Commen Question...SW B30 - B34?????

[tripplanner2]

So how hard is it going to be to sit anywhere together. Our flight leaves at 9:50am. I started checkin at 9:51 am and got B30! Are we in the last row of the plane??? How could everyone check in so fast????

 

[rgf207]

How many are in your party? Most likely you will be left with mostly center seats with the occasional aisle or window in the back area of the plane.

Exit rows, aisle and window seats will most likely be taken in the front of the plane. If you have a larger party (more than 3) you will probably be split up.

 

[Jestocost]

Wow. That's pretty unusual to have boarding numbers that high when checking in at the 24-hour mark, but obviously it's not impossible. If there are lots of people flying in to your origination point on other SWA flights and transferring to your flight, then they all would have been able to check in for your flight 24 hours before their FIRST flight, which gives them a head start on you. Other than that, the only explanation would be that a lot of people were just that much faster or luckier than you.

In the end, however, it doesn't really matter what the reasons are at this point. You have what you have and that's that. No boarding # on SWA puts you in the "back row" or any specific place, for that matter. It's just your place in line and you can select any seat you want from what's not already occupied when you get on the plane. FWIW, there will be medical pre-boards (usually few, if any), A1-60 (with there frequently being few or no passengers in the A1-A15 slots reserved for Business Select ticket holders and top-tier frequent fliers), families with kids under four (who board between the A and B groups) and B1-29 ahead of you. There will still be B35-B60 and everyone in the C group behind you. In my experience, with B30-34 there still should still be several blocks of seat pairs together and there may or may not be any three-seat blocks (which is an entire row on one side). It is likely that there will be more of these available in the back of the plane. The worst-case scenario I can envision is that one person in your party of five may have to sit alone in a middle seat, but probably can get one right in front of or behind others in your party.

 

[Tara]

So how hard is it going to be to sit anywhere together. Our flight leaves at 9:50am. I started checkin at 9:51 am and got B30! Are we in the last row of the plane??? How could everyone check in so fast????

Depends on how many people you are trying to get seated together. In pairs you might be able to do it.

One December I accidentally booked our tickets incorrectly and ended up having to repurchase airfare at the counter when checking in for our flight home. (I had checked in on my RAZR phone, so I didn't notice the flight I checked in for was from my home city to Orlando, not the other way around.) It was me, my DH and DS5 or 6 at the time. I got a really high B (in the 40s or 50s) and DH and DS got C27 and C28 IIRC. I was really worried about what would happen and being separated from DS, but it all worked out. I boarded and sat in an aisle with someone seated at the window with an empty seat. No one sat next to me until DH and DS boarded, so DS was able to sit with me.

I guess that's the long way of saying that you never know what will happen - prepare to be separated but you might get lucky.

 

[WillCAD]

You will probably be able to find two pairs of seats near the back of the plane.

Almost all of SWA's planes are Boeing 737-300 and 737-700 models, each with 137 seats. Since you're boarding passes begin with B 30, that means the max number of people on the plane ahead of you is 89, and it will probably be less, since A1-A15 are reserved for Business Select passengers, and are not always issued.

Though the majority of seats left open when you board will probably be middle seats, there will likely be a few places in the rear of the plane where you can find two pair of seats. You will probably not get 4 seats in a single row, but you have a good chance of finding two in one row and two in another, or perhaps two isle seats across from each other.

Here's the important part:
Since you're a group of four going to WDW, I will assume that you are a family of four, with the common makeup of two adults and two kids. If either of your kids are age 5 or less, you will qualify for Family boarding, which takes place immediately after the A group but before the B group. This will give you better odds of finding four seats all together.

 

[Jestocost]

Since you're boarding passes begin with B 30, that means the max number of people on the plane ahead of you is 89, and it will probably be less, since A1-A15 are reserved for Business Select passengers, and are not always issued.

That's true except for three possibilities:

1) The plane originated at another airport and is stopping at the OPs airport en route to wherever (I assume it's MCO). In that case, anyone continuing on from the previous flight will remain on board and be in a seat.
2) Medical preboards, but these usually are not a huge issue.
3) Family boarding between groups A and B. En route to MCO, this always can be a risk. SWA is pretty good about not making this a problem, but you never know.

Here's the important part:
Since you're a group of four going to WDW, I will assume that you are a family of four, with the common makeup of two adults and two kids. If either of your kids are age 5 or less, you will qualify for Family boarding, which takes place immediately after the A group but before the B group. This will give you better odds of finding four seats all together.

B30-B34 = a party of five. Not a major difference, but I see the likely scenario (barring an entire row on one side being available) is a 2-2-1 seating arrangement. That's fine if there are three adults and an older child, but not so much if there are three young ones.

 

[tripplanner2]

Thanks everyone. We are a party of 5, 2 adults and 3 girls 10, 8, and 5. I guess the 10 and 8 year old can sit together and I will sit with the 5 year old. DH will get time to relax.

I think the poster that suggested the plane originates someplace else may have hit the nail on the head. That is the only thing that makes sense. Even when booking, I had to buy the tickets one seat at a time because I could not get 5 for the $79 rate. Now I am understanding why. At least it is a short flight. I am just a nervous nelly about everything so this is just adding to it. But within 3 hours we will be in DW! So I will let my thoughts go there!

 

[anonymousegirl]

You might find seats together if you head directly to the back of the plane. I love having an empty seat beside me so even if I am in the A group I head straight to the back and more often than not, I get lucky and no one sits in the middle seat next to me. Plus, I can always find room for my carry-on.

 

[Lewisc]

Thanks everyone. We are a party of 5, 2 adults and 3 girls 10, 8, and 5. I guess the 10 and 8 year old can sit together and I will sit with the 5 year old. DH will get time to relax.

I think the poster that suggested the plane originates someplace else may have hit the nail on the head. That is the only thing that makes sense. Even when booking, I had to buy the tickets one seat at a time because I could not get 5 for the $79 rate. Now I am understanding why. At least it is a short flight. I am just a nervous nelly about everything so this is just adding to it. But within 3 hours we will be in DW! So I will let my thoughts go there!

Connecting passengers would get lower BPs. Continuing passengers stay on the plane. They don't get a new BP. BPs issued at your airport would start with A1 but would stop at whatever number reflected the number of seats sold from your airport.