet. Instead you choose not to chance it and would rather give SW more money for the guarantee of sitting together with your family. I say good for you, I'm glad you can afford the extra cost. Assuming that you pay for early boarding and do get to sit together, then you are getting what you paid for regardless of whether anyone saves seats or not. (I've never heard of anyone yet who paid for early boarding and didn't get to sit together, but I guess it's possible.) So if you're getting what you paid for but see someone else saving seats, why not "let it go" and let the seat savers try to save seats? It doesn't hurt you or your early boarding investment in any way.

However, the second point I want to make is that the seat saving technique can actually benefit early boarders (and everyone else) if it prevents a flight delay. Be honest, no one wants to sit next to someone else's kid, no matter how well behaved the child might be. Also, no parent wants their child sitting next to a stranger on a plane. As a former flight attendant, I can guarantee you that your plane will not leave the gate if a parent is throwing a fit about where their child is sitting because an irate parent (aka raving lunatic) is an inflight safety risk. This means two scenarios for everyone on board when parents and children are separated: there will either be a delay at the end of boarding while people voluntarily swap seats to accomodate the upset parent, or there will be a delay while the parent fumes and eventually deplanes with children in tow because no one will swap seats for them. Either way, those of you who paid for the privilege of early boarding will be delayed. So... instead of being mad at the person saving seats, be glad they at least paid for 1 or 2 early boarders and succeed in saving the rest of the seats they need because that prevents delays.

Third, there could be extenuating circumstances that you know nothing about that caused the seat saving family to do what they do. Perhaps it is a family who spent every penny they had on a discounted bereavement ticket to a funeral and couldn't afford the extra money for everyone in their party to board early. Or perhaps it is a family on their way to see a returning loved one who is a U.S. service member as he/she arrives stateside after a tour of duty. You never know what is going on in someone else's life that causes them to make the choices they do (or be unable to afford the luxury of purchasing early boarding). As long as those choices don't affect you, you shouldn't let it bother you.

Now a word to seat savers like me. If you are a seat saver, be considerate of others and go to the far rear of the plane where nobody wants to sit anyway. Your chances of somebody insisting to sit in your saved seat will be diminished greatly at the rear of the plane! (I will be traveling with my two elderly parents and 4 young nephews on RR points which means 14 separate confirmation numbers round trip. There is literally no way for us to check in 7people at exactly the 24 hour prior mark both ways. I can't afford the 14 early boarding passes so I will buy 2 early boarding passes each way and hope for the best).

From my vantage point, everyone wins from seat saving: early boarders get to sit together so they get what they paid for, seat savers get to sit together and the plane is not delayed, SW gets money from at least one early boarding fee. Win, win, win!! Yay for everyone, right?!

 

[Gracie09]

Seat saving is not "cheating" it is a gamble that sometimes pays off.

I'm going to try to put a different spin on the seat saving technique for those of you who "hate" it. First, the seat saving technique is merely a gamble and you can choose to make the same bet. Instead you choose not to chance it and would rather give SW more money for the guarantee of sitting together with your family. I say good for you, I'm glad you can afford the extra cost. Assuming that you pay for early boarding and do get to sit together, then you are getting what you paid for regardless of whether anyone saves seats or not. (I've never heard of anyone yet who paid for early boarding and didn't get to sit together, but I guess it's possible.) So if you're getting what you paid for but see someone else saving seats, why not "let it go" and let the seat savers try to save seats? It doesn't hurt you or your early boarding investment in any way.

However, the second point I want to make is that the seat saving technique can actually benefit early boarders (and everyone else) if it prevents a flight delay. Be honest, no one wants to sit next to someone else's kid, no matter how well behaved the child might be. Also, no parent wants their child sitting next to a stranger on a plane. As a former flight attendant, I can guarantee you that your plane will not leave the gate if a parent is throwing a fit about where their child is sitting because an irate parent (aka raving lunatic) is an inflight safety risk. This means two scenarios for everyone on board when parents and children are separated: there will either be a delay at the end of boarding while people voluntarily swap seats to accomodate the upset parent, or there will be a delay while the parent fumes and eventually deplanes with children in tow because no one will swap seats for them. Either way, those of you who paid for the privilege of early boarding will be delayed. So... instead of being mad at the person saving seats, be glad they at least paid for 1 or 2 early boarders and succeed in saving the rest of the seats they need because that prevents delays.

Third, there could be extenuating circumstances that you know nothing about that caused the seat saving family to do what they do. Perhaps it is a family who spent every penny they had on a discounted bereavement ticket to a funeral and couldn't afford the extra money for everyone in their party to board early. Or perhaps it is a family on their way to see a returning loved one who is a U.S. service member as he/she arrives stateside after a tour of duty. You never know what is going on in someone else's life that causes them to make the choices they do (or be unable to afford the luxury of purchasing early boarding). As long as those choices don't affect you, you shouldn't let it bother you.

Now a word to seat savers like me. If you are a seat saver, be considerate of others and go to the far rear of the plane where nobody wants to sit anyway. Your chances of somebody insisting to sit in your saved seat will be diminished greatly at the rear of the plane! (I will be traveling with my two elderly parents and 4 young nephews on RR points which means 14 separate confirmation numbers round trip. There is literally no way for us to check in 7people at exactly the 24 hour prior mark both ways. I can't afford the 14 early boarding passes so I will buy 2 early boarding passes each way and hope for the best).

From my vantage point, everyone wins from seat saving: early boarders get to sit together so they get what they paid for, seat savers get to sit together and the plane is not delayed, SW gets money from at least one early boarding fee. Win, win, win!! Yay for everyone, right?!

1) you obviously haven't read many of these thread because people do report not being able to sit with their party when purchasing ebci but there were people saving rows of seats.
2) my child is my problem; your child is your problem. If you choose to fly with a small child and not do everything possible to ensure that you sit with said child I would venture to say you failed at that parental duty. I am very happy to sit with my nook or laptop and my earplugs in watching my movie while Johnny has his fit because Johnny isn't my problem.
3) I'm sorry some people may not be able to afford to purchase ebci but some peoe can't afford first class or luxury cars or dinners out, doesn't mean they are entitled to try and sit in an empty first class seat or drive my car while I'm not using it or have me pay for their meal. Everyone has a sob story.

If you want to sit with your family, fly on an airline that allows you to choose your seats and check periodically to make sure they don't get moved. I check on my sept flight about one every couple weeks as it gets closer I will check more often and if there is a problem I can resolve it.