Got a good deal this morning for SW...but I am a SW first timer..

[Dax]

I just got great rates for SW this morning out of MCO to Philly(yes I am leaving Orlando..LOL) for Sept 16 for 49!! I was ecstatic as this fare has been well over $150 for a long time.

This is also my first time flying SW...And I have been watching the show Airline a bit to much...so I dont know what to expect..well watching the show I know to expect being bumped...LOL..but I want to make sure DH and I get a seat together. What do I need to do to get that?

 

[pdolan]

ARRIVE EARLY! Unless they have changed their policy since we last flew SW in March 2004, they board people who need assistance and families with kids under 5 first no matter when they arrived and checked in. Everyone else boards in the order they checked-in. We just got an awesome fare for October on SW to Orlando out of Midway and this will be our first time flying without someone under 5, so I'm planning on getting there early so we can have the best chance of sitting together or at least close to each other. Good luck!

 

[zakatak]

Hi Dax,

With Southwest, you won't be bumped. At midnight of the day you leave, you can print out your boarding passes online from their website. You should guarantee A's at that point. Then, when you check into the airport, just head to the gate and stand in line behind the A corral. Both of you. Then, they'll preboard first, then A's, B's and C's. When you board the plane, just choose your own seats! If you're in sections A or B, you shouldn't have any problem sitting together!

Hope that helps!

ETA: If you print out your boarding passes the night before (12:00am of the day you leave), then you don't have to worry about beating everyone to the airport in the morning. We have printed out A's and arrived to the gate 1 hour before. Everyone tends to sit around until the first person gets in line, then everyone gets in line. I would say, at MCO, to arrive to the airport 1.5 hours before your flight and you should be fine (if you have your boarding passes printed off).

 

[Dax]

We tend to get there about an hour or more anyway...I just dont want to STAND for an hour...thats all.

I do plan to print out my boarding passes at home though.

 

[dozeman]

If you have an A boarding pass there is no need to stand in line . There will be plenty of available seats at the end of A pass boarding. Relax and sit down.

 

[pirateparrot]

This is also my first time flying SW...And I have been watching the show Airline a bit to much...so I dont know what to expect..well watching the show I know to expect being bumped...LOL..but I want to make sure DH and I get a seat together. What do I need to do to get that?

Southwest is probably the least likely airline for you to get "bumped". If you check-in online the night before and get an A group boarding pass you should have no problem sitting with DH and not have to stand in any line. People will line up in the A line 30 - 40 minutes before boarding time but it is not necessary unless you want a specific seat. Just wait until the A line starts boarding and join the end of the line then.

Most if not all of the problems you see on the TV show are passengers that do not get to the gate in time. If you are there at boarding time with an A group boarding there should be no problem. I would pretty much guarantee that if the flight goes you will be on it. If you are not there 10 minutes before depature, your seat will be given to any standby passengers.

 

[goofy4tink]

FLying SW for the first time next week also. So, if I print out dd's and my boarding passes at 12:01 a.m. and we get to the airport (Providence) 1 1/2 hrs before our 7:30 flight, we shouldn't have any problems? What happens on the return flight from MCO?? I would imagine that with DME we would be getting to the airport 2 1/2 hrs. before our departure time...enough time for two to sit together? I was planning on printing out our boarding passes at the self serve kiosks at MCO at that time. Should that be okay? THanks. I usually fly Song so this is new for me.

 

[Dax]

Cool, I feel safe then. I am just going to have to figure something out for the leg home. I have a friend who lives very close to Philly airport and he said he would meet up there to say goodbye, so I may hve him print up my boarding cards for the leg home.

 

[rcpae]

I am also interested in goofy4tink's question. We are a family of 5. Our children are 8, 9, and 11. They have never flown. How should we handle our boarding passes for our return trip? I am not very airline savvy.

Thanks!

 

[MAH4546]

Southwest is probably the least likely airline for you to get "bumped".

Not at all, Southwest is notorious for overbooking because of the high number of no-shows they average. If you are smart and print out your boarding pass after midnight, as others have suggest, your safe. Though most travelers do not do that. Southwest overbooks notoriously.

jetBlue is the least likely airline for someone to get bumped on, since they have a great policy on overbooking: don't do it.

 

[degirl]

We are flying SW tha same day you are Sept 16 but we are flying out of Philly to Orlando. Maybe our planes will pass each other and I can wave out the window to you LOL This is our first time flying Sw also. We also got that great rate of 49 each way. Total cost roundtrip was 116.90. Have a good time in Philly

 

[Pinnie]

If you have an A boarding pass there is no need to stand in line . There will be plenty of available seats at the end of A pass boarding. Relax and sit down.

Today I flew SWA from BNA back to DTW. I checked in online at the hotel at about 12:30 a.m. I managed an A boarding pass for DH and myself. Since we did NOT have a printer, when we got to the airport all we had to do is go to the Kiosk for SWA and request a new boarding pass be printed.

We did NOT line up in the A corral, instead waited until they were called. Imagine our surprise when we were still able to snag the coveted EXIT ROW seats!!!

pinnie

 

[CarolynNC]

Today I flew SWA from BNA back to DTW. I checked in online at the hotel at about 12:30 a.m. I managed an A boarding pass for DH and myself. Since we did NOT have a printer, when we got to the airport all we had to do is go to the Kiosk for SWA and request a new boarding pass be printed.

pinnie

Great idea. I'll have to give it a try when I visit WDW next month. Thanks!

.

 

[LoveToDisney]

If you have an A boarding pass there is no need to stand in line . There will be plenty of available seats at the end of A pass boarding. Relax and sit down.

I agree. I sit and wait until everyone has gotten in line and stood for "A" and then when they are really boarding, I get up and walk to the end of the line. I have always had plenty of seats to choose from at the end of A for both of us. Now, if you are determined to sit in an exit row, then you may need to be at the beginning of A. Have a great flight!

 

[goofy4tink]

But, if I haven't done my BPs early in the morning at my resort, will I have any issues at MCO if I arrive about 2 hrs before flight time and use the kiosk? Our flight isn't until 2:30 or so.

 

[ougrad86]

Hoping someone can help. I've never flown SW, and never out of BWI, but the prices they are offering are incredible, and I will buy in Nov/Dec if they are still that good.
My question is about check-in. I was reading how you can check-in the night before or that morning before going to the airport to get boarding passes so the three of us can sit together. However, my DH is insisting that we cannot check-in until we are actually at the airport with our luggage. We will probably each have a suitcase to check, and then a small carry-on bag each.
Can we check in the night before, print out our A boarding passes, and then arrive at the airport the next morning with about 2 hours and check in out luggage? Or is early check in only if you don't plan to check luggage?

 

[Pinnie]

Can we check in the night before, print out our A boarding passes, and then arrive at the airport the next morning with about 2 hours and check in out luggage? Or is early check in only if you don't plan to check luggage?

YES you can still check in online and check your luggage at the airport. I do it ALL the time.

As a matter of fact, yesterday I was flying home from BNA and noticed there that they have seperate check in computers for those WITH luggage and those without.

I checked in at the business center of the hotel we were staying at and they didn't have a printer, so I still checked in, got my A boarding pass and when I got to BNA, I went to a computer and followed the promts to REPRINT my boarding pass.

pinnie

 

[Dax]

Ok.

So let me get this straight...LOL


At 12:01am day of the flight, I print up my boarding passes at home, and hopefully get "A" boarding cards.

I arrive at the airport at least 2hrs early like always(as MCO is a pain at times to get though with security) my flight is at 10am so I plan to get there around 8am. I am checking luggage. So I have to go to the counter. Do I have to have the re-print my boarding card? Can I use the ones I already have? Am I out of luck? Can I use a Kiosk?

I am new to all this guys...When did flying get so hard..LOL..

 

[Pinnie]

Ok.

So let me get this straight...LOL


At 12:01am day of the flight, I print up my boarding passes at home, and hopefully get "A" boarding cards.

I arrive at the airport at least 2hrs early like always(as MCO is a pain at times to get though with security) my flight is at 10am so I plan to get there around 8am. I am checking luggage. So I have to go to the counter. Do I have to have the re-print my boarding card? Can I use the ones I already have? Am I out of luck? Can I use a Kiosk?

I am new to all this guys...When did flying get so hard..LOL..

Yes, you can print out your boarding pass at 12:01 a.m. on the day of your flight.

If you are checking luggage, you will still have to go to the counter OR skycap outside to check it. If you PRINTED your boarding pass, you will NOT need to do another one. The only time you need to get one printed is if you have NOT checked in OR if you checked in at your hotel and did NOT have a printer to print it out.

Have a great flight!

pinnie