Flying with Southwest

[petunia]

It will be our first time flying with Southwest...is it true there is no assigned seating? How does this work with children?

 

[Nechville]

I just flew southwest for a wedding. No assigned seating. You get assigned a group (A, B, C) and a number based off when you check in -- earlier gets better. You can buy early check in to get a higher placement. Families with kids under 4 are allowed to board after the A group. Once you are on you sit wherever you want. But you literally line up in numerical order with your group.
I did not like this process. It was very stressful since my child was 6. I literally was at the wedding with my phone in my hand to check in at the second the 24 hour mark came.

 

[Disneylover99]

We buy the EBCI. It automatically checks you in at the 36 hour mark so you get an earlier boarding position.

 

[CanadianPaco]

We buy the EBCI. It automatically checks you in at the 36 hour mark so you get an earlier boarding position.

This is worth it with kids!

 

[jerseygal]

Pay extra for the early boarding option...

I like Southwest and fly often, but I think this "no seat" selection at booking is CRAZY!

Come on Southwest...Your prices are like any other airline.. Make life more "sane and easier" for travelers and give customers the ability to select seats in advance like your competitors!

 

[grantclaire]

This also freaked out my DW! First time I booked at the 24 hour mark and we got 3 seats together, we were in 'B' group. For the return flight I paid for early booking to be in 'A' group as I did not want to worry about going online when we were at the parks. The system works OK. Have a great trip.

 

[robnoxious]

We have flown Southwest twice before, both times from BUF to MCO, and I always checked in at the 24 hr mark, to the minute. Have never had a problem with the 4 of us sitting together. However, I have also found it to be very stressful and just one more thing to worry about so for our upcoming trip we are flying with JetBlue.

 

[petunia]

Sorry, so you can select your seats for free if you check in by phone 24 hrs prior?? Confused

 

[Cottager]

There are no options to select a specific seat. Southwest has an open seating policy which allows you to choose any seat as you board the plane but you will be given a specific spot in a line up outside of the doors in the waiting area. The earlier you check-in online (not the phone) starting 24 hours before your flight, the better chances you have of getting a closer seat to the front and getting seats together with your party. There is an option to pay an extra fee ($12.50 per person each way) which will almost guarantee that you'll get a better spot in line so your family will get to sit together. It can be more convenient especially on your return flight home since you have to stop what you're doing at the 24 hour mark and access the internet to check-in (not that easy if you're at the parks). If you don't check-in quickly at exactly the 24 hour mark, you may get a spot farther back in line and not be able to sit together with your family. Since everyone is in the same situation, it is difficult to convince people to give up their seats so many children have actually sat alone without their parents.

Here is Southwest's website that will explain it better: http://www.southwest.com/html/travel-experience/boarding-your-flight/

Also, here is their video describing how you board the plane: http://youtu.be/4fagAJ5YSx8

 

[petunia]

Wow..Im so anxious about this process...my little guys arent under 4, so Im afraid we will not end up together, I cant imagine not sitting with them..

 

[KNovacovschi]

Wow..Im so anxious about this process...my little guys arent under 4, so Im afraid we will not end up together, I cant imagine not sitting with them..

I wouldn't worry to much, just make sure you check in at exactly the 24 hr mark. Until this year all we've flown with is SW & only once the 3 of us could not sit together, we were mid B group & the plane was extremely small. If you are worried then I would suggest the early bird check in so you will be in A group.

 

[KateDrake]

We've flown with them a few times and always been able to sit together, or if not ALL together, at least in groups of 2. No one wants to sit with an unattended child, so people are willing to switch, too. It will all work out just fine, I'm sure!

 

[Sunshine25]

It's very stressful if you have kids, but if you make sure you check in at the 24 hr mark, you should be fine.

I was lucky enough to get an A group seating when I checked in online 24 hrs beforehand back in March. Wasn't lucky again on the flight back though.

 

[monaleigh70]

I can't count how many times I've flown with SW. Mostly to Florida;Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale but also to Phoenix many times. I think SW is cheaper than a lot of other airlines so that offsets the boarding process to a certain degree. Just going online at the 24 hour mark is no guarantee that you will all sit together near the front of the plane, so I'd pay the extra 12.50 which isn't anywhere near the baggage fees other airlines charge since one checked bag per person is free.

 

[LittleFlounder]

Can you purchase the EBCI after you've already bought your tickets?

 

[pigletto]

Can you purchase the EBCI after you've already bought your tickets?

Yes. And really it isn't stressful. Just pay for the EBCI. If it's important to sit together, then it's worth the money. I don't have young kids that can't sit on their own, but I am such an anxious flyer that I really prefer to sit with my family. Therefore, we pay for the EBCI to make sure that will happen.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We've flown a bunch of times and have always been able to sit together (4 of us). Part of it is whether it's an originating flight or whether there will be people already on board from previous legs. We always do online check-in at 24 hours and usually get B boarding, which is fine. On the way home, I do pay for the EBCI because I don't want to have to worry about it at the parks. Love the free checked bags too!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Just a little FYI.... airlines only make money when the planes are in the air. The boarding process that SW uses gets them off the ground 15 minutes faster than everyone else.

I have many times had C group boarding and have never not been able to get at least 2 seats together. The worst we ever got was 2 seats on the isle(same row).

 

[3mama3]

My family of 5 has flown southwest and have always managed to sit together. We do pay the extra for the early bird automatic check in, and it's worth it.

 

[dsneygirl]

My family of 5 has flown southwest and have always managed to sit together. We do pay the extra for the early bird automatic check in, and it's worth it.

We've never paid in all the years they started offering it and have been flying SW as our airline of choice since 2000 or so. It's never been a big deal.

Worst case we were 3 and 1 a few rows apart DH took the kids

I think it makes a lot of people stressed out because it's "out of the norm" but as long as a kid has at least 1 adult we don't all need to sit together for 2.5 hours.