Big mistake booking SW?

[Whiskers]

I've just read through some of the threads re Southwest's new boarding pass procedure - and I'm so worried now. We are flying Seattle to Orlando with a stop in Nashville to change planes. I didn't realize that we have to get new boarding passes in Nashville. Since we arrive in Nashville only 1 hour before departure - I guess there is no way to get an A pass there. We are flying with DS5 and DS7 and an adult has to sit with each boy. What do I do now??

 

[indigo]

The 5 year old should let you bypass the line, but call to confirm.

 

[mark & sandra]

Hello Whiskers- I'm not sure if I have this right, but I think that SW's new boarding pass is very similar to the old one. Instead of getting a boarding number 1-90, now you get a group, A,B,C . I have seen people at the gate get very irate because they got to the gate hours early and got tickets #1 or #2 and then didn't get on the boarding line until it was announced to do so. They thought that they would be first on, but found out that the line-up was for people holding tickets 1-30, and now they were last in line. It caused a lot of problems, so SW did away with the #'d tickets and changed to a letter system. As for your problem at your connecting flight, you should be able to pre-board your family with a 5 yr. old. Most people would be willing to shift to allow a parent to sit with a child if the plane fills up before you arrive.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Preboarding is for children under 5.

 

[4nana]

We have never flown SW so don't know the first thing about seating procedures. When our group of 12 booked we inquired about pre-boarding and were told as we 5 children ages 1,3,5,7,15 the group will not be split up and all pre-brd first.

 

[peachgirl]

Instead of getting a boarding number 1-90, now you get a group, A,B,C

We just flew SW 2 weeks ago and that's exactly how it works. Also you can now get your boarding passes up to 1 1/2 hrs before your flight and at different locations other than the gate. That being said, I don't think I'll ever fly SW again! I wish someone would explain to me the advantage to anyone, including SW, of not having assigned seats?? This business of having to get to the airport 2 hrs in advance just to be sure you get an "A" pass is ridiculous. If that isn't bad enough, the passes don't help much, people still start lining up at the gate up to an hour before the flight rather than wait to be called to insure they're going to get a decent seat. In our experience, they handed out so many "A" passes that if you were in the back of the "A" line you still would have a hard time getting everyone seated together if you had 4 or more in your group. And one last gripe...Is there anyone but me anymore who DOESN'T qualify for pre-boarding?? Wait...I have one more....2 people flying together that sit one on the aisle and one by the window just to try and discourage singles from taking the 3rd seat, thereby giving themselves more room. On our flight home they finally had to announce to the entire plane that not looking up as people passed by would not make them go away. The entire plane knew they were talking to the couple in front of us who were buried in their books ignoring the woman standing in the aisle waiting to take the last available seat...the one in between the 2 of them!There, I think I feel better now!

 

[DMRick]

when we were in the last group..I was very glad that we had called and made sure SW had the kids down as kids. There was no place to pput that on the friends fly free tic's on the 'net. We were in the last line, and a stewardist (sp?) came up to us and tol us that they saved three seats together my daughter and her 2 kids. It happened to be way in the back, so we were able to sit together and close. A couple of weeks ago, again on SW, they yelled back to block off an entire section for a group of deaf kids and their conselors..so they all got to sit together. There was also a child that looked to be about 5, preboarding with his parents. They asked if she had proof of age..she said she packed it, and they said they were not able to preboard witout showing child was under 5. They had about 5-6 with them, and because they assumed they would preboard, they must have gotten there late..and had c..they were the last on the plan, as the line was already formed...the mom and child were able to sit with each other in the back.
Figuring out seat assignments takes a lot of manpower, so the way SW saves on prices, is to eliminate it. It wasn't too bad when we changed planes, and had to go and get in line again. We got b, but went right away and lined up, so that got us seats together. If you want assigned seating, you'll really have ot go with one of the more expensive carriers. By the way, the first person in B and C were picked for the extra scan, on our last 4 trips (along with other people). They then saved them seats on the plane,a nd they were up front.

 

[peachgirl]

If you want assigned seating, you'll really have to go with one of the more expensive carriers.

That's exactly what we did with our upcoming trip to Disney this December. We're flying American and while we're paying a little more I only have to get to the airport 1 hr before the flight ( at least that's what they're saying now) and I don't have to stand in line and fight for a seat. People with small children most certainly should be allowed to board first, but on our flight home there were at least 25 people in the preboard line and this was coming home from Las Vegas, not a whole lot of kiddies in line. Nor did I see anything that led me to believe there were any tour groups of any kind. As with you, each of the people in the front in the b and c lines were pulled aside for security checks and they, along with their companions were allowed to board first and I have no problem with that either. Everyone has their own idea of what's worth paying more for...for me it's worth the xtra $$ not to have to think about it.

 

[sgtdisney]

It isn't always true that you will have to pay more to fly an airline with assigned seating. ATA (American Trans Air) competes very heavily with SWA here in Chicago and they are almost always priced the same. ATA has assigned seating, you can even select your seats when you make your reservation on their website. They also have in-flight entertainment.. I am not saying SWA is bad, but you can find competitively priced airfares with assigned seating if it is something you require...

 

[Lewisc]

I wish someone would explain to me the advantage to anyone, including SW, of not having assigned seats??

By not having assigned seats people get to the airport (and the gate area) early. People are actually lined up before the plane gets to gate. That allows SW to turn around the flight in less than 30 minutes (much less than industry average) which allows planes to run an extra flight most days. This extra flight allows SW to make money with low fares.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

By not having assigned seats people get to the airport (and the gate area) early. People are actually lined up before the plane gets to gate. That allows SW to turn around the flight in less than 30 minutes (much less than industry average) which allows planes to run an extra flight most days. This extra flight allows SW to make money with low fares.

Too true. Wish more were like that. They also do not "tarry" on the tarmack, they move right along.