Can we make sure that we sit together on SWA?

[fairytalelover]

I don't think we can reserve certain seats on SWA. I think that it's first come first serve in terms of boarding. We are worried that My husband, our 7 year old son and myself might be separated on our flight if we dont get to the gate on time to be part of the first to board. Is there anyway around this?

 

[OKW Lover]

I understand you can pay extra for early boarding. That would help you get three seats together. In the future you may want to consider booking an airline that allows you to chose your seats when you book if it is very important to you.

 

[fairytalelover]

I understand you can pay extra for early boarding. That would help you get three seats together. In the future you may want to consider booking an airline that allows you to chose your seats when you book if it is very important to you.

We did fly with Delta last time to Orlando and were able to get three seats together but we wanted to save money on the checked baggage by going with SWA this time.

 

[Brian Noble]

if we dont get to the gate on time to be part of the first to board.

It's not when you get to the gate, it is when you check in. You can check in manually as early as 24 hours prior to your flight. You can also pay to check in "early", which significantly increases your odds.

The Southwest boarding process is described here. Read it, it will help.
http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/index.html
http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=boarding_school

 

[tjmw2727]

This is a good place to start - from the SWA website details on how the boarding process is done:
http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/boarding-school/

I fly SWA often and while I have been separated from my kids on the legacy airlines (mostly due to random equipment changes) I have never had a problem on SWA.

You can increase your odds of early boarding by purchasing Early Bird Check In - EBCI is $12.50 per person each way but SWA will check you in attomaticly at T36 - 12 hours ahead of when you can check in yourself.

Alternately just go online and check in at exactly T24 and get your boarding passes you then line up according to your group A,B,C and your number 1-60

Even with a B boarding pass its very likely that at least on parent will be seated with the 7yo.

Hope this helps!

 

[Disneylover99]

If you booked through SW but it is an AT flight, I don't think you have the opportunity to purchase EBCI any longer. They will assign you seats when you check in at the 24 hour mark, but you may have the opportunity to change them at the airport.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[DVC-Don]

First time Southwest fliers often worry about this, but if you pay for Early Boarding Check In or check in at the 24 mark it is not a problem finding seats together.

 

[davedmaine]

I don't think we can reserve certain seats on SWA. I think that it's first come first serve in terms of boarding. We are worried that My husband, our 7 year old son and myself might be separated on our flight if we dont get to the gate on time to be part of the first to board. Is there anyway around this?

Just pay the extra $10

 

[tjmw2727]

Just pay the extra $10

$12.50 now !

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Do EBCI.

 

[goofy4tink]

I don't think we can reserve certain seats on SWA. I think that it's first come first serve in terms of boarding. We are worried that My husband, our 7 year old son and myself might be separated on our flight if we dont get to the gate on time to be part of the first to board. Is there anyway around this?

Okay....deep breaths...again. Better? Flying on SW is not going to automatically split your family up. What happens is really up to you. Have you gone to SW's official site and researched how boarding works?
It's really pretty simple. You can buy EBCI, for $12.50 pp, each way. That will allow SW to check you in at the 36 hr window, rather than you checking yourselves in at the 24 hr window. It will put you ahead of those that didn't buy EBCI..it doesn't give you certain seats, it just allows you on board a bit sooner.
If you choose not to buy EBCI....you will go online, right at the 24 hr mark...24 hrs prior to your departure flight (if your departure time is 8:10am on Monday, then you get online for 8:09 tomorrow morning, and get yourself checked in right at 8:10!!) You will be given a boarding group..A, B or C. And a number within that letter group. It's really not until you get to the end of the B grouping that you start having issues finding seats together. And worst case scenario would be that you could find only two seats together..so one parent could be seated with the child.
If you are online and get checked in right at that 24 hr window, you should be fine.

If you booked with AirTran, and got a SW flight, you may be able to pay for specific seating.

You really do have to weigh all the costs when deciding who to fly with. We normally choose Jetblue since we get a free checked bag each. That one bag pp is usually more than enough for the family. And we get to choose our seats.
When I fly with SW, I usually buy EBCI for my flight home, from WDW. That way, I don't have to worry about being at a computer to get checked in 24 hrs prior to my departure. I don't really care when I fly down. I get online and get checked in right at the 24 hr window...haven't had any issues being seated together. It's usually just two of us though.

 

[Madzac]

I am having the same concerns. We booked air tran back in Dec and just got notice that our flight down is now a SW flight. We have four children. There is no option per AT to buy EBCI or pay for seating, we just check in at 24 hrs. I hope the others are right so that we can at least find several groups of two seats together! I didnt book SW on purpose and then was not happy when I got the email!

 

[msjprincess]

We're a family of 5. We have flown on SWA at least 10 times. I have never paid for EBCI. I always check in at exactly 24 hours and have never had a problem with all of us finding seats together. As long as you check in at 24hours you should be fine. If you're really worried, pay for EBCI.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We fly almost exclusively on SWA and it seems like there is never a problem getting seats together as long as you are in a B group. We've always gotten B, even when I forgot last month when in WDW and didn't check in at 24 hours ahead, but at 20 hours ahead of time.

The rows that don't fill up fast are the ones right in front of a family with young children. And there are plenty of those on a flight to Orlando.

 

[Disneylover99]

I am having the same concerns. We booked air tran back in Dec and just got notice that our flight down is now a SW flight. We have four children. There is no option per AT to buy EBCI or pay for seating, we just check in at 24 hrs. I hope the others are right so that we can at least find several groups of two seats together! I didnt book SW on purpose and then was not happy when I got the email!

I think you should be able to pay for your seat assignments if you booked through AirTran. We booked AirTran in Feb. (and we could have booked the same flight through SW) and we paid for our seat assignments ($6 per seat).

 

[msjprincess]

I think you should be able to pay for your seat assignments if you booked through AirTran. We booked AirTran in Feb. (and we could have booked the same flight through SW) and we paid for our seat assignments ($6 per seat).

You can pick your seat if you book an AirTran flight through AirTran. If it's a SWA flight it doesn't matter who you book it through. They don't have assigned seating.