Best way to book with a lap baby?

[kaytieeldr]

Thanks! This is the exact info I needed! I will most likely do EBCI for both legs of the trip then.

Do you know if I age verify in advance (ie driving to the airport about a month from our leave date) can i do this by myself or do I need to have DD with me?

I had also read something about not putting the lap baby on the reservation until the day of the flight (when we check our bags)....that way she could be age verified before departure, we could save the EBCI fee, and still check in at T24 hours. This option makes me very nervous though!

goofy4tink posted this on page one of this thread, and she got it from Southwest's Baby on Board page (link provided earlier on page one), but its being repeated here for clarification:

If you choose to travel with your infant on your lap (at no additional charge) the infant will not need a boarding pass; however, you will need to obtain a Boarding Verification Document (BVD) for the infant. The BVD will allow the infant to board the aircraft. BVDs are available at the Southwest ticket counter on the day of travel. In order to complete your BVD, the Customer Service Agent will need to verify that your infant has not reached his/her second birthday, so be sure to bring along a copy of your infant's birth certificate.

So, no, you cannot drive to the airport in advance to age-verify her. That's available for infants flying on an infant fare.

 

[maxiesmom]

When we fly with our baby, we never worry about checking in because Southwest has family boarding. Please see the information from their website below:

An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the "A" group has boarded and before the "B" group begins boarding. However, those Customers holding an "A" boarding pass should still board with the "A" boarding group.

Keep in mind that Southwest has the right to skip Family Boarding. There is no guarantee they will do it, especially on flights into MCO where you have a lot of kids flying.

 

[dawnball]

I guess I was more wondering if there was a way to tell how many were booked on the flight. (sorry i tend to overthink things and not get them across very clearly). I know with other airlines when you go to pick your seats you can tell how full the flight is. Im newer flying SW so if like the 6am flight is 50% booked and the 8am flight is 75% booked when you purchase tickets and EBCI you are more likely to get a higher boarding pass with the 6am flight. It was just some random thought I was having and I am sorry I didnt explain better.

No, I understand. It just isn't that easy. Southwest has a pretty elaborate system for checking people in.

People who pay for Business Select fares (anytime up to when boarding starts) get A1-A15.

At T-36 people are checked in based on status (number of flights flown) A-list preferred, then A-list, then EBCI in order of EBCI purchase.

So if the 6am flight is a popular business traveler flight, it doesn't matter if it's only 50% full. You'll likely end up further back in the line anyway. If you fly between popular business hubs, the first flight of the day and the last flight of the day are usually full of A-list travelers.

The bigger question for me would be if the 6/8am flight originated at your airport, or was a continuing flight. The 6am flight is more likely to be originating. A continuing flight means you might be getting on a plane that's already half full. People making connections at your airport (and flying out on your 8am flight) get checked in before you do (T-36 for their first flight of the day), so they'll have lower (better) numbers.

My suggestion? Book yourself a seat with your daughter. Don't bother with EBCI for this ticket. Book your husband/son separately. EBCI vs T-24 is up to you. Let your husband and son save the middle seat for you.

 

[SamSam]

We fly SW quite a bit and there have been times that they have came over the intercom and said, "many families flying to Orlando have young kids, so we will not be having family boarding". Not exact wording, but basically they're saying that this flight has so many young kids that they aren't going to do the preboarding for families with kids. Just be prepared in case that happens.

 

[puffkin]

I have flown lots of times with a lap baby on Southwest.

I NEVER EVER EVER add the baby to the reservation ahead of time (I also never have paid for EBCI). I always check in at the 24 hour mark online. Then when we get to the airport we usually do curbside check in and then I present the birth certificate and get the baby's boarding pass. If we don't do curbside we just go to the counter but curbside is usually much easier and faster.

I have never personally been on a flight that does not allow family boarding (and we fly to Orlando 2-3 time a year) but I have heard them announce it at other nearby Southwest gates so I know it does happen. That is why we never attach the baby to the reservation and make sure we can get checked in early.